George Washington retreats to Valley Forge, December 19, 1777
After defeats at Brandywine and Germantown, the battered remnants of George Washington’s army settle in for a long, cold winter at Valley Forge, a strong defensive position on the Schuylkill River. When the twelve-thousand-man army makes camp, they are short of every conceivable provision, including, food, clothing, and medicine. Two out of three soldiers lack shoes. Many of the men have to subsist on a mixture of flour and water. There is little shelter from the cold and wet. But Washington’s army becomes a tougher, more resilient, properly trained, and motivated force. The colonial troops are now ready to take the fight to the enemy.