Southern New England Outdoor and Nature Site: Valley Forge, yes, that Valley Forge

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Valley Forge, yes, that Valley Forge

For the past week Laurie and I have been in Philadelphia. We went to all the historical places along with many museums. The last day, before we came home, we took a detour to Valley Forge. In case you skipped school the week they taught about the Revolutionary War, Valley Forge was the winter encampment for Washington's rag tag army during the winter of 1777-78.

The conditions were harsh and a lot of men died from disease. The army went into camp in January with about 6000 men. However they lost almost two thousand over the winter due to death and desertion. On the plus side, the army was also reinforced and when they marched out of camp in June Washington had 20,000 men. The last three months before leaving camp was a training period. During this time the army went from a bunch of small outfits to one uniform army. Much credit goes to German Von Steuben for training the army.

We arrived at 9 am when the Visitor Center opened. Unfortunately, we had to drive home today so we had to leave fairly early. We left at 2 pm. The five hours flew by. We easily could have stayed all day. Taking in ranger programs and really stopping at all the monuments, I could squeeze two days if I had the free time.

When we got to the V.C, we watched the movie about Valley Forge. It lasts about 20 minutes. Then we could have done the self guided audio tour. We could also listen to audio of various stops on our phone by dialing a number then punching in an extension. There was a ranger lead program at 10:50 that was a walk. Lastly we could do the trolley tour of the encampment.

We chose to drive around until 10:45 then go for ranger walk. After that we were going to do the trolley. When we found out the trolley only went at 11 am and 1 pm (too late for us) we had to choose. We chose to ride the narrated trolley.

The trolley ride lasted almost two hours. The girl that narrated it was a huge history geek. She knew everything, not only about Valley Forge, but was discussing battle strategies with some tourists. The trolley makes two stops where you get out. The first is at reconstructed soldiers quarters. You learn how the huts were made and how the soldiers lived. The second stop was at Washington's Headquarters. There, a park ranger explains how busy his headquarters were and how crowded. The building is the original one that Washington lived and worked in. Seventy to eighty percent of the building is original. This includes the hand rail going up the stairs to the second floor. See pictures below.

The park is huge. It is over 6000 acres. There is no question that there is a Gettysburg feel there. There is twenty seven miles of trails. Many people were riding bikes on the paved trails. The scenery is beautiful rolling hills.

The encampment was chosen for its defensive position. It was high ground with good sight lines. It was close enough to Philly that Washington could keep an eye on the British, but far enough away there couldn't be a surprise attack. The Continental Congress moved to Lancaster, PA after the British took Philly. Valley Forge kept the army between the Founding Fathers and the British Army. The defensive position was perfect. Washington was protected all many sides thanks to the river at his back and the high ground. The British knew where he was buy after looking at the map knew the position couldn't be taken so they never attacked.

I highly recommend you visit Valley Forge if you have any interest in history. These is so much to learn. Give yourself a day if you go. Bringing your bike would absolutely enhance your experience. The trails are beautiful, but you would have to climb some hills. From North Attleboro it would be a five hour drive. However, on our way home we got stuck in traffic in Connecticut and by, ironically, the George Washington Bridge.