Valley Forge National Park
Valley Forge National Park.Although the 1777–78 winter encampment at Valley Forge is a familiar metaphor for the sufferings of the Continental army during the Revolutionary War and a part of the nation's folklore, other winter ordeals were probably worse. Valley Forge's reputation for misery arose because Gen. George Washington, hoping for greater support, stressed the Continentals' sufferings there in his correspondence with Congress. However, during that same winter, the army made significant progress in discipline under Friedrick Wilhelm von Steuben's tutelage, and Nathanael Greene greatly improved its logistics system. In this sense, the encampment marked a turning point for the army; more broadly, its popular importance remains symbolic of endurance in adversity.
Pennsylvania...
[The entire page is 285 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
