The Continental Army Arrives at Valley Forge

Exhausted from a season of campaigning, soldiers and camp followers slog through the mud as they arrive at Valley Forge on December 19, 1777. NPS Photo

Marching to Valley Forge for the Winter

By ten OClock we...march to a place Call'd Valley Forge being about five or six miles – and about Eleven oCK we Sit out, but did not arive there 'till after Sun Sit. During this march we had nothing to Eat nor to drink, but when we arrived, our Boy went to work to Bake Bread and of this we Eat like Insatiate Monsters...

~ Diary of Lieutenant Samuel Armstrong of the 8th Massachusetts regiment

On December 19, 1777, the ill-supplied Continental Army led by General George Washington arrived at Valley Forge after a tough season of campaigning against the British. The revolutionary army fought hard at Brandywine, Germantown, and Whitemarsh, but ultimately failed to prevent the British from occupying the capital city of Philadelphia.

More than 12,000 soldiers and hundreds of civilians supporting the army marched into Valley Forge, a location chosen for its strategic position and strong defensive geography. The Continental Army camped at Valley Forge for the next six months.

One of the first orders of business for soldiers upon their arrival at Valley Forge was securing adequate shelter to keep them warm and dry in the face of the oncoming winter weather, and General Washington ordered the troops to build log huts just prior to their arrival. But until those huts were complete, the soldiers had no other option than to sleep in wedge tents or brush huts.

Determined to Persevere: The Valley Forge Encampment." />

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Duration:2 minutes, 32 seconds

The ill-supplied Continental Army marches into Valley Forge on December 19, 1777. This is an excerpt from Determined to Persevere: The Valley Forge Encampment.

View the full 19-minute orientation film!

• On Guard! An Online Sentry Activity — A revolution does not always involve fighting, and sometimes the hardest part about a war is what happens in between the battles. In this activity you will take on the role of a sentry during the Valley Forge encampment. You will decide who can enter camp and who cannot.
• December 1777 - From the Journals of Valley Forge — Daily excerpts from the historical record written in December 1777. Primary sources include letters, journal entries, military orders, and other writings made by the soldiers, civilians, women, and men who were with the Continental Army at Valley Forge.
• Tracked by Their Blood Upon the Rough Frozen Ground — Did soldiers really leave behind streaks of blood when they marched into Valley Forge?
• March In to Valley Forge 2025 — Visit Valley Forge National Historical Park on Saturday, December 13, 2025 to commemorate the 248th anniversary of the arrival of the Continental Army to Valley Forge.
• March-In Commemoration 2024 — Visit Valley Forge National Historical Park on Saturday, December 14, 2024 to commemorate the 247th anniversary of the arrival of the Continental Army to Valley Forge. Hands-on activities and programming are scheduled from 6 PM to 8 PM.
• March-In Commemoration 2023 — Visit Valley Forge National Historical Park on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 to commemorate the 246th anniversary of the arrival of the Continental Army to Valley Forge. Hands-on activities and programming are scheduled from 6 PM to 8 PM.
• March-In Commemoration 2022 — Visit Valley Forge National Historical Park on Saturday, December 17, 2022 to commemorate the 245th anniversary of the arrival of the Continental Army to Valley Forge. Hands-on activities and programming are scheduled from 11 AM to 6 PM.

Virtual March-In

Check out the online programming from the commemoration of March-In in 2020!

Where this belongs

• Valley Forge National Historical Park

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