Valley Forge was the Continental Army’s main winter encampment during the winter of 1777–1778.
George Washington led the army to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania on December 19, 1777, after British forces occupied Philadelphia. The site was about 18 miles northwest of the city and offered defensible high ground near important roads and waterways.
The encampment lasted until June 19, 1778. Soldiers built log huts, trained, and endured shortages of food, clothing, and medical supplies. Disease and inadequate provisions caused severe suffering, although the popular image of every soldier starving continuously oversimplifies the varied experiences within the camp.
Valley Forge also became a major training ground. Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben helped professionalize drilling and battlefield procedures, strengthening the army before the June 1778 Battle of Monmouth. The site is therefore remembered for both hardship and military reorganization.