December 19, 1777 – June 19, 1778 · Middle Theater
December 19, 1777 – June 19, 1778
Washington's Continental Army spent the brutal winter of 1777–1778 encamped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, just 18 miles from British-occupied Philadelphia. Without adequate food, clothing, or shelter, approximately 2,500 soldiers died from disease, exposure, and starvation. Yet the army that emerged was transformed — Prussian drillmaster Baron Friedrich von Steuben trained the ragged troops into a professional fighting force.
Commanders