Valley Forge

by Richard Ammon, Bill Farnsworth (Illustrator)

Things looked bleak for the Continental Army at Valley Forge during the frigid winter of 1777-78, but thanks to the courage of the soldiers and the leadership of George Washington, the fledgling American Army managed to not only survive but become a professional fighting force.

Genres: American Revolution, Picture Books, Nonfiction, American History

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Richard Ammon taught children's literature at Pennsylvania State University and lives in Middletown, Pennsylvania, not far from the Valley Forge National Historical Park. He is the author of Conestoga Wagons; An Amish Year; An Amish Wedding, and An Amish Christmas.

Reviews

[Bookbag_Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

-A Leader, Once Convinced That A Particular Course of Action Is The Right One, Must Be Undaunted When The Going Gets Tough

-Every Worthwhile Accomplishment, Big Or Small Has It's Stages Of Drudgery And Triumph; A Beginning, A Struggle And A Victory.

-What This Power Is I Cannot Say; All I Know Is That It Exists And It Becomes Available Only When A Man Is In A State Of Mind In Which He Knows Exactly What He Wants And Is Fully Determined
Not To Quit Until He Finds It.

The wind bit hard at Valley Forge one Christmas.
Soldiers tied rags on their feet.
Red footprints wrote on the snow...

"We have this day no less than 2,873 men in camp, unfit for duty because they are barefooted and otherwise naked.”

"There we shall be quiet, there we can discipline and instruct our troops, we can be able to begin a early campaign, and we shall not fear to be carried into a winter campaign if it pleases General Howe."

"An army of skeletons appeared before our eyes naked, starved, sick and discouraged"

"A number of our men, indeed all who have not had the small pox are & soon will be under Inoculation.”

TRAVELED TO // Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Battle Of Yorktown
MET ALONG THE WAY // George Washington, Frederick Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben, Patrick Henry, General Cornwallis, Sir Henry Clinton, Major General Lafayette, Colonel Alexander Hamilton, The Continental Army

September 1777: Prelude To Valley Forge
Washington's Rule of Civility
October And November 1777
Marquis de Lafayette
December 1777
January 1778: Building Huts
Thomas Paine - Common Sense & The Crisis
"The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks"
January 1778: Headquarters
Alexander Hamilton [Aaron And Alexander]
January 1778: The Army
February 1778:
February 1778: Clothing
March 1778: Conditions
March, April, May 1778:
Baron Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben
May 1778:
June 1778:

Valley Forge //
Victory Of Yorktown // October 19, 1781

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valley Forge is an easy read, yet there are neat details that give you an in depth view of what it was like that winter. The pictures help to keep kids attention. It helped me remember all of the hard the soldiers went through. The conditions were hard, "To groom their hair, the men would sprinkle flour on their heads, which attracted lice. Since lice carry disease, more men became sick." Much more detail. If you need information on Valley Forge for school, I reccomend this book.

[Erica Eyestone]

Has good pictures but I don't like how the text is in such big blocks. Good overview of the Revolutionary War and Valley Forge's role.