Between December 19, 1777, and June 19, 1778, the American Continental Army camped on about 2,000 acres of ground in a Pennsylvania community called Valley Forge, approximately twenty miles northwest of Philadelphia. While there, approximately 11,000 men under the command of General George Washington constructed light shelters and defensive earthworks, endured a harsh winter, trained, and executed rigorous military drills. Initially ignored by historians, the Valley Forge story was "rediscovered" during the mid-nineteenth century. Romantic Era authors emphasized the hardships of the encampment and caused it to be adopted as a national symbol of perseverance and sacrifice resulting in eventual triumph. Citizens joined efforts to preserve the campground where monuments and reconstructions were built during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to interpret the story.

Deprivation and Renewal

No battles were fought at Valley Forge, but historians acknowledged the encampment as a turning point in the American Revolution because the troops...