George Washington’s Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge, a site remembered during America250.
The army entered the encampment on December 19, 1777, after British forces captured Philadelphia. Valley Forge was about 18 miles northwest of the city and offered defensible high ground while keeping Washington near the revolutionary capital and supply routes.
The encampment lasted six months, ending on June 19, 1778. Soldiers faced shortages of food, clothing and equipment, while disease caused many deaths. The army also built huts and reorganized its units during the winter.
Valley Forge is often remembered only as a story of suffering, but training was equally important. Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben helped impose standardized drilling and discipline, strengthening the army before it left Pennsylvania.