The Continental Army’s famous winter encampment from 1777 to 1778 was Valley Forge.
George Washington led approximately 12,000 people into Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, on December 19, 1777. The site was about 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia and offered defensible high ground near the Schuylkill River. British forces occupied Philadelphia after defeating Washington’s army in the Philadelphia campaign.
The encampment lasted six months, ending on June 19, 1778. Soldiers built thousands of log huts, but shortages of food, clothing, medicine, and firewood caused severe hardship. Nearly 2,000 soldiers died from disease and malnutrition during the winter, although the army remained together.
Valley Forge is often remembered as the place where Washington’s army became stronger and more disciplined. Prussian officer Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben trained the troops there, helping standardize drills and battlefield procedures. The army later marched out in better condition, though the popular image of Valley Forge sometimes exaggerates the suffering or treats it as a battle rather than an encampment.