On the Schuykill River near Phoenixville, is the
site of General George Washinton's army winter quarters from December
1777 to June 1778. Severe winter conditions caused much suffering
as the troops lacked adequate clothing, food and shelter. Despite
many desertions, French General Lafayette and Prussian General Steuben
worked with the troops to train and integrate them into a fighting
force. It was during this period when a treaty of alliance was signed
in Paris on February 6, 1778, and ratified in America on May 4th,
cementing the entry of the French into the War on behalf of the
United States. Among Washington’s officers at Valley Forge
were the, Nathaniel Greene, Count Casimir Pulaski, “Mad”
Anthony Wayne, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall, James
Monroe and Charles Wilson Peale.
|
