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Valley Forge National Historical Park preserves the site of George Washington’s Continental Army’s winter encampment. From December 1777 to June 1778, the army camped, trained and suffered through a hard winter. The troops were decimated by disease, starvation and desertion due to the harsh living conditions.

The site was chosen because it was between the Second Continental Congress in York and the British army in  Philadelphia (which had fallen in the Battle of Brandywine.) In spite of the hardships, the Continental Army emerged from the encampment with better training and determination to prevail.  Washington and the army marched on Monmouth in June 1778 and secured a much-needed victory for the revolution.

Our first stop was to the visitor center, which is in a temporary structure while the main visitor center undergoes renovation. We watched the short film on the history of Valley Forge and then got directions from a ranger to take the 10-mile Encampment Tour.

This is a self-guided driving tour with nine stops, most of which I will cover in future posts:

1. Visitor Center
2. Muhlenberg Brigade (Coming Soon)
3. National Memorial Arch (Coming Soon)
4. Wayne Statue
5. Washington’s Headquarters & Valley Forge Station (Coming Soon)
6. Redoubt 3
7. Artillery Park
8. Steuben Statue and Varnum’s HQ
9. Washington Memorial Chapel (Coming Soon)