Valley Forge Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777 – 1778 during the American Revolutionary War . It is approximately 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia . Starvation , disease , and exposure killed nearly 2 , 500 American soldiers by the end of February 1778 . History . With winter almost setting in , and the prospects for campaigning greatly diminishing , General George Washington sought quarters for his men . Washington and his troops had fought what was to be the last major engagement of 1777 at the Battle of White Marsh ( or Edge Hill ) in early December . He devised to pull his troops from their present encampment in the White Marsh area ( now Fort Washington State Park ) and move to a more secure location for the coming winter . Geography . Though several locations were proposed , Washington selected Valley Forge , Pennsylvania , northwest of Philadelphia . Named for an iron forge on Valley Creek , the area was close enough to the British to keep their raiding and foraging parties out of the interior of Pennsylvania , yet far enough away to halt the threat of British surprise attacks . The densely forested plateau of Mount Joy and the adjoining two - mile long plateau of Mount Misery combined with the Schuylkill River to the north , made the area easily defensible , along with providing abundant forests of timber that would later be used to construct the thousands of log huts in the camp . The Continental Army . Shelter . On December 19 , 1777 , when Washington ' s poorly fed , ill - equipped army , weary from long marches , staggered into Valley Forge , winds blew as the 12 , 000 Continentals prepared for winter ' s fury . Only about one in three of them had shoes , and many of their feet had left bloody footprints from the marching . Grounds for brigade encampments were selected , and defense lines were planned and begun . The first properly constructed hut appeared in three days . One other hut , which required 80 logs , and whose timber had to be collected from miles away , went up in one week with the use of only one axe . These huts provided sufficient protection from the moderately cold , but mainly wet and damp conditions of a typical Pennsylvania winter of 1777 – 1778 . By the beginning of February , construction of 2 , 000 huts were completed . They provided shelter , but did little to offset the critical shortages that continually plagued the army . During the springtime , as the climate grew considerably warmer , Washington ordered the cutting of two windows into each hut . Mud was also chipped between the logs to improve ventilation . Food and Supplies . Soldiers received inadequate supplies of meat and bread , some getting their only nourishment from " firecake , " a tasteless mixture of flour and water . Occasionally , there would be " pepper hot soup , " a black pepper - flavored tripe broth . However , due to the talents of Baker General Christopher Ludwig , the men at Valley Forge more often than not received freshly baked bread , about one pound daily . So severe were conditions at times that Washington despaired " that unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place . . . this Army must inevitably . . . starve , dissolve , or disperse , in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can . " Snow was limited , and small in amounts . The layer of snow was often too thin to be collected and melted into drinking water . Alternating freezing and melting of snow and ice made it impossible to keep dry and allowed for disease to fester . Animals fared no better . General Henry Knox , Washington ' s Chief of Artillery , wrote that hundreds of horses either starved to death or died of exhaustion . By the end of the winter , about 700 horses had died . Washington appointed Nathanael Greene as Quartermaster General to take charge of the supplies , who found caches of food and clothing and hauled them there for the troops and horses . Clothing , too , was wholly inadequate . Many wounded soldiers from previous battles died from exposure . Long marches had destroyed shoes . Blankets were scarce . Tattered garments were seldom replaced . At one point these shortages caused nearly 4 , 000 men to be listed as unfit for duty . Hardships and Supply Shortages . Undernourished and poorly clothed , living in crowded , damp quarters , the army was ravaged by sickness and disease . Typhoid , typhus , smallpox , dysentery , and pneumonia were among the numerous diseases that thrived in the camp during that winter . These diseases , along with malnutrition and exposure to the freezing temperatures and snow , contributed to the 2 , 500 soldiers that died by the end of the winter . Gouverneur Morris of New York later stated that the Continentals were a " skeleton of an army . . . in a naked , starving condition , out of health , out of spirits . " Soldiers deserted in " astonishing great numbers " as hardships at camp overcame their motivation and dedication to fight for the cause of liberty . General Varnum warned that the desperate lack of supplies would " force the army to mutiny . " Women who were relatives or wives of enlisted men alleviated some of the suffering by providing valuable services such as laundry and nursing that the army desperately needed . A group of people called Regimental Camp Followers also helped increase the morale of the soldiers and provided necessary support to the men . Restoration of Army Supplies . Although Washington repeatedly petitioned for relief and supplies , the Continental Congress was unable to provide it and the soldiers continued to suffer . Finally , on January 24 , 1778 , five Congressmen came to Valley Forge to examine the conditions of the Continental Army . Washington greeted them imperatively , " Something must be done . Important alterations must be made . " Washington also informed them that he wanted Congress to take control of the army supply system , pay for the supplies , and replenish them when necessities were scarce . By the end of February , there were adequate supplies flowing throughout camp after Congress gave full support to monetarily funding the supply lines of the army , along with reorganizing the commissionary department ( which controlled the gathering of the supplies for the army ) . Training . Increasing military efficiency , morale , and discipline were as vital to the army ' s well - being as its supply of food and arms . The army had been handicapped in battle because unit training was administered from a variety of field manuals , making coordinated battle movements awkward and difficult . The soldiers were trained , but not uniformly . The task of developing and carrying out an effective training program fell to Baron Friedrich von Steuben . This skilled Prussian drill master , who had recently arrived from Europe , tirelessly drilled the soldiers , improving their battle and formation techniques greatly . Wives and Children . Martha Washington , the wife of George Washington , arrived at the camp on February 10 , 1778 . She visited soldiers in the huts and in the camp hospital . Martha Washington also organized a sewing circle of women who knitted , crafted , and patched socks , shirts , and trousers . Camp followers at Valley Forge consisted of the wives , children , mothers , and sisters of the soldiers . These camp followers often served as laundresses , cleaning and mending the uniforms of the soldiers . Washington understood a soldier would die quickly from disease if his uniform was dirty and threadbare . These women and children also provided the emotional support to the army , encouraging them to remain at camp and continue on training and soldiering during the winter months . Women gained half the rations of soldiers , half the wages of a soldier as well as a half pension after the war — if they had done enough work . Children would receive quarter rations if enough work was done . Women were relegated to the back of the column when marching and were forbidden to ride on wagons . Camp followers faced the issues of disease along with the soldiers . While playing an important role in scouting and finding supplies and food , some women lost their lives on the battlefield trying to obtain goods from wounded or dead soldiers . At Valley Forge women averaged 1 to every 44 men , adding up to around 500 women . Criticism of Washington . Because of the terrible conditions of the army during the winter of 1777 , the American public , along with Congress , began to criticize Washington for his inability to advance the war effort . Washington himself was aware of an increasing impatience and criticism of his leadership . A few soldiers wanted to replace Washington with General Horatio Gates , who had won a decisive victory in the Battles of Saratoga . Some members of the Continental Congress complained that Washington had left the surrounding countryside unprotected by moving into the isolated area of Valley Forge . Washington replied furiously : In spite of Washington ' s inability to do much during the hardship at Valley Forge , anti - Washington movements arose . Led by Brigadier General Thomas Conway , these soldiers worked " behind the curtains " to degrade Washington ' s reputation in hopes that this would enable Horatio Gates to replace George Washington as the commander of the Continental Army . This scheme is known today as the Conway Cabal . Washington ' s Response . While the Congressmen came to examine the conditions of the Continental army at Valley Forge , Washington announced that he knew the critics that were involved in the Conway Cabal . He addressed them by saying : This silenced his main critics , and Washington ' s announcement easily renewed his authority as the Commander - in - Chief of the Continental Army ; his authority was never critically challenged for the rest of the decade . Aftermath . After the horrendous winter , the Continental Army found out that France was going to aid their cause by sending military and monetary donations to the army . France had signed an alliance pact , on February 6 , 1778 with the 13 colonies , after General Horatio Gates had led his army and won the decisive Battles of Saratoga . A celebration of French alliance was organized on May 6 , 1778 , at Valley Forge . The army repeatedly shouted , " Long live France ! Long live the friendly powers ! Long live the American States ! " Soon , word of the British departure from Philadelphia brought a frenzied activity to the ranks of the Continental Army . On June 19 , 1778 , exactly six months after the soldiers arrival at Valley Forge , the tested army marched away from Valley Forge and retook Philadelphia . They later charged in pursuit of the British , who were moving toward New York . The Battle of Monmouth , which occurred on June 28 , 1778 , resulted in an indecisive victory , though Congress and many newspapers treated it as an American victory ( since the British retreated and left the battlefield first ) . This result demonstrated that the colonists were now able to withstand a strong British army after the intense training at Valley Forge under von Steuben , boosting morale and improving Washington ' s reputation as the Commander in Chief . The winter at Valley Forge imbued into soldiers a strong will to persevere , endure , and later triumph over obstacles and bring independence to the United States . Washington always acknowledged that the perseverance gained by the soldiers at Valley Forge was what made the Continental Army bind together even stronger and eventually win the war . Baron ( Freiherr ) Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben . Von Steuben was a onetime member of the elite General Staff of Frederick the Great , King of Prussia . No longer in the Prussian Army , indeed without employment of any kind , von Steuben offered his military skills to the patriot cause " without pay or rank " . When he arrived at Valley Forge from France on February 23 , 1778 , he had with himself a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin . Washington saw great promise in the Prussian and almost immediately assigned him the duties of Acting Inspector General with the task of developing and carrying out an effective training program . He was a drill instructor who was full of energy . Von Steuben taught the soldiers how to aim muskets accurately , charge with bayonets , and maneuver together in compact ranks . Numerous obstacles threatened success . No standard American training manuals existed , and von Steuben himself spoke little English ( He trained the soldiers using German and French , along with some broken English . Secretary and translator Pierre Duponceau translated his orders into English ) . Undaunted , he drafted his own manual in French . His aides often worked late into the night , translating his work into English , which was titled : " Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States " It was more colloquially known as " The Blue Book " . The translations were , in turn , copied and passed to the individual regiments and companies that carried out the prescribed drill ( or military parade ) the following day . " The Blue Book " remained the official American military training guide until the War of 1812 . Von Steuben shocked many American officers by breaking tradition to work directly with the men . One officer wrote of von Steuben ' s " peculiar grace " as he took " under his direction a squad of men in the capacity of drill sergeant . " From dawn to dusk his familiar voice was heard in camp above the sounds of marching men and shouted commands . Soon companies , regiments , and then brigades moved smartly from line to column , column to line , loaded muskets with precision , and drove imaginary redcoats from the field by skillful charges with the bayonet . When the Continental Army paraded on May 6 , 1778 , to celebrate the French alliance with America , von Steuben received the honor of organizing the day ' s activities . On that day the Grand Parade became a showplace for the united American army . Cannons boomed in salute . Thousands of muskets fired the ceremonial " feu de joie , " a running fire that passed up and down the double ranks of infantrymen . Cheers echoed across the fields . The good drilling order and imposing appearance that the troops presented during the Alliance Day ceremonies demonstrated their remarkable progress in improving their abilities as a unified , fighting force capable of standing up to the British Army . Washington , with heavy aid from von Steuben , had made a professional , disciplined , unified , and efficient army out of the Continental troops . Von Steuben himself claimed that his " enterprise succeeded better than he had expected . " With their French allies , the Americans could now proceed into the battlefield with hopes of winning the war , which would rage on for many years . Oration by Henry Armitt Brown . On June 19 , 1878 , author and orator Henry Armitt Brown delivered a speech to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the departure of General George Washington ' s troops from the encampment at Valley Forge . His oration recalled the hardships suffered during the winter of 1777 - 78 , while also celebrating the eventual victory of the Continental Army : Brown ' s oration was later published by J . B . Lippincott & Co . of Philadelphia in 1879 , serving as a literary marker of Valley Forge ' s lasting impact upon American history and identity . Valley Forge National Historical Park . Valley Forge National Historic Park commemorates the perseverance , sacrifice , and strength of the soldiers , the Continental Army , and the generals that were present during the winter of 1777 - 1778 . The site of the encampment became a Pennsylvania state park in 1893 and , on the July 4 , 1976 , it became Valley Forge National Historical Park . The modern park features historical and recreated buildings and structures ; memorials ; and a newly renovated visitor center , which shows a short film and has several exhibits . Washington Memorial Chapel was built in 1903 as a memorial to Washington and his army . An adjoining carillon of 58 bells represents all U . S . states and territories . It resides in a tower underwritten by the Daughters of the American Revolution . Other park amenities include walking and bicycle trails . The park supports around 1 , 000 deer which can be seen grazing in the wide - open fields .