{"id":184,"date":"2026-10-13T00:16:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T00:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/?page_id=184"},"modified":"2026-10-13T12:27:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T12:27:55","slug":"from-valley-forge-1778","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/from-valley-forge-1778\/","title":{"rendered":"From Valley Forge &#8211;1778"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>Valley Forge<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_195\" style=\"width: 639px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.51.57-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-195\" class=\"size-large wp-image-195\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.51.57-PM-1024x589.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"629\" height=\"362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.51.57-PM-1024x589.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.51.57-PM-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.51.57-PM-768x441.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.51.57-PM-900x517.png 900w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.51.57-PM-1280x736.png 1280w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.51.57-PM.png 1364w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-195\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Washington in prayer at Valley Forge (1866 engraving)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>For more information on the origins of this folklore story, <a href=\"https:\/\/yalebooks.yale.edu\/2025\/07\/01\/did-washington-kneel-in-prayer-at-valley-forge\/\">see this post from Yale University Press<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>More than one-fourth of the 11,000 Continentals at Valley Forge died during winter of 1777-78<\/li>\n<li>Martin was on foraging duty over that winter\n<ul>\n<li>Christmas Day with vengeful neighbors<\/li>\n<li>Smallpox itch &#8220;attack&#8221; (against lice probably)<\/li>\n<li>Yankees, Pennsylvanians and &#8220;one-eyed&#8221; Southerners<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>One reference to the Continental &#8220;crucible&#8221; at Valley Forge:&nbsp;<br \/>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;After I had joined my regiment I was kept constantly, when off other duty, engaged in learning the Baron de Steuben&#8217;s new Prussian exercise; it was a continual drill.&#8221; &#8211;Pvt. Joseph Plumb Martin, Chapter 4<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LNPsWTIWRmE?si=h_KEHEI3dptMtzwU\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Battle of Monmouth (1778)<\/h2>\n<blockquote><p>We had not retreated far before we came to a defile, a muddy, sloughy brook.&nbsp; While the artillery were passing this place, we sat down by the roadside.&nbsp; In a few minutes the Commander in Chief and suite crossed the road just where we were sitting.&nbsp; I heard him ask our officers &#8220;by whose order the troops were retreating,&#8221; and being answered &#8220;by General Lee&#8217;s,&#8221; he said something, but as he was moving forward all this time this was passing, he was too far off for me to hear it distinctly; those that were nearer to him said that his words were &#8211;&#8220;damn him.&#8221; Whether he did thus express himself or not I do not know.&nbsp; It was certainly very unlike him, but he seemed at the instant to be in a great passion, his looks if not his words seemed to indicate as much. &#8211;Pvt. Joseph Plumb Martin, Chapter 4<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_198\" style=\"width: 639px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Charles-Lee.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-198\" class=\"size-large wp-image-198\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Charles-Lee-1024x595.jpg\" alt=\"Charles Lee\" width=\"629\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Charles-Lee-1024x595.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Charles-Lee-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Charles-Lee-768x447.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Charles-Lee-900x523.jpg 900w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Charles-Lee.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-198\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gen. Charles Lee<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Molly Pitcher<\/h2>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;she observed that it was lucky it did not pass a little higher, for in that case it might have carried away something else, and continued her occupation.&#8221; &#8211;Pvt. Joseph Plumb Martin, Chapter 4<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.37.46-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-187 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.37.46-PM-211x300.png\" alt=\"Molly Pitcher\" width=\"211\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.37.46-PM-211x300.png 211w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.37.46-PM.png 574w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 211px) 100vw, 211px\" \/><\/a>Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley of Carlisle<\/li>\n<li>Martin claims to have seen a British cannon ball pass between her legs while she was helping with her husband&#8217;s artillery unit&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Fighting Butlers<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.37.06-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-190\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.37.06-PM-226x300.png\" alt=\"Fighting Butlers\" width=\"226\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.37.06-PM-226x300.png 226w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/files\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-12-at-8.37.06-PM.png 592w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><\/a>Martin joined a light infantry regiment shortly after the Battle of Monmouth led by Col. Richard Butler of Carlisle<\/li>\n<li>Butler was from a family of military men, the so-called &#8220;Fighting Butlers&#8221; whose family gun shop still stands behind the One13 Social restaurant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Valley Forge For more information on the origins of this folklore story, see this post from Yale University Press More than one-fourth of the 11,000 Continentals at Valley Forge died during winter of 1777-78 Martin was on foraging duty over that winter Christmas Day with vengeful neighbors Smallpox itch &#8220;attack&#8221; (against lice probably) Yankees, Pennsylvanians [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":373,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-184","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/373"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/184\/revisions\/205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-1776\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}