Valley Forge Encampment, 1777–1778

George Washington’s Continental Army entered winter quarters at Valley Forge after the 1777 Philadelphia campaign. The position protected important routes and allowed the army to watch British-held Philadelphia, but shortages of food, clothing, shelter and medical care caused severe suffering and disease.

During the encampment Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben introduced systematic drill and camp regulations, while Washington’s staff and Congress struggled with supply and command. The army that left Valley Forge was more unified and better trained than the force that entered it.

Forge makes the encampment the setting for Curzon’s military and personal transformation. Hunger, cold, racial status and the risk of re-enslavement complicate the conventional story of endurance and professionalisation.