Table of Contents
What was the outcome at Valley Forge?
The Continental Army’s transformative experiences at Valley Forge reshaped it into a more unified force capable of defeating the British and winning American independence during the remaining five years of the war.
What happened at Valley Forge and why was it significant?
Despite the harsh conditions, Valley Forge is sometimes called the birthplace of the American army because, by June of 1778, the weary troops emerged with a rejuvenated spirit and confidence as a well-trained fighting force.
What caused so many deaths at Valley Forge?
Yet cold and starvation were not the most dangerous threats to soldiers at Valley Forge: Diseases like influenza, dysentery, typhoid and typhus killed two-thirds of the nearly 2,000 soldiers who died during the encampment.
How many died at Valley Forge?
2,000 troops
In total, about 1,700–2,000 troops died during the Valley Forge encampment, mostly at general hospitals located in six different towns. Valley Forge had the highest mortality rate of any Continental Army encampment, and even most military engagements of the war.
How was Valley Forge a turning point in the Revolutionary War?
We rightly regard Valley Forge as the turning point because it tested the nation as it would not be tested again for another fourscore and several years. George Washington’s small and fractious army limped into its bleak Pennsylvania encampment after defeats at Brandywine, Paoli and Germantown.
Who is the only officer that stayed at Valley Forge the entire winter with the troops?
The Marquis de Lafayette, who joined the Continental Army at age nineteen in the summer of 1777 as a volunteer Major General, spent most of December 1777 and January 1778 with George Washington and his Continental Army troops at their winter quarters at Valley Forge.
Why is it called Valley Forge?
Valley Forge received its name from the iron forge that was constructed along Valley Creek, next to current PA 252, in the 1740s. A sawmill and grist mill had been built by the time of the encampment, making the area an important supply base for the American fighters.
How did soldiers get pneumonia?
Ceri Gage, Curator of Collections at the Army Medical Services Museum in Aldershot, says that infection posed one of the greatest medical risks. “A simple cut to a finger from cleaning your gun or digging a trench could quite quickly become infected and develop into pneumonia,” she says.
How did soldiers get pneumonia in Valley Forge?
Wounded soldiers often died from exposure to the elements. Unsanitary and crowded conditions led to the proliferation of diseases and sicknesses such as typhoid and pneumonia.
What are some important facts the Battle of Valley Forge?
Due to shortages of food, lack of proper hygiene, sanitation, and medical knowledge of the time, over 2,000 soldiers perished during the winter. From scurvy to smallpox, dysentery, and other maladies, one out of every six soldiers that marched into Valley Forge in December did not march back out in June.
Why was Valley Forge important for kids?
Valley Forge was where the American Continental Army made camp during the winter of 1777-1778. It was here that the American forces became a true fighting unit. Valley Forge is often called the birthplace of the American Army.
Why is Valley Forge called Valley Forge?
How old was Marquis de Lafayette when he died?
76 years (1757–1834)Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette / Age at death
Lafayette was buried in France underneath dirt taken from Bunker Hill. After the 76-year-old Lafayette died in Paris on May 20, 1834, he was laid to rest next to his wife at the city’s Picpus Cemetery.