George Washington’s Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania.
The army entered the encampment on December 19, 1777, after British forces captured Philadelphia and Washington’s army lost the Battle of Brandywine. Valley Forge was about 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia, close enough to monitor the British but positioned on defensible high ground.
The encampment lasted six months, ending on June 19, 1778. Soldiers constructed log huts and endured severe shortages of food, clothing, and supplies. Disease and starvation killed nearly 2,000 soldiers during the winter, according to historical accounts summarized in the article.
Valley Forge is often remembered only as a story of suffering, but it was also a period of military reorganization and training. Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben helped improve discipline and battlefield procedures. The army emerged more effectively organized and marched out after the British abandoned Philadelphia.