Vanve, Sheilah D. Threshold to Valley Forge. The 6 Days of the Gulph Mills Encampment

This is the first book to focus on the six pivotal days of Washington's Gulph Mills Encampment, the threshold of Valley Forge, a crucial microcosm of the War for Independence that changed the entire course of America. When George Washington and the Continental Army marched into Gulph Mills in December 1777, they were cheered - by none of the recent victories. Washington's army had lost at Brandywine, Germantown and Paoli, and the British had taken Philadelphia, the largest city in the American colonies. Even worse, the Continental Congress had recently visited the Patriot camp at Whitemarsh to inspect Washington's work and questioned whether he was the right man to lead the Continental Army. Members of the Continental Congress and local legislators urged another battle with the British before they went into winter quarters, but the soldiers and generals were in no condition to engage the enemy. The army was battered, starved and desperate. At the same time, the new nation was trying to secure its existence. The states began debating whether to adopt the Articles of Confederation that the Continental Congress had passed the previous month. Benjamin Franklin and the members of the American Commission were in France lobbying King Louis XVI and his government for official support of the United States. From 12 to 19 December 1777, Washington's army encamped in the towering hills of Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania, fifteen miles from Philadelphia. Known as the "Threshold of Valley Forge," the Gulph Mills encampment is often forgotten or downplayed because it lies between the better-known military engagements of the Philadelphia Campaign and the army's well-known experiences at Valley Forge. Nevertheless, the Gulph Mills encampment was a significant microcosm of the War for Independence. It involved encounters with the British and the local population, little food, clothing, and shelter for the troops, the celebration of the new nation's first Thanksgiving, and difficult decisions by Washington, including his momentous decision to make Valley Forge the army's winter quarters. Based largely on writings and documents from soldiers, generals, local residents, the Continental Congress, the British Army, and others, this book reveals the fascinating details of George Washington's and the Continental Army's last stand before and during their move into winter quarters at Valley Forge.