Valley Forge
The winter at Valley Forge was the second stage in the transformation and development of the the Continental Army. The men that came into camp would have to persevere through the conditions but would receive the vital training they needed. The winter at Valley Forge was a turning point in history as it gave the newly organized army the training needed to defeat the British, win the war, and earn the United States of America its liberties and freedom.
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Valley Forge was the destination for the depleted Continental Army as the site for its 1777-1778 winter quarters. The army arrived on December 19, 1777 as a tired force after their defeat at Germantown was followed by another at Whitemarsh, the last battle of that year. The army retreated back to Valley Forge along the Schuylkill River about 25 miles northwest of the British occupied town of Philadelphia. The army was in shambles upon arrival as men were wearing scraps of clothes that didn't protect them against the elements and some of them didn't even have shoes. These men marched shoe less and had a trail of blood following in their footsteps. As they arrived they had to build their own camp or else sleep on the cold open ground. Many men would become ill and some would also perish. Those that didn't and were able to receive training from Baron von Steuben, the Prussian drillmaster, who would shape up the army into a group of American Regulars who would defeat the British.
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