Valley Forge became the Continental Army’s winter encampment in Pennsylvania during 1777–78.
The army arrived at Valley Forge in December 1777 after British forces captured Philadelphia. The site was about 18 miles northwest of the city and offered a defensible position near the Schuylkill River.
Soldiers endured shortages of food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. The harsh winter caused thousands of deaths from disease and malnutrition, although popular retellings sometimes exaggerate the camp’s hardships or incorrectly describe all suffering as freezing to death.
The encampment also became a major training ground. Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben introduced standardized drills and discipline, helping transform the army into a more effective fighting force before it left Valley Forge in June 1778.