Washington Winters at Valley Forge

December 19, 1777

The Continental Army shivered into winter quarters in rolling Pennsylvania hills. No shoes, no blankets, no pay. A German drill-master named Steuben arrived and, cursing in mixed French and German, turned farmers into soldiers. Washington held them together with promises and personal presence. Two thousand died. The army that emerged in spring was disciplined, drilled, and angry enough to fight the British on even terms at last.