Professional Military Education

On December 19, 1777, George Washington led the Continental Army onto a high plateau twenty miles northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After fighting the British at the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown, Washington entered camp with a little over 12,000 soldiers. By mid-February, that number had dropped in half. Disease ravaged camp. Soldiers starved. Many of them were down to their last shirt. Some walked into camp barefoot. As if the problems couldn’t get worse, most soldiers didn’t know if or when they would get paid for their service.  Despite the many difficulties, General Washington was determined to pull the army through the winter. He faced multiple threats to his command both from within the army and from Congress. Although Valley Forge did not involve any large battle, the army faced one of its toughest challenges of the Revolutionary War. If it could survive and hold together, then the American fight for independence would continue.   Through a combination of leadership and determination, Wa