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| George Washington awaits. |
My nephew got married this weekend. The wedding was in Pennsylvania and we had time to kill, so my wife & I visited
Valley Forge National Historical Park.
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| George and me. |
SPOILER ALERT - (There was no battle at Valley Forge, it was a temporary winter encampment.)
Valley Forge was set on high ground in the rolling farm country of southeastern PA. It's a lovely spot. From there, Washington could monitor British movements around Philadelphia, which the British had captured and occupied.
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| Beautiful rolling farm country. |
Although there was no battle at the site, no cease-fire had been declared and the Continental Army had to drill, picket, and perform all the myriad soldiering duties throughout the winter, remaining vigilant. (There were a few skirmishes in the countryside - usually as the Americans were foraging wider and wider for supplies and food.)
We watched the introductory movie at the visitor center. It was a hot day and we opted for the trolley tour. Highly recommended. It was a wise move to let someone else do the driving and the narrating. Our guide really knew her stuff. Not just about the encampment but all kinds of history leading up to and after the encampment of winter 1777-78.
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| Costumed Park Ranger and replica huts. |
The huts and redoubts are all recreations. The originals fell to rot, or more likely, were knocked down by the farmers who owned the land, once the the army had marched on.
Washington's headquarters was a proper house and that still stands today with recreated kitchen, office, and bedrooms.
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| Washington's headquarters |
The theme driven home more than once is that Valley Forge is unique in being a monument not to soldiers in battle but a monument to the rest of a soldier's life - the 90% of time they are not on the battlefield. The 90% of time surviving, dying of diseases and dearth, drilling, and keeping busy to stay sane.
Absolutely worth your time to visit if you are in the area.
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I'm a sucker for a good, concise, arms & equipment reference book.
Ya, I know - I'm a sucker for a good, concise, arms & equipment reference book. "Fixed that for ya." |
Very cool. I imagine it didn't look so pleasant in the winter. I've never been up in that part of the country. The closest I've been is Baltimore, which is not a place I'm in a hurry to revisit. I definitely want to see Valley Forge.
ReplyDeleteOnly one book? Were you not feeling well?
I imagine it didn't look so pleasant in the winter.
DeleteTrue. And it had been farmland. There weren't many trees and you can bet by winter's end, most of those had been stripped away for construction and firewood.
I definitely want to see Valley Forge.
Gettysburg is 2 hours west, too. (if traffic behaves)
Only one book? Were you not feeling well?
June turned out to be a very expensive month. Trying to ease up a little. ;)
"June turned out to be a very expensive month. Trying to ease up a little. ;)"
ReplyDeleteSame here. I feel your pain.
I've seen pics before but would love to get in a visit.
ReplyDelete