Winter at Valley Forge

Monday, January 4, 2016

Although not a single battle was fought there, nearly 2,000 Revolutionary War soldiers died at Valley Forge.  Those who survived were trained to become real soldiers in an army that could fend off the professional British military.  

Valley Forge

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania is a site about 20 miles northwest of what was then the capital, Philadelphia.  Valley Forge became the winter quarters of General Washington.  It is where, in the fall of 1777, with cold weather coming on and after their defeat at Germantown on October 4, Washington's Continental Army moved to a place on high ground--a place that could be easily defended.

My ggggg-grandfather, Jesse Benjamin, a member of the fife corps, was among those soldiers who fought at Germantown and then wintered at Valley Forge with General George Washington.  

Replica hut at Valley Forge

12,000 men marched to Valley Forge.  They were soon tasked with building 2,000 military huts for housing and digging trenches to defend themselves.

While supplies were scarce at the beginning of the encampment, they became scarcer still as the winter wore on.  Clothing and boots were not uniformly available; some soldiers did without while some were adequately provisioned.  

Many soldiers fell ill.  Of the 2,000 who died there nearly 2/3 perished from disease.  Influenza, typhus and dysentery were common ailments until sanitation was improved.  

At Valley Forge, Washington knew his army needed to become better trained.  So, while in Paris, Benjamin Franklin recruited a member of the Prussian Army, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben.  von Steuben was asked to design a military training program for the Continental Army at Valley Forge.  The baron spoke no English but with the help of interpreters created a model company of 100 men whom he instructed in drilling and maneuvering.  These 100 men then trained other units until the whole army was trained.

Monument at Valley Forge

Washington and his soldiers left Valley Forge on June 19 hot in pursuit after they learned that the British Army had evacuated Philadelphia. 

The Continentals soon caught up to the British Army.  In extremely hot weather, the positive results of von Steuben's soldiering program at Valley Forge were obvious when the Continental Army was able to fight to a draw against the professional British military at the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778.    

Soldier Jesse Benjamin survived Valley Forge and the Battle of Monmouth.  He served for six years and earned the Badge of Merit from General Washington upon discharge.  

During my visit to Valley Forge in July 2015, I found the record of Jesse Benjamin's encampment on file there.   

Muster Roll record of Jesse Benjamin at Valley Forge

DEC 1777	Sick In Hospital
JAN 1778	Sick Absent
FEB 1778	Sick Absent
MAR 1778	Promoted To Fifer
APR 1778	On Roll Without Comment
MAY 1778	On Roll Without Comment
JUN 1778	On Roll Without Comment