Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania

Valley Forge is outside of Philly and we were able to meet up with Kory and her girls for a nice outing after leaving Philly. This was the site of 1777-1778 winter encampment of George Washington’s Continental Army. Valley Forge is most known for being cold and ill-equipped. What I found most interesting was that it was more of a small city than just a camp.  Many of the officers' wives were there along with other families.  The women were given half rations from the military offerings and children were given quarter rations.  Many of these women earned their keep by doing laundry, mending, or other camp chores. Female nurses were also critical for the army’s survival. When they finally emerged from the camp in June of 1778, they found victory at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey.