The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-12-26
CHRISTMAS OF 1777 WAS
BLEAK IN AMERICA.

One of the bleakest Christmases in
American history was that of 1777.
Washington and his little army had
gone into winter quarters at Valley
Forge and the future looked gloomy
indeed. Washington's Christmas that
year was not a merry one. 1t is de-
scribed in interesting detail in the
current issue of the National Repub-
lie magazine in an article written by
Mrs. Edith Irwin Hobart, President
General of the National Society,
Daughters of the American Revolu-
ton, who writes:
THE dinner consisted of this: A
little veal, little mutton, not much,
for it is probable that the turkeys,
geese and fouls were husbanded for
the occasion; a small quantity of po-
tatoes and cabbage and less of tur-
nips; no tea, no coffee, no milk, a
small amount Of butter perhaps, but
no bread, no eggs, no -four; so there
We're no pies, buildings or dessert.
If there was either whiskey or rum
(Which is doubtful, as none was is
sued to the troops that day. there
was no punch, for sugar was lack
ing. A minor, though irritating diff
ficulty was the probable lack of sutfi-
Gent knives, forks and spoons, for
Washington had been separated from
his baggage during the Brandywine
and Germantown maneuvers and did
not obtain it again until the middle
of January.
"The prices paid for the food of
this Christmas dinner varied consid-
erably from present-day values. Reck-
oning the Pennsylvania shilling at
about - 1-3 cents of the present
day, which was, probably, well above
its purchasing value, mutton and veal
cost about Is cents a pound; pota-
toes a little over a dollar a bushel;
turnips about dollar and a half a
bushel and cabbages Is 1-3 cents each.
Butter was a dollar a pound, when
obtainable, and the chickens, which
Gibbs always wrote as fouls, were
fifty cents each, with the turkeys a
dollar and half and the geese a dol
lar and a quarter each.
From historical records we learn
that these were the men who sat
at the table the afternoon of Christ
mas Day while the heavy snow drifted
down the gloomy little valley and
banked in wet, clinging masses
'gainst frame and sill: George Wash
ington, grave of mein and towering
in physique even among the stalwarts
of the Revolution; on his right the
guest of honor, the Marquis de La
Fayette; the Baron de Kalb, major
general of the day; Brigadier General
John Paterson, Of New Jersey; Lieu
tenant Colonies Thomas Paxton of
the Pennsylvania militia and Robert
Ballard of the Virginia line, and Bri-
gade Major Simon Learned, of Mas
sachusetts. The aids de camp were
Robert Hanson Harrison, John Fitz-
gerald, Alexander Hamilton, Richard
Kidder Meade, Peter Presley Thorn
ton, John Laurens and Tench Thigh
man; all lieutenant colonies except
Tilghman, the volunteer, who was
giving his talents and health to the
cause of liberty without thought or
care for rank or pay. There were
two others, acting aides by special
appointments, Captain Caleb Gibbs
and George Lewis, lieutenant in the
guard and a well-Gked nephew of the
Communicated A goodly num-
Der! The young coulter from the
most brilliant court in Europe, the
seasoned and critically sardonic
French veteran; an embryo Judge of a
supreme court, a Secretary of the
Treasury and a special ambassador
to Europe among the young aides who
were learning, as were the others, the
greatest lessons of life from the quiet
dominant figure at the head of the
table. A hundred Valley FORCES
could not have broken the spirit of
American manhood within the candle
light of that board"