Valley Forge National Historical Park

Valley Forge is first and foremost a historical park. This land has been preserved as a reminder of the struggles and triumphs the Continental Army experienced on this land during those dreaded months in 1777-1778. Today, in addition to being a hallowed shrine to our nation’s history, the 3,500 acres of Valley Forge are a protected swatch of greenspace in a region that has become increasingly overrun by suburban sprawl. While visitors from all over the world continue to come ...here to pay homage to George Washington and the people who served with him, many locals also turn to this park as a respite from urban lifea place to breathe, reflect, and reconnect with nature. For this year’s Virtual March-In, learn more about the natural beauty of this place, and the efforts needed to protect it, by watching one of our new park vignettes, ’ : . Image: A photo from the new park orientation film showing a farmer speaking to George Washington in front of a corn field. NPS/BDhunjisha. #ValleyForge #FindYourPark #EncuentraTuParque #MarchIn

One of the most common misconceptions about Valley Forge is that it’s a battlefield. Valley Forge National Historical Park commemorates the six-month winter encampment of General Washington’s Continental Army. The Continental Army underwent a complete reorganization and trained for future battles against the British Army. This isn’t to say no fighting took place in the area; a small skirmish occurred at Valley Forge three months before the Continental Army set up their winter... encampment. (See our previous post from September 18th- THIS DAY IN HISTORY: The Raid on Valley Forge! You can also check out our Map of Military Engagements during the Valley Forge Encampment. https://www.nps.gov/v/learn/historyculture/publications.htm) Training the army wasn’t the only task. During the encampment, Washington sent out hundreds of troops called foraging parties into the surrounding countryside to gather supplies and track British movements from Philadelphia. Sentries were posted over a mile outside of the encampment to help control the movement of people and supplies coming in and out. The sentries would also relay information about the skirmishes that took place around the Valley Forge Encampment between American and British forces. Some of the engagements (Darby, Battle of Kegs, Radnor, and Crooked Billet to name a few) will be discussed in future Facebook posts as their day in history comes up. Want to try your hand at being sentry? Test your skills in our new On Guard! Sentry Activity. Want to see what other misconceptions we tackle at Valley Forge? Our new park vignette, , will dispel those! Both are shared tomorrow at 11am. (https://www.nps.gov//learn/historyculture/march-in-2020.htm) Image: Photo of scene from park’s new orientation film, depicting a member of the Oneida Nation about to fire a musket during a reenactment of the Battle of Barren Hill. NPS/BDhunjisha. #ValleyForge #FindYourPark #EncuentraTuParque #MarchIn

Autumn is always beautiful here in southeast Pennsylvania and we hope you are out experiencing the fall colors! But as they say, "winter is coming." There really wasn't that much snow on the ground during the Valley Forge encampment in 1777-78, but it has snowed quite a bit here during winters since. Even though wintertime can indeed be pretty stark, blustery, and cold, it also has its own beauty. #FindYourPark, #EncuentraTuParque #WinterIsComing

Virtual March-In starts tomorrow! Join us all week long for brand new content each day! To start the week off, try your hand at the online sentry activity by guarding the entrance to the encampment. Will you be able to use your knowledge to figure out who is allowed in and who might wish the army ill? Brand new photos of the enlisted and officer huts up at the Muhlenberg Brigade will let you feel like you’re in one! ... Watch a video on shelter construction within the encampment, showcasing how the army used the local resources to their advantage. One of our new interviews is with Ajena C. Rogers, a former park ranger at Valley Forge, who tells us about her experiences with previous March-Ins and her work to uncover the history of Hannah Till, Washington’s enslaved pastry cook at Valley Forge. Ajena recently reprised her role of Hannah Till in the park’s new orientation film. Another interview highlights two members of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. and their work with the Patriots of African Descent Monument, the only monument of its kind on federal land. We round out the week with the showing of the park’s new orientation film, : , which will be accompanied by two park guides answering questions and discussing their experiences with the filming process. All four of the park’s new vignettes will be sprinkled throughout the week. They share topics that deserve more screen time than we can fit in the main film. Are you as excited as we are? We look forward to sharing this new content with you as we commemorate this special event. Follow the event here: https://fb.me/e/4UcuqAtHU *Programming is subject to change.* Featured content is released at 11 AM each day, with the exception of the Facebook Premiere screening of the new orientation film at 7 PM on December 19. #FindYourPark #ValleyForgePark #MarchIn #EncuentaTuParque

We are closing the Wayne's Woods Picnic Area Restrooms as of 12:30pm today, Sunday, 10/25/2020, due to a septic issue. We apologize for any inconvenience.

This Day in History: The destruction of The HMS Augusta by the Pennsylvania Navy, October 23, 1777. The British Navy had a lot to attend to in order to secure the Delaware River and gain the ability to provide supplies to General William Howe’s army in Philadelphia: Three forts (Billingsport, Mercer/Red Bank, and Mifflin), two lines of chevaux-de-frise, and finally the Pennsylvania State and Continental Navy. On July 6, 1775 the Pennsylvania State Navy was formed for the def...ense and safety of Philadelphia’s waterborne approach the Delaware River. The 48-ship Pennsylvania state fleet was comprised of a varied array of galleys, half galleys, frigates, fire ships, sloops, and shallops. Commodore John Hazelwood commanded all units of the Pennsylvania and Continental navies participating in the defense of the Delaware River approaches to Philadelphia in 1777. The Pennsylvania State Navy was successful in helping the defense of Fort Mercer/Red Bank (See yesterday's post). During the Battle of Fort Mercer, the British Navy’s plan would be for a group of warships led by the HMS Augusta to support Colonel Carl von Donop's Hessian assault and to attack Fort Mifflin across the river. As soon as the battle started, the HMS Augusta and the Merlin ran aground attempting to navigate around the chevaux-de-frise. The British tried unsuccessfully to get the ships unstuck. Opposing the British, the Americans had the 24-gun Delaware, the sloops Montgomery (10 guns) and Fly (8 guns), and a squadron of galleys. The galleys, whose oars made them independent of the wind, and whose flat bottoms allowed them the flexibility of traveling through shallow waters, were more maneuverable than the British warships in the confined waters of the river. The galleys and sloops were very effective in not only repelling the British vessels, but also by firing from the river on the Hessian soldiers attacking Fort Mercer. With the Hessians driven from Fort Mercer, the American flotilla was able to focus on the trapped British warships. Twelve American galleys attack the HMS Augusta at daybreak on October 23rd. Captain, Sir Francis Reynolds recalls the American attack, Soon after daylight the rebel galleys and floating batteries began to fire on us, which we returned occasionally. About eleven o’clock, as I was on the quarter deckI thought I heard an odd crackling kind of noise, I sent Mr. Reid into the cabin to see what it was, he returned and told me the ship was on fire. The HMS Augusta’s crew abandoned the ship, and around two in the afternoon, she partially blows up, killing 41 of her crew. The HMS Merlin was set on fire to prevent the ship from falling into American hands. General Howe orders the British navy to withdraw and make new plans to deal with the American forts and navy. Destruction of HMS Augusta in the Delaware River, October 23, 1777. Oil painting by an unidentified British artist. (Navy History Division).

Here's a trivia question for today: What connection does Valley Forge National Historical Park have with the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor? Well -- and stick with us here -- occasionally visitors ask where the Pearl Harbor memorial is. That's not *exactly* what we have at Valley Forge, but it's not too far off. On December 7, 1977 just short of 200 years after the Continental Army marched into Valley Forge, and exactly 36 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the ...Pearl Harbor Survivors Association dedicated a plaque and a stand of trees to George Washington and the troops who suffered here during the winter of 1777-1778. Have you noticed this plaque in the park? If you visit Valley Forge this week, we invite you to take a moment to reflect on those who fought and died at Pearl Harbor 79 years ago today. [Image: The plaque at Valley Forge NHP dedicated by the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association in 1977. NPS Photo.] #PearlHarbor, #ValleyForge, #FindYourPark, #EncuentraTuParque

Lafayette may be America’s Favorite Fighting Frenchman, but during the American Revolution he certainly wasn’t alone. In the year prior to the official Treaty of Alliance between the United States and France, many French officers volunteered to serve with the Americans in their fight against Great Britain. One often-ignored French officer was Thomas du Plessis, Chevalier de Mauduit, who’s military knowledge proved vital during the Battle of Red Bank (see our previous post).... Thomas joined the Continental Army near the end of their 1777 encampment at Morristown, allowing him to participate in the Philadelphia Campaign in the fall of ’77. The 24-year-old French lieutenant demonstrated his bravery under fire (bordering on recklessness) by joining the equally bold American John Laurens in his assault of the Chew House during the Battle of Germantown (now Cliveden historic site in Philadelphia). With the British eyeing the American-held Forts along the Delaware River, du Plessis was sent over to Fort Mercer along the New Jersey bank of the Delaware, where his knowledge of artillery and military engineering could help. Apparently, it did. The earthen embankments of Fort Mercer had been designed for a defending force much larger than the 400 or so men Colonel Greene had at his disposal. If his men were spread too thin along the walls they would be vulnerable to a concentrated assault. The young Frenchman suggested building a transverse wall through the southern part of the fort, and the garrison essentially abandoned the northern walls to focus on protecting this new fort-within-a-fort. This bisecting wall can be seen in the sketch of the fort in our previous post. The adjustment worked, and the Hessian assault was repulsed. As the attackers retreated with heavy losses, history has failed to document whether du Plessis shouted, Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time! However, this author would like to believe he did. Thomas du Plessis would continue to stay with the Continental Army through the Valley Forge encampment and the Monmouth campaign, then returned to France as their army prepared to enter the war. While his time in America was brief, his service was by all accounts exemplary, and deserves to be remembered. Whitall House/Red Bank Battlefield will be commemorating the Battle of Red Bank this weekend. See their FB page for details. Image: One of the few known sketches of du Plessis, during his time in Haiti in the late 1780s, where ironically he found himself a counter-revolutionary: resisting both Haitian revolutionaries and the French Revolution back home. Artist unknown. Source: gallica.bnf.fr

This Day in History: The Battle of Whitemarsh, December 5-8, 1777. The battle was a probing action by the British Army, who had marched out of Philadelphia. Rather than a single large pitched battle, the British spent several days probing the defenses of the Continental Army encamped near Whitemarsh. On December 5th, they started at Chestnut Hill near Wissahickon Creek where they were attacked by the Pennsylvania Militia. The next evening, the British Army moved back towards... Germantown, then advanced in the direction of Jenkintown. On the morning of the 7th, Howe attempted to move around the left flank of the American position. At the same time, a detachment under the command of General Grey (whose son would later have a delicious tea named after him), took fire from the militia and continental troops that were on Edge Hill, and attacked, driving the Americans back towards their main encampment. On the morning of December 8th, to the surprise of seemingly everyone else, General Howe decided that his supplies were running too low and the American defenses were too strong, and ordered a withdrawal back to Philadelphia. The Battle of Whitemarsh is considered the last major engagement before the Continental Army marched for Valley Forge just a few days later. To read George Washington's account of the battle, visit: https://founders.archives.gov/docu/Washington/03-12-02-0538 #ValleyForge, #ThisDayInHistory, #FindYourPark, #EncuentraTuParque.

This Day in History: The Battle of Red Bank/Fort Mercer October 22, 1777. As the British Navy moved up the Delaware River, they would engage Continental forces at the second of three forts along the river. (See previous post about the fall of Fort Billingsport to the British.) On October 22, 1777 a force of 1,200 Hessian Troops under the command of Colonel Carl von Donop moved to attack Fort Mercer. Defending Fort Mercer were 400 American soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Rhode Isl...anders under the command of Colonel Christopher Greene. When the Hessians attacked, Colonel Christopher Greene ordered his men to, Fire low men, they have a broad belt just above their hips ~ aim at that. The Americans were able to inflict 400 Hessians casualties including Colonel Carl von Donop. Most of the dead were buried on the Whitall property which Fort Mercer was constructed on. After the Hessians were unable to capture Fort Mercer, the British and Hessian forces turned their attention to Fort Mifflin across the river. The Americans would occupy Fort Mercer until November 20th, leaving the fort for British occupation the following day. The British would lay waste to what was left of the fort and pillaged the Whitall property for supplies. For the Whitall family it would be until the spring of the following year until they started to rebuild their lives and business from the aftermath of the American Revolution on their doorstep. Today the site of the Battle of Red Bank/ Fort Mercer is part of the Gloucester County Parks system called Red Bank Battlefield Park. For more information on the site please visit: www.gloucestercountynj.gov/depts/p/parks/parkgolf/redbank [Image Credits: Red Banke. [?, 1777] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .]

Looking for something fun to do this Thursday evening? How about movies at the drive-in! The International Paddling Film Festival is happening in Pottstown and hosted by the Schuylkill River Greenways NHA. See the post below for more details.

Wondering when the fall colors are going to peak at Valley Forge? You aren't alonethis is one of the more popular questions park rangers get this time of yearand for good reason! Valley Forge lies in one of only three regions in the world that have deciduous forests capable of displaying autumnal color (the other two are Britain/NW Europe and Japan/NE China). And Pennsylvania specifically, has a longer and more varied fall foliage season than anywhere else on the pl...anet! Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources publishes a weekly Fall Foliage Report. It compiles the latest information for fall colors in all sixty-seven counties. The report can help you estimate peak season in your area, or even at Valley Forge. Just keep in mind that it does not provide a *perfect* prediction of the future... View the Fall Foliage Report for Oct 15-21 here: http://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/GetDocument You can also learn more about the science of fall colors at nps.gov/articles/how-do-trees-change-in-the-fall.htm Source: Fall Foliage Facts, DCNR Fall Foliage Reports, DCNR https://www.dcnr.pa.gov//FallFoliageRep/Pages/default.aspx. : NPS Image/G. Purifoy #FallColors, #LeafPeeping, #ValleyForge, #FindYourPark, #EncuentraTuParque

We often tend to think of mountains as immovable, unchanging objects, but here's something pretty wild to consider: the tallest points in the Valley Forge area, Mt. Misery and Mt. Joy, have not always been there, and someday (with the passage of enough time) they will be gone! If you read last Saturday's post about how the landscape made Valley Forge a good defensible place for the winter encampment in 1777-78, you have a sense for the most important present-day landforms -...Continue reading

Happy National Fossil Day! You might be wondering why a National Historical Park is celebrating National Fossil Day...well, besides the general fact that fossils are history too, there's actually a very good reason. While we tend to remember George Washington as Valley Forge’s most famous resident, tons of different plants and animals have called Valley Forge home over the years. Some of the earliest living inhabitants were actually algal mats -- stromatolites -- that wer...Continue reading

What did the soldiers drink during their time at Valley Forge? Good question! Water might be your first thought, but plain water was actually less common than you may think. Water was often dirty or polluted, especially in populated areas, and many people thought that water was unhealthy to drink by itself. Through the early years of the war, the soldiers were provided spruce beer (about 1-4% alcohol) to drink. If there wasn't enough spruce beer to go around, the men were g...iven molasses. Since beer was often brewed using molasses at the time, this was to allow the men to brew their own beer with whatever ingredients they had. In mid-1777 Washington's quartermasters found it increasingly hard to find a brewer that could supply the army's needs for beer. The link below will take you to a letter from the generals of the army requesting that Washington adjust the rations to a half gill (about 1/4 cup) of rum or whiskey instead of spruce beer. This alcohol was not intended to get the soldiers drunk though, as you might assume. They would actually use the rum or whiskey to purify the water in their canteens, hopefully killing off any germs and making it safe to drink. Luckily for the Continental Army, Valley Forge was actually a pretty good place to find clean drinking water to fill those canteens. Be on the lookout for an upcoming post about the hydrology of Valley Forge to learn why! #EarthSciencesWeek, #ValleyForge, #FindYourPark, #EncuentraTuParque

We are at the end of our tether, and that now or never our deliverance must come. ~ General George Washington, April 9, 1781 For six long years, the Continental Army had dealt with inadequate pay and supplies while fighting against the British. Yet in 1778, France had formalized their alliance with the United States, which occurred while Washington’s troops encamped at Valley Forge. By 1781, Spain and the Netherlands had since joined the fight against Great Britain, an impe...rial rival. So, this was a costly, worldwide conflict for the British. They had to keep diverting troops to protect their interests outside of North America, to include portions of Europe, India, and the West Indies. It was just a question as to which side would capitulate first: The British or the Continentals. Ironically, the French expeditionary army under General Comte de Rochambeau had insufficient funds, much like the Continentals. The French army relied upon hard coin, which arrived at unpredictable intervals and never in sufficient quantity for their needs. To help Washington mount a successful campaign against British General Cornwallis, the French needed money, and fast. That was when Francisco Saavedra de Sangronis and the people of Havana, Cuba came to the rescue. You read that right: Cuba. A Spanish official, Saavedra appealed to Havana residents for an emergency loan, promising prompt repayment in specie as soon as treasury ships from Vera Cruz docked. In an era before cell phones or online crowdfunding, Saavedra obtained over 500,000 pesos in only six hours. The money was distributed throughout French Admiral de Grasse’s squadron just before they sailed for Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. There, they assisted Washington and Rochambeau against Cornwallis, who occupied the port of Yorktown. The rest as they say, is history. Yorktown did not end the war, which would last nearly two more years. Yet it did prompt the British to pursue negotiations. While French and Continental efforts deserve much of the credit, their success at Yorktown would not have been possible without Saavedra and the people of Havana, Cuba. For more National Park connections to National Hispanic Heritage Month, go to https://www.nps.gov//npscelebr/hispanic-heritage-month.htm. Sources: Chávez, Thomas E. Spain and the Independence of the United States: An Intrinsic Gift. Albuquerque, NM: UNM Press, 2002. Page 13. Lewis, James A. Las Damas De La Havana, El Precursor, and Francisco De Saavedra: A Note on the Spanish Participation in the Battle of Yorktown. The Americas 37, no. 1 (1980): 83-99. Accessed October 4, 2020. Doi: 10.2307/981041. Pages 84, 95-96. Image: Portrait of Francisco Saavedra de Sangronis, painted by Goya in the 18th Century.

Ever wonder why General Washington chose Valley Forge as the site for the army's winter encampment? Well, one reason among a number of others was the landscape itself. The area is bounded on the north by the Schuylkill River, on the southeast by a low ridgeline, and on the west by Mount Joy -- and this configuration of landforms provided a "defensive triangle" that allowed the army to defend the encampment in case of a British attack. The "outer line" of defenses stretched al...ong the ridge on the southeast, where Outer Line Drive is today. The "inner line" of defenses ran along Mount Joy. While many of the fortifications currently in the park are reproductions, the remains of some of the inner line fortifications can still be seen, 243 years later, along Inner Line Drive. The photograph shows a view looking east from Redoubt #4 near the northern end of Mount Joy, and allows you to see why this would make a good defensive position. The redoubt looks out over the Grand Parade, which made up the central area of that defensive triangle. Imagine how far the defenders could see with no trees in the way to block the view. For reference, that ridge on the far right of the photo is 3 to 4 miles away! It would have been pretty difficult for the British army to sneak up on the Continentals encamped at Valley Forge. It's Earth Sciences Week! This week we'll be exploring more stories about the park's unique geology, which made this landscape such a strong defensive position -- plus stories about drinking water, disease, natural springs, and FOSSILS. Note: fortification locations on this map are approximate and intended purely for purposes of demonstrating the strategic position of the hills and ridges of Valley Forge. (Image credits: Valley Forge National Historical Park)

A crew with the Appalachian Mountain Club's Roving Conservation Corps is working on trail improvements on Mt Misery and Mt Joy trails through the end of October. Sections of these trails will be temporarily closed during the week (Mon-Thurs), but will reopen to the public each weekend while the crew is at Valley Forge. Please respect these temporary closures if you encounter them for your safety and for the safety of this hardworking crew!... #RecreateResponsibly, #ValleyForge, #FindYourPark, #EncuentraTuParque

Are you planning to spend time in the park this fall? Bring a camera with you and participate in the Fall Photo Contest hosted by the Valley Forge Park Alliance! See below for details.