Valley Forge and General Von Steuben
You are now standing in front of the statue of Lafayette and Washington. As you can see, Lafayette is shaking hands with Washington. But the French are not the only country that helped the patriots, at Valley Forge, General Von Steuben also helped the patriots survive.
Introduction
Do you know what happened in the freezing winter in Valley Forge about 250 years ago? Do you know where General Von Steuben got injured during the French and Indian war? Did you know that about 2500 soldiers died in Valley Forge, or that General Von Steuben became an American citizen in 1784. Do you know what it feels like to be there as a soldier without shoes and warm clothing, and with very little food? In this book, you will learn about an overview of the American Revolution, all about the freezing winter of Valley Forge, all about General Von Steuben, all about the effects of Valley Forge, and also half an hour in the life of a patriot in Valley Forge.
Chapter 1: All About The American Revolution
In order to understand the freezing winter at Valley Forge, it’s really helpful to understand the whole war in general.
The war was caused by taxes and laws made by the British. But why did the British pass out these laws? It all started with the French and Indian war, in which the American Indians allied with France to attack the colonies. They were winning until the british came, they were victorious over the French and got all the land in America, but lost a lot of money and soldiers.
That is when King George III thought: We helped save their lives, why shouldn’t we tax them? So parliament started passing out taxes and laws. According to Liberty, how the war began by Lucille Recht Penner, there was the Sugar act of 1764, the Quartering act, Stamp act, and Navigation act of 1765, and the Townshend act of 1767. These laws resulted in boycotts, protests, and the Boston Massacre. In which 5 colonists died and 6 were wounded. In 1770, colonists only had to pay taxes for tea, but they still weren’t happy. In 1773, they dumped 3 whole ships of tea into the Boston harbor. This event was called The Boston Tea Party.
King George the third was very angry about the Boston Tea Party, so he passed out the Coercive act, known as the Intolerable act. The colonists were so angry this time, that they met in the first Continental Congress! After the first Continental Congress both sides felt that war was looming nearer, the colonists even started training! Finally, the war broke out at Lexington.
After Lexington and Concord, the british got a few victories such as Bunker Hill, Long Island… Then Washington got a few victories at Trenton and Princeton. Other major wars included several wins on both sides, and the Siege of Yorktown ended the war.
Chapter 2: All About What Happened In Valley Forge
You might wonder, how did the patriots survive against the most powerful army in the world and be there at Yorktown to defeat the British? Well, one of the most difficult things they survived was the winter at Valley Forge. In December of 1777, Washington’s troops settled down in Valley Forge. They were hoping to stay there because the British won the battle of Brandywine. Congress wanted Washington to get Philadelphia back, but it’s winter and there isn't’ usually fighting in the winter. Valley Forge is only 18 miles away from Philadelphia, and it’s well protected by mountains and a river, so Washington decided to settle there.
According to Washington’s Crossing the Delaware and the Winter at Valley Forge Through Primary Sources by John Micklos Jr., there wasn’t much food and not a lot of fresh water in Valley Forge, and Congress was in chaos so they couldn’t pass food to them.
In Valley Forge, Washington’s troops started by building log huts. In each hut, there lived about twelve soldiers. They chopped down trees, built the hut and put clay in the cracks so that it would be warm, there is also a fireplace and chimney in each hut.
The soldiers usually don’t eat proper food for days. Soldiers died because of diseases such as typhus and pneumonia, and most soldiers left when their enlistment time was up, which means that for example, a soldier signed to fight for 1 year, then he left exactly 1 year after he signed up. Washington’s troops are growing weaker.
Life was boring in Valley Forge, but soldiers sometimes found ways to have fun. When they aren’t working, soldiers play mouth harps, a kind of instrument that you play with your mouth. They also read, play cards and marbles, and play outdoors when it’s warm enough.
Along with the troops growing weaker, Washington also had other problems. Some people think that he was not good enough to be the leader and wanted to replace him! There was discussion but in the end Congress decided that Washington keeps his spot.
But on February 23, 1778. A man that would change everything arrived, and his name was Baron Friedrich Von Steuben. He trained the soldiers and at the same time, more soldiers came. Also, spring came! The weather became warm and the troops of Washington were ready to fight as summer came.
Chapter 3: All About General Von Steuben
As it said in chapter two, General Von Steuben, full name Friedrich Wihelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Von Steuben, changed everything in Valley Forge. And in this chapter you will get to know him better.
Von Steuben during the French and Indian war
General Von Steuben was born on September 17, 1730. He was born in the kingdom of Prussia, part of today's Germany. He joined the army at the age of 17.
According to an article made by Nps.Gov in Kiddle called General Von Steuben, Von Steuben was a second lieutenant at the time the French and Indian war broke out in Europe, and a year later, he got injured at the battle of Prague. After healing, in 1759, he was promoted to first lieutenant. But he got injured again, this time at the battle of Kunersdorf.
Von Steuben went to prison in 1761, but then he was released in 1762. He later trained for being a leader, but was released from the army on April 29, 1763.
Von Steuben In America
According to an article made by Nps.Gov in Kiddle called General Von Steuben, Von Steuben served as Grand Marshall to the prince of Hollenzollern-Hechingen Between 1764 to 1777, but he began looking for a new job in 1775. In 1777, he travelled to France, and heard about getting rich in a revolution in America. He then met Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin, the American ambassadors at the time, but they could not promise him a rank and pay in the army. So Von Steuben returned to Germany.
Grand Marshall: Grand Marshall is a ceremonial, military or political of very high ranks.Von Steuben later decided to go to America, he arrived at Maine, which was at that time called Portsmouth, on December 1, 1777. Von Steuben arrived in Valley Forge on February 23, 1778.
Von Steuben decided that the troops of Washington were short on everything except spirit, so he started rebuilding the army.
He started by writing drills for the army. He wrote it in french, then his assistant Duponceau translated it in english with the help of John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton. The drills worked well and the army improved quickly. That same summer, the Americans tied against the British on open field!
Von Steuben wrote a book in the winter of 1778 to 1779 that became known as the blue book. It was used by the US army until 1814.
Von Steuben became an American citizen in 1784, a year after America became independent. He died on November 28, 1794.
Chapter 4: The Effects Of Valley Forge
You might wonder, well… I know all about Valley Forge now, but what happened after? What are the effects of Valley Forge? Did Washington come out victorious?
According to Nps.Gov on Kiddle, a lot of soldiers died in Valley Forge, but since the arrival of General Von Steuben, more soldiers came. Nearly ¼ of the soldiers died but under training, Washington’s troops were not getting weaker, but on the contrary, they were getting better and more professional. They showed that at Monmouth Courthouse, in which they tied against the British, who had the best army in the world!
Also, because the Americans got through Valley Forge, and also because General Gates wins at Saratoga, the French officially declared war against the British and France was followed by other European powers, and that’s how the Americans won the war.
As you can see, Valley Forge impacted the war very much, and without it there might be no America today.
Chapter 5: Half An Hour In The Life Of A Patriot In Valley Forge
“Get some firewood!” One of the generals shouted to me and a few fellow Patriots. I sighed, “Looks like I gotta go get firewood again,” I thought. Clutching our axes, me, Steve, Adam, Marcus, and Jordan walked slowly into the forest, “Here we go again,” I heard Steve mutter. Memories of the last time we went to get firewood still haunted me, our feet dropped so much blood because of the low temperature that there were bloody footprints everywhere. This time, however, we wrapped our feet with cloth, it’s still freezing cold, however.
We found a good spot and started cutting down trees that are at least 10 meters. My stomach rumbled, I had only eaten meat 3 times since we arrived here in December. I had been eating firecakes for 8 days in a row now!
10 minutes later, we had cut down enough trees, as we headed back, my thoughts drifted from disgusting firecakes to the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, I had lost my shoes and been injured during the battle of Brandywine.
My thoughts drifted to thinking about what would happen if we won the war. I imagined Betsy Ross’s flag flying high in the air. I hear the sounds of drums, the cheering of the whole country. My feet were aching, but it wasn’t as bad as last time. I can see that Marcus and Jordan are deep in thoughts as well. I decided to keep on going.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the spirits of the soldiers at Valley Forge should still be highly appreciated today, and Valley Forge is a main reason why there are Americans today. In other words, it’s like if the patriots didn't have the spirit to conquer Valley Forge, there would be no America today. And that is why you should never give up even in the toughest of times.
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