Pennsylvania state legislators and the Continental Congress expected the Continental Army to select an encampment site that could protect the countryside around Philadelphia. It had a lot of high places nearby so that if the British launched a surprise attack, the American army could go to high places and fight back. A French nobleman who helped the colonies in the Revolutionary War. What is the conflict of the story sinigang by marby villaceran? Largely thanks to capital improvements made by John Potts and his family over the following decades, the small community expanded the ironworks, established mills, and constructed new dwellings for residents. [27] Perishable foods began to rot before reaching the troops because of poor storage, transportation problems, or confusion regarding the supplies' whereabouts. When did organ music become associated with baseball? Valley Forge had the highest mortality rate of any Continental Army encampment, and even most military engagements of the war. Dead horse remains often lay unburied, and Washington found the smell of some places intolerable. 200. Who commanded the Patriots in the Battle of … Two years of war, shuffling leadership, and uneven recruitment resulted in irregular unit organization and strength. Many soldiers and commanders hailed from German-speaking communities, as with Pennsylvania-born Brigadier General Peter Muhlenberg. Scabies broke out because of the filthy conditions within the encampment, as did other deadlier ailments. [35], Maintaining cleanliness was a challenge for the Continental Army. Washington and his men could have withered away due to the harsh living conditions, lack of supplies, and low moral. How long will the footprints on the moon last? Park Ranger David Lawrence describes the trials and successes of the Continental Army at Valley Forge. Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 17771778 during the American Revolutionary War. Therefore, during the first few days of constructing their huts, the Continentals primarily ate firecake, a tasteless mixture of flour and water cooked upon heated rocks. As empires, both France and Great Britain had territory around the world that required protection. In part, they worried that revolutionary fervor might spread into their own empire (which it did by 1789), but they also did not think the American colonists could win. "[53], While historians disagree as to the seriousness of the threat to Washington's leadership during the Valley Forge winter, the most organized of these threats (albeit loosely-organized) was the so-called Conway Cabal. Amputations occurred, but no corroborating sources state that death occurred from the freezing temperatures alone.