The Valley Forge Winter: Civilians and Soldiers in War

by Wayne K. Bodle

2003 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Of the many dramatic episodes of the American Revolution, perhaps none is more steeped in legend than the Valley Forge winter. Paintings show Continentals huddled around campfires and Washington kneeling in the frozen woods, praying for his army’s deliverance. To this day schoolchildren are taught that Valley Forge was the “turning point of the Revolution”―the event that transformed a ragged group of soldiers into a fighting army. But was Valley Forge really the “crucible of victory” it has come to represent in American history? Now, two hundred and twenty-five years later, Wayne Bodle has written the first comprehensive history of the winter encampment of 1777–78. The traditional account portrays Valley Forge in the 1770s as a desolate wilderness far removed from civilian society. Washington’s army was forced to endure one of the coldest winters in memory with inadequate food and supplies, despite appeals to the Continental Congress. When the mild weather of spring finally arrived, the Prussian baron Friedrich von Steuben drilled the demoralized soldiers into a first-rate army that would go on to stunning victories at Monmouth and, eventually, at Yorktown. Bodle presents a very different picture of Valley Forge―one that revises both popular and scholarly perceptions. Far from being set in a wilderness, the Continental Army’s quarters were deliberately located in a settled area. And although there was a provisions crisis, Washington overstated the case in order to secure additional support. (A shrewd man, Washington mostly succeeded at keeping his army supplied with food, clothing, and munitions. Farmers from the interior provided food that ensured that the army didn’t starve.) As for Steuben’s role in training the soldiers, Bodle argues that it was not the decisive factor others have seen in the army’s later victories. The freshness of Bodle’s approach is that he offers a complete picture of events both inside and outside the camp boundaries. We see what happens when two armies descend on a diverse and divided community. Anything but stoically passive, the Continentals were effective agents on their own behalf and were actively engaged with their civilian hosts and British foes. The Valley Forge Winter is an example of the “new military history” at its best―a history that puts war back into its social context.

Genres: American Revolution, History, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I entered grad school, years ago now, I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the American Revolution. I knew that an oppressive colonial power, "the Crown," had been pushing around their own colonies until finally the embattled farmers there could take it no longer. So then Lexington-Concord happened. After that, ~we~ had to face terrible odds, but the Continental Congress, led by Saint George, Saint John, and Saint Ben, held tight to ~our purpose~ and finally we got the Declaration signed. After that our remaining problem was the British Army. So our attention turned to Trenton and, after that, to Saratoga. Later that Winter, the Continental Army went into camp at Valley Forge where they nearly starved and froze. But they sure learned how to drill, you know, "right face, left face, parade rest" all of the important stuff about warfare. When they survived and emerged from the snow drifts, ~we~ were ready to put an end to the whole salutary neglect thing and eject the British from ~our~ soil. These were the basic outlines of what I understood. More classes and study, a few more books, some more study, and a great teacher, and then I had to face the questions of why so few of the American colonists seemed to even want to leave the British empire. How was the war won despite what we in grad school would have called the asymmetry of the power structures in play, not to even mention, really, the fact that the British Empire was the superpower of it's day? When exactly did the colonies start acting like American States, and what really happened to change the all important middle colonist from a staunch supporter of being a proud British "subject" into a more radical and independence minded American? The delicious complexity of the era astounded me. There were many wonderful books. But Professor Bodle's did more to help me understand how the war was won, perhaps more about what it means to even win a war, than any of the other books. Turns out, I am now convinced that the title of this book refers to a particular winter, not so much a particular place. Spoiler Alert: that winter, the middle colonist had to live under British enforced martial law. And that winter, the new American government in exile had to begin to act more like a government and less like a debating society. During a time and place where there were no real battles, no cavalry charges, no bayonet attacks, the hearts and minds of the American middle colonist were lost by the British that winter, "Valley Forge Winter." Yes it would still be a struggle for the American Congress to support, arm, and enlist an Army. And yes, you can learn all you would probably care to learn about the particular happenings in the encampment by reading this book. But more important to the war and to the idea of an independent American nation, was what was happening in Philadelphia, just a hop and a skip away from Martha and George's place out in Valley Forge. That part of the metamorphosis is also clearly explained in this exceptionally written study informed by an impressive body of scholarship. If you enjoy a complex explanation supported by ample evidence, then you are going to love this book.

[J.R. Handley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found a box full of my old college text books and decided to give them another read.... for the fun of it. This one, while not exciting, kept my interest and was a lot of fun to read. It wasn't too jargon heavy, so anyone could manage this read through. I give this one 5 stars for keeping my attention! If the American Revolutionary history is your jam, then grab some bread and butter this bad boy, cause you found a winner!