The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-02-27
Washington Winter at Valley Forge
Particularly Interesting at This
Time Is the Story Of How the
Continental Army Lay In Camp,
Frozen, Starved and Ragged.
"2,898 Are B~arefooted and
Naked" Reported Their Com
mander = Review Of Men In
Philadelphia a Pitiable Sight.

hE nSnuDg IN SHOW coNcEtu
Europe, with the many add
tional hardships resulting from
the cold, has disabled whole
regiments Of men. Frozen hands. IN
gers, feet, toes, arms and legs have had
to be amputated.
This suffering at the present time re-
calls the severe trial Of W~ashington's
little army at Valley Forge In the win
ter of ITS.
No story Of the Revolution more
wildly portrays the exposure, hard
ship and suffering Of the patriot army
than the winter at Valley Forge.
The campaign at Whitemarsh had
closed. The American army was great
ly In need of tents, clothes, blankets
and shoes, and to keep the ranks to-
gether In the face Of a cold winter was
q difficult problem Washington's aim
to confne the British to the environs
Of Philadelphia and Valley Forge. on
the Schuylkill, twenty-one miles away
from the city, possessed two great ad-
hills In the forest, and as . place Of
defense against artillery the activities
Of the hills made 1t eminentiy ut for
the mounting Of cannon, while a
stream In the rear, which had been q
water power to the iron works known
as Valley Forge, made any approach
for an attack impossible. Besides,
there were several routes Of escape In
case Of defeat
Arrived Dec. 10, 1777.
On Dec. 10. 1777, the army arrived
during q dense snow and. with no place
Of shelter, began the task Of Telling
the trees. The woods became a town
Of log cabins" with "huts matched
with boughs." Washington wrote:
"For want Of a two days supply Of
provisions an opportunity scarcely
ever offered Of taking an advantage
of the enemy that has not been either
totally obstructed or greatly impeded.
Men IN confined to hospitals Or in
farmers houses for want Of shoes. We
have this day no less than 2,698 men
In camp unfit for duty, because they
are barefooted and otherwise naked.
Our whole strength In Continental
troops amounts to no more than $500
In camp At for duty. Since the 4th
inst. u numbers ft for duty from
h~ardships and exposures have decreas-
ed nearly 1900 men. Numbers still
are obliged to sit all night by fires"
The only aid from congress was an
exemption from any penalty for seiz-
nres and a months extra pay.
The snow lay deep upon the ground,
rendering b roads almost impossible,
and as the winter advanced a food fam
Inc was threatened. The soldiers were
told to seize anything they could find,
% that many In the neighborhood lost
their live stock. The famous order was
now issued for the farmers living
within ten miles from the camp to
thresh all their grain-one-half by the
middle Of February and one-half by
the middle Of March-under penalty
OF forfeiture" and notwithstanding the
ragged and starving condition Of the
army Washington was advised by Gen.
eral ~Sullivan-his right aid-to attack
Howe In Philadelphia. 'risking every
consequence in an action"
: Washington's struggle, now, was
not against the English armies, but the
mutinous spirit Of the soldiers and a
helpless. II not neglectful, congress.
The camp at Valley Forge was an in
teresttng spectacle. Washington's
headquarters, that stood off near a cor
ner, was formerly the house of Isaac
Watts. proprietor Of the Forge, and
was approached by a path. The neigh
boring houses were occupied by Greene,
eteuben. Lafayette and other officers.
who, after the morning muster, met
each day for consultation, when SEN
tries stood at the doors.
There were also the buffers quarters,
adapted from a barn, and the old
church, used as a hospital. Morgan
and his rifemen were stationed on the
outskirts and the more distant points
were guarded by dragons and militia.
Adventures Of Two Soldiers.
Bill Staples and Jack Carmack were
intimate friends, and, living in the
same town, had enlisted as privates In
the First Connecticut regiment. They
had been In the disastrous retreat from
Long Island and with "Washington
crossing the Delaware at the capture
Of Trenton; and now let us follow
them in that doleful winter-the never
to be forgotten winter-at Valley
Forge. A binding snowstorm fell
when they reached their new locality,
where they stood up In the storm
nearly the entire afternoon and lay
a fire which was kindled when
night came. Heavy rains fell. melting
the snow and forming puddles. These
were frequently followed by in
cold; the mems clothes froze
stir upon them and were thawed out
piece by piece. For over a fortnight
they toiled with others In hewing trees. !
awning and hauling logs In the woods.
Like all the soldiers. they built a log
nut. which in It's primitiveness bore
than IN mark of Yankee ingen-