30 Jul - Valley Forge National Park

 

Drove to Valley Forge national Park this morning.  About 30 minutes from the campground. 

We brought Liberty, her stroller and a small cooler of drinks.  The visitor center is open so I went in there and purchased access and got a tutorial on the web site that has an audio tour of the park.  That worked out really well with the audio blue-toothed to our truck so it came out 506 watt Alpine amplifier system with subwoofer and 9 speakers!!   

We headed out on the driving tour, listening as we went.  They tell you to drive 15mph and the timing on that works out really well.  The have the stops all numbered and they correspond with the audio links on the web site.

It is important to understand the "big picture" here before you start on the tour. This was an encampment. There were no huge battles here. "Valley Forge is the location of the 1777-1778 winter encampment of the Continental Army under General George Washington. Here the Continental Army, a collection of disparate colonial militias, emerged under Washington's leadership as a cohesive and disciplined fighting force." as described by the National Park Service.  The British were holed up in Philadelphia and Washington had his troops winter at Valley Forge as they trained and recouped.  The physical site of Valley Forge is on a plateau, so it was defendable.  So, it was an encampment and grew to become the fourth largest city in the colonies.  It was basically farmland before this, and would again become farmland after this.

The second stop (first after the visitor center) was Muhlenberg's Brigade, the site of the encampment of troops led by Brigadier General Peter Muhlenberg during the winter of 1777-78. Today the area consists of nine reconstructed log soldiers' huts facing a gravel company street.  These are all reconstructions.  After the war the locals repurposed all the materials from the huts and converted the land back into farmland.

Not far from there is Redoubt 2.  Redoubts are basically earthen forts.  They feature pointed wooden spears to protect them from mounted attacks.  There was an earthen magazine in the center where the powder was kept and cannons with cutouts in the earthen structure.

Next we moved to stop #3, the National Memorial Arch, which was erected in the early part of the 20th century to commemorate the arrival and the sacrifices of General George Washington and the Continental Army at Valley Forge during the American Revolution.

Stop #4 was Wayne's Statue, a bronze statue, supported by a large rectangular base of pink granite, featuring Brigadier General Wayne on horseback, emphasizing his role in the military.

Stop#5 was Washington's Headquarters and unfortunately it was still closed. Washington's Headquarters, also known as the Isaac Potts House, is the structure used by General George Washington and his household during the 1777-1778 encampment of the Continental Army at Valley Forge.  We learned that Gen Washington stayed in a tent until his men we all housed in huts, protected from the weather.  Leading from the front.  The building is beautifully preserved. 

Valley Forge Station , on the way to George Washington's Headquarters.

Stop #6 was Redoubt 3, the site of a partially reconstructed earthworks fortification originally constructed by Continental troops during the Valley Forge encampment and designed to help defend the camp from potential attack from the south.  We had a difficult time visualizing the redoubt from the overgrowth of weeds.

Stop #7 was Artillery Park, the central location used during the encampment to keep cannons at the ready in case of a British attack.  They could apparently quickly move them to whatever location needed to defend from attacks.  

Liberty enjoyed the walk to see Artillery Park.

Awesome display of cannons located near the center of the encampment.

Stop #8 was Steuben's Statue. The bronze statue of Major General Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand de Steuben, known as Baron von Steuben, overlooks the Grand Parade at Valley Forge National Historical Park.  Steuben became the Inspector General.  He was a former Prussian officer and was brought in to unify the army.  To do this he formulated a new manual of arms and demonstrated his system on the Grand Parade field.  Thousands of soldiers practiced his maneuvers.  

Stop #9 was Washington's Memorial Chapel, which sits on private land and was constructed between 1903 and 1917. From the NPS site, "The chapel features an impressive Gothic Revival style, and the bell tower is home to a replica of the Liberty Bell, known as the Justice Bell, which was used by organizers in the early part of the 20th century in support of the Women's Suffrage movement. The Veterans Wall of Honor honors all veterans of the United States Armed Services. The chapel was erected in tribute to the service of George Washington and the soldiers of the Continental Army, and is home to an active Episcopalian parish."  It is absolutely gorgeous and it looks like they are working on it now to maintain it's beauty.  

We enjoyed our tour of Valley Forge National Park and the audio portion really helped.  Each stop was easy to find and we walked the paths and trails to fully learn about each location.  

Back at the campground we got a few things done in the RV and then had a nice walk around the park with Liberty.  It is Friday before the weekend so things were busy.  The swimming pool was in full swing too.  We sat on the shore of the Brandywine Creek this evening and relaxed.  Very nice campground.

No big plans for tomorrow at this point.