National Parks Explorer: Valley Forge National Historical Park

Valley Forge NHP was the first NPS site I visited, way back in 1st grade for a class trip. Since then it's grown on me, especially since finding out I may be related to a soldier who was camped there as part of Washington's army in the winter of 1777-1778.

Valley Forge preserves the site where Washington held his army together, kept his command despite a bit of a power struggle, and where the army learned how to fight as a cohesive unit. Today, in addition to the historic value, Valley Forge is an undeveloped island in the middle of a suburban sea. Wildlife finds refuge there, just as joggers and bike riders find a refuge to jog and bike with little fear of motorized traffic.
The land we call Valley Forge was once a small village on the banks of Valley Creek. The village's main industry was an iron forge, hence the name. In December 1777 the Continental Army made camp in the hills and a plateau above where Valley Creek flows into the Schuykill River about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Following a series of setbacks, Washington chose the site because of its defensibility and proximity to Philadelphia, which was in British hands due to the aforementioned setbacks.
The image that comes to mind is soldiers suffering in the bitter cold at Valley Forge. However, journals indicate it was actually a mild winter. Mild weather didn't mitigate disease or supply problems. While Washington and his staff were able to live in relative comfort, the rank file were getting by on firecake (a mixture of flour and water cooked over a fire), shoe leather, and tree bark. States didn't or wouldn't send food and supplies to the army, and local farmers for the most part refused to sell because they'd rather have the gold and silver the British paid than the nearly worthless paper money issued by the Continental Congress.
Appointing Nathanael Greene, one of Washington's most trusted commanders, as quartermaster general immediately helped with the supply problems. The arrival Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben, a Prussian army officer of dubious credentials, revitalized the army. He standardized training with a model company of 100 soldiers, who then went about and trained the rest of the army. His commands were relayed from German to French to English, as the camp had German and French speakers, French and English speakers, but no German and English speakers. Morale was boosted further with the news that France would be entering the war on the side of the Americans, providing outright military assistance in addition to loans and supplies. Shortly after news of the alliance, the British abandoned Philadelphia to consolidate at New York.
The encampment at Valley Forge consisted of a small city of log huts and fortifications. A large parade ground filled the center, and artillery was clustered together near the center so it could be easily loved to any point were it might be needed. Generals quartered in nearby homes, while field officers remained in cabins with their men. The soldiers slept 24 to a cabin, with half on guard duty at any given time. A bridge over the Schuykill provided and emergency exit. Washington slept in his tent until the last cabin was built, then moved his headquarters to the Potts house near where Valley Creek meets the river.
Valley Forge has been drawing tourists ever since George Washington returned following the Revolution. By then, the cabins had been torn down by the farmers who lived there. Eventually, it became a Pennsylvania state park. On July 4, 1976 it was formally transferred to NPS.

Today, NPS has a numbered driving tour around the part which includes the headquarters complex, as well as reconstructed huts, a memorial arch, a church, and the visitor center. A network of trails extends to every part of the park, and the most popular is a loop, the Joseph Plumb Martin Trail. A narrated trolley tour runs during the summer, and rangers hold demonstrations at the cabins on a regular basis. The visitor center hosts a museum, gift shop, and movie. Check out my photos from Valley Forge.

Lafayette and Washington pose for a portait
at the Visitor Center, Tour Stop #1

Made for a History Channel special, this figure
of Washington was on loan to Valley Forge

Reconstructed cabins at the Muhlenberg Brigade, Tour Stop #2

Muhlenberg Brigade

Bake oven

Firing demonstration

Outer line defense, a cannon facing toward the
British and Philadelphia

The same cannon in winter

Redoubt #2

National Memorial Arch, Tour Stop #3

Detail of the east face of the arch

Underneath the arch

Wreath laying at the Arch

Anthony Wayne statue, Tour Stop #4

Pennsylvania Columns

Washington's Headquarters, Tour Stop #5

Washington's bedroom

Cot on the 3rd floor of headquarters

Guard's cabins and springhouse at headquarters

David Potts house

Potts barn

Redoubt #3, Tour Stop #6

Artillery demonstration at Artillery Park, Tour Stop #7

Skirmish line demo at Artillery Park

Artillery Park

Oneida braves served as scouts and skirmishers

Von Steuben statue at Tour Stop #8

General Varnum's quarters at Tour Stop #8

Justice Bell at Washington Memorial Chapel,
Tour Stop #9

Washington mosaic at the chapel

Stained glass at the chapel

Statue representing mothers of patriots
at the chapel

And now some scenes from Valley Forge NHP that are on the map and accessible, but aren't stops on the driving tour. Some can be seen from the road, while others require a little walking.