Excerpt from A Soldier of Valley Forge We shall be sorry indeed, sir. To have you and Anne leave us, returned the dame. Anne is like sunshine in the house and such a sweet, cheering companion for our Ruth. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from The History of Valley Forge A large portrait of a plain, unassuming man was hanging on the wall of the old Camp School-house in Valley Forge park, when John U. Francis, Sr., publisher of this history, took charge. Father was born in Lower Providence township, just across the Schuylkill river from the Cradle of American Liberty. His great grandfather, Captain Arnold Francis, had commanded the Providence militia and had rendered conspicuous service under Washington at Valley Forge. In the family, Valley Forge was sacred ground and to the name of Washington was rendered a homage hardly due to mortal man. In keeping with the suffering endured, a resentment toward British arrogance was developed which even to-day causes the eye to Hash at the slightest semblance of the thing on our national horizon. A patriotism purer than father's we have never met. To tell the story of Valley Forge, than whom no man knows it better, and to provide for visitors to the park suitable souvenirs has been to him a labor of love. The publication of this history is a becoming climax of his labors. But year after year the portrait continued to hang on the wall. When at times we visited the Park and inquired, Whose is that portrait? practically no light could be given. "It was sent down from Headquarters." Some one knew better than father. In the summer of 1919 a group of visitors entered the School-house. One of the ladies pointed to the portrait and said: "That is a portrait of my grandfather, Henry Woodman. He wrote the first history of Valley Forge." The lady was Mrs. Alice Woodman Smith of Wycombe, Bucks county, Pa. She promised a letter giving particulars, and in due time one was received. Miss Mary S., daughter of Henry Woodman, a lady now of some eighty summers, was the embodiment of the first commandment with promise. She had had a small portrait of her father enlarged and had sent it to the Headquarters at Valley Forge. As already stated, from there it was sent down to the old Camp School-house. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Valley Forge: A Chronicle of American Heroism It melted its leaden house-badges, as pictured above, into bullets, and temporarily discontinued their use in order that the poorly equipped American soldiers might be better supplied with ammunition. Reared in the conservatism of Philadelphia, the progress of this historic company has been consistently forward. For one hundred and sixty-eight years it has promptly paid its fire losses; during the past quarter-century it has paid over one million dollars in dividends to its policy-holders; last year it wrote the largest amount of new insurance in its history; and today it stands the strongest active fire insurance company in the world. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Valley Forge Revisited Ensign George Ewing marched to the Valley Forge with Maxwell's Brigade of the Jersey Continental line. I am now revisiting it, if a man's identity can be reckoned back through several generations. It is worth visiting under any circumstances and an increasing swarm of the sons and daughters of the American Revolution pays annual tribute to this new Mecca of American patriotism. Valley Forge is five miles from the King of Prussia; four and a half from Berwyn; seven from Norristown, eight from Bryn Mawr - all wagon roads. It is on the "Skookl" river, generally spelled Schuylkill, and the encampment extended one mile up the Valley Creek from which the iron forge took its name. It was the iron foundry in the Valley Creek. There was an early tavern called The King of Prussia, but it was in Germantown, and was the meeting place of commissioners from the British and American forces. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

“[Serves] as both a helpful concise history text and as a phenomenal field guide to modern Valley Forge and its surroundings.” —The Colonial Review An Army of skeletons appeared before our eyes naked, starved, sick and discouraged . . . Gouverneur Morris recorded these words in his report to the Continental Congress after a visit to the Continental Army encampment at Valley Forge as part of a fact-finding mission. Morris and his fellow congressmen arrived to conditions far worse than they had expected. After a campaigning season that saw the defeat at Brandywine, the loss of Philadelphia, the capital of the rebellious British North American colonies, and the reversal at Germantown, George Washington and his harried army marched into Valley Forge on December 19, 1777. What transpired in the next six months prior to the departure from the winter cantonment on June 19, 1778 was truly remarkable. A stoic Virginian, George Washington solidified his hold on the army and endured political intrigue; the quartermaster department was revived with new leadership from a former Rhode Island Quaker; and a German baron trained the army in the rudiments of being a soldier and military maneuvers. Valley Forge conjures up images of cold, desperation, and starvation. Yet Valley Forge also became the winter of transformation and improvement that set the Continental Army on the path to military victory and the fledgling nation on the path to independence. In The Winter that Won the War, historian Phillip S. Greenwalt takes the reader on campaign in the year 1777 and through the winter encampment, detailing the various changes that took place within Valley Forge that ultimately led to the success of the American cause. “Compelling. . . . wonderfully written. . . . Readers will come away better understanding the challenging duties, hardships, and stubbornness that transformed the army of these common soldiers of different ethnicities and immigrant groups, with African Americans and Native Americans among them, into a capable fighting force.” —The NYMAS Review