The Forrest City times., 1907-02-22

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 H HValley Forge the land msMes5 5l mvrh Ing of the Pilgrims &&y ItS<ss would have been a for HsgW I gotten incident. It was " fF 'sTSafss%Sss at Valley Forge that the sssosas<azss xf"1S young nation was tried In bitterness and defeat, only to come out of it steeled for the work that in that long. dreadful winter was ripen- ing for it.
 Through it all Washington. as com mander-in chief. as soldier. and as an individual sufferer with his men, was the colossal figure that emphasizes this supreme test of patriotism
 Defeat at Germantown on Oct. 3, TIT, had sent Washington in retreat. Fort Miflin and Fort Mercer in quick succession had been abandoned by the continental army At Whitemarsh Washington had made a stand so un- expected and determined as to cause the British general, Howe, to return to his comfortable winter quarters in Philadelphia. There, on Dec Il, Gen Washington, with his suffering army of 1000 men, took up the weary march to Valley Forge, sleepy de pression in the hills, 22 miles from Philadelphia. On one side was the Schuylkill river and on the north was Valley creek.
 Snow lay deep on the ground when, on Dec. 19, the patriot army reached the site of the winter camp. Tents were stretched for as many IS could be housed hundreds slept in the snow, already reddened by their bleeding bare feet. At once Gen. Washington directed that work begin on log huts. previously designed. To do this men were divided into squads of P, fur nished with rude tools, and directed to build huts large enough to house each squad. According to specified tions these huts were IA by 16 feet. with sides. ends and roofs made of logs The roofs were made water tight with bark, split slabs, or other material The cracks in the sides were filled with clay. In the rear of each hut was iffeplace made of wood protected by clay The door was in the end next to the camp street and was made of oak slabs.
 In the rear of each line of huts for troops were the huts for officers Each general officer got hut to himself: each field officer of a regiment got one; the staff of each brigade shared another; the staff of each regiment was assigned one; commissioned off cers for two regiments had one, while for the on-commissioned officers and men of the army 12 persons were al loted to each hut.
 The winter of 1777-7S was remark able for it's severity and it's deep snows, and when work was begun at making camp. nearly 5000 men were unfit for duty British sympathizers populated the surrounding country and food and bedding were hard to get, even when the soldiers had the de- preciated currency of the country to offer in exchange As an incentive to hut-building, Gen, Washington offered a purse of $l00 to the officer or man who would suggest the best substitute for boards as roofing material, hay ing especial reference to cheapness and celerity in building. Then, to the squad in each regiment which built its hut quickest and in the best manner he gave purse of SIP So encour- aged. lhe tattered, emaciated army was housed late in January.
 -seuty-two miles away was Howss army Of l9.500 men in Philadelphia paying British gold and silver for sup plies. Washington starYellns army had only the continental currency worth s25 to the $l00 of face value, Even with the spirit of Toryism ab- sent the army at Valley Forge would have been handicapped. As it was they found farmers defending their cattle. grain and straw it the muskets muzzle
 With reference te these uncomfort- able quarters for the men, it may be said that Washington shared them with his men until all had been housed in huts. Then only did he take up headquarters with the old Quaker preacher near the mouth of Valley creek Around his headquarters were stationed the members of his life guard.
 Albiqenee Waldo's Diary.
 Somewhere in this chilled, starved. halfnaked camp was a genius who