Valley Forge

The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is return with "a thorough, nuanced, and enthralling account" ( The Wall Street Journal ) about one of the most inspiring—and underappreciated—chapters in American history: the Continental Army's six-month transformation in Valley Forge. In December 1777, some 12,000 members of America's Continental Army stagger into a small Pennsylvania encampment near British-occupied Philadelphia. Their commander in chief, George Washington, is at the lowest ebb of his military career. Yet, somehow, Washington, with a dedicated coterie of advisers, sets out to breathe new life into his military force. Against all odds, they manage to turn a bobtail army of citizen soldiers into a professional fighting force that will change the world forever. Valley Forge is the story of how that metamorphosis occurred. Bestselling authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin show us how this miracle was accomplished despite thousands of American soldiers succumbing to disease, starvation, and the elements. At the center of it all is George Washington as he fends off pernicious political conspiracies. The Valley Forge winter is his—and the revolution's—last chance at redemption. And after six months in the camp, Washington fulfills his destiny, leading the Continental Army to a stunning victory in the Battle of Monmouth Court House. Valley Forge is the riveting true story of a nascent United States toppling an empire. Using new and rarely seen contemporaneous documents—and drawing on a cast of iconic characters and remarkable moments that capture the innovation and energy that led to the birth of our nation—Drury and Clavin provide a "gripping, panoramic account" ( Publishers Weekly , starred review) of the definitive account of this seminal and previously undervalued moment in the battle for American independence. December 1777. It Is 18 Months After The Signing Of The Declaration Of Independence, And Some 12,000 Members Of America's Beleaguered Continental Army Stagger Into A Small Pennsylvania Encampment 23 Miles Northwest Of British-occupied Philadelphia. The Starving And Half-naked Force Is Reeling From A String Of Demoralizing Defeats At The Hands Of King George Iii's Army, And Are Barely Equipped To Survive The Coming Winter. Their Commander In Chief, The Focused And Forceful George Washington, Is At The Lowest Ebb Of His Military Career. The Continental Congress Is In Exile And The American Revolution Appears To Be Lost. Yet A Spark Remains. Determined To Keep The Rebel Cause Alive Through Sheer Force Of Will, Washington Transforms The Farmland Plateau Hard By The Schuylkill River Into A Virtual Cabin City. Together With A Dedicated Coterie Of Advisers Both Foreign And Domestic--marquis De Lafayette, Baron Von Steuben, The Impossibly Young Alexander Hamilton, And John Laurens--he Sets Out To Breathe New Life Into His Military Force. Against All Odds, As The Frigid And Miserable Months Pass, They Manage To Turn A Bobtail Army Of Citizen Soldiers Into A Professional Fighting Force That Will Change The World Forever. [this Book] Is The Story Of How That Metamorphosis Occurred, Despite Thousands Of American Soldiers Succumbing To Disease, Starvation, And The Elements. Here Is Steuben, Throwing Himself Into The Dedicated Drilling Sessions He Imported From Prussian Battlefields. Here Is Hamilton, Proffering The Shrewd Advice That Wards Off His Beloved Commander In Chief's Scheming Political Rivals. Here Is Laurens, Determined To Integrate The Continental Army With Freed Black Men And Slaves. Here Is Lafayette, Thirsting For Battlefield Accolades While Tenaciously Lobbying His Own King For Crucial French Aid. At The Center Of It All Is George Washington, In The Prime Of His Life Yet Confronting Crushing Failure As He Fends Off Political Conspiracies Every Bit As Pernicious As His Incessant Military Challenges. The Virginia Planter-turned-general Is Viewed By Many As Unqualified To Lead The Continental Army After The Humiliating Loss Of Philadelphia, And His Detractors In And Out Of Congress Plot To Replace Him. The Valley Forge Winter Is His--and The Revolution's--last Chance At Redemption. And, Indeed, After Six Months In The Camp, Washington Fulfills His Destiny, Leading The Continental Army To A Stunning Victory In The Battle Of Monmouth Court House. The Momentum Is Never Again With The Redcoats. Valley Forge Is The Riveting True Story Of A Nascent United States Toppling An Empire. Using New And Rarely Seen Contemporaneous Documents--and Drawing On A Cast Of Iconic Characters And Remarkable Moments That Capture The Innovation And Energy That Led To The Birth Of Our Nation--drury And Clavin Provide The Definitive Account Of This Seminal And Previously Undervalued Moment In The Battle For American Independence.--dust Jacket. A Sprig Of Green -- To Crown The Brave -- The French Connection -- Burned Forges -- Fix Bayonets -- A Perfect Scribe -- A Bloody Day -- The Idealist -- An Eerie Foreboding -- Blood On The Delaware -- The Relics Of An Army -- Chaos In The East -- Trenton Redux? -- Starve, Dissolve, Or Disperse -- The Best Answer To Calumny -- Integration -- Firecakes And Cold Water -- Civil War -- An American Army -- Howe's Players -- Franklin's Miracle -- Those Dear Raggedy Continentals -- The Political Maestro -- Martha -- Prussian Spring -- The Rains Never Cease -- A Trim Reckoning -- A Rumor Of War -- Long Live The King Of France -- The Modern Cato -- Knights And Fair Maidens -- The Gauntlet Thrown -- You Damned Poltroon -- So Superb A Man. Bob Drury And Tom Clavin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is return with one of the most inspiring?and underappreciated?chapters in American history: the story of the Continental Army's six-month transformation in Valley Forge. December 1777. It is 18 months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and some 12,000 members of America's beleaguered Continental Army stagger into a small Pennsylvania encampment 23 miles northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia. The starving and half-naked force is reeling from a string of demoralizing defeats at the hands of King George III's army, and are barely equipped to survive the coming winter. Their commander in chief, the focused and forceful George Washington, is at the lowest ebb of his military career. The Continental Congress is in exile and the American Revolution appears to be lost. Yet a spark remains. Determined to keep the rebel cause alive through sheer force of will, Washington transforms the farmland plateau hard by the Schuylkill River into a virtual cabin city. Together with a dedicated coterie of advisers both foreign and domestic?Marquis de Lafayette, Baron von Steuben, the impossibly young Alexander Hamilton, and John Laurens?he sets out to breathe new life into his military force. Against all odds, as the frigid and miserable months pass, they manage to turn a bobtail army of citizen soldiers into a professional fighting force that will change the world forever. Valley Forge is the story of how that metamorphosis occurred. Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, the team behind such bestsellers as The Heart of Everything That Is, The Last Stand of Fox Company, and Halsey's Typhoon, show us how this miracle was accomplished despite thousands of American soldiers succumbing to disease, starvation, and the elements. Here is Steuben, throwing himself into the dedicated drilling sessions he imported from Prussian battlefields. Here is Hamilton, proffering the shrewd advice that wards off his beloved commander in chief's scheming political rivals. Here is Laurens, determined to integrate the Continental Army with freed black men and slaves. Here is Lafayette, thirsting for battlefield accolades while tenaciously lobbying his own king for crucial French aid. At the center of it all is George Washington, in the prime of his life yet confronting crushing failure as he fends off political conspiracies every bit as pernicious as his incessant military challenges. The Virginia planter-turned-general is viewed by many as unqualified to lead the Continental Army after the humiliating loss of Philadelphia, and his detractors in and out of Congress plot to replace him. The Valley Forge winter is his?and the revolution's?last chance at redemption. And, indeed, after six months in the camp, Washington fulfills his destiny, leading the Continental Army to a stunning victory in the Battle of Monmouth Court House. The momentum is never again with the Redcoats. Valley Forge is the riveting true story of a nascent United States toppling an empire. Using new and rarely seen contemporaneous documents?and drawing on a cast of iconic characters and remarkable moments that capture the innovation and energy that led to the birth of our nation?Drury and Clavin provide the definitive account of this seminal and previously undervalued moment in the battle for American independence "December 1777. It is 18 months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and some 12,000 members of America's beleaguered Continental Army stagger into a small Pennsylvania encampment 23 miles northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia. The starving and half-naked force is reeling from a string of demoralizing defeats at the hands of King George III's army, and are barely equipped to survive the coming winter. Their commander in chief, the focused and forceful George Washington, is at the lowest ebb of his military career. The Continental Congress is in exile and the American Revolution appears to be lost. Yet a spark remains. Determined to keep the rebel cause alive through sheer force of will, Washington transforms the farmland plateau hard by the Schuylkill River into a virtual cabin city. Together with a dedicated coterie of advisers both foreign and domestic--Marquis de Lafayette, Baron von Steuben, the impossibly young Alexander Hamilton, and John Laurens--he sets out to breathe new life into his military force. Against all odds, as the frigid and miserable months pass, they manage to turn a bobtail army of citizen soldiers into a professional fighting force that will change the world forever. [This book] is the story of how that metamorphosis occurred. Bob Drury and Tom Clavin ... show us how this miracle was accomplished despite thousands of American soldiers succumbing to disease, starvation, and the elements. Here is Steuben, throwing himself into the dedicated drilling sessions he imported from Prussian battlefields. Here is Hamilton, proffering the shrewd advice that wards off his beloved commander in chief's scheming political rivals. Here is Laurens, determined to integrate the Continental Army with freed black men and slaves. Here is Lafayette, thirsting for battlefield accolades while tenaciously lobbying his own king for crucial French aid. At the center of it all is George Washington, in the prime of his life yet confronting crushing failure as he fends off political conspiracies every bit as pernicious as his incessant military challenges. The Virginia planter-turned-general is viewed by many as unqualified to lead the Continental Army after the humiliating loss of Philadelphia, and his detractors in and out of Congress plot to replace him. The Valley Forge winter is his--and the revolution's--last chance at redemption. And, indeed, after six months in the camp, Washington fulfills his destiny, leading the Continental Army to a stunning victory in the Battle of Monmouth Court House. The momentum is never again with the Redcoats. Valley Forge is the riveting true story of a nascent United States toppling an empire. Using new and rarely seen contemporaneous documents--and drawing on a cast of iconic characters and remarkable moments that capture the innovation and energy that led to the birth of our nation--Drury and Clavin provide the definitive account of this seminal and previously undervalued moment in the battle for American independence."--Jacket "The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is and Lucky 666 return with an unforgettable and perhaps the most underappreciated chapter in American history--the inspiring, page-turning account of Valley Forge, the Continental Army winter camp where George Washington turned the tide of the American Revolution. On December 19, 1777, some twelve thousand members of America's nascent Continental Army staggered into Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, a small encampment twenty-three miles northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia. The starving and half-naked force was reeling from a string of demoralizing defeats at the hands of the King George III's army, and barely equipped to survive the coming winter. Their commander in chief, the focused and forceful George Washington, was at the lowest ebb of his military career. With the Continental Congress in exile and its treasury depleted, the American Revolution appeared lost. As the days and weeks passed, however, Washington embarked on a mission to transform his troops from a bobtail army of citizen soldiers into a professional fighting force. Keeping a wary eye out for a British attack, he was aided by a trio of home-grown generals as well as a young coterie of American advisors and foreign volunteers led by Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Within six months Washington had achieved his miracle. Valley Forge is the riveting true story of an underdog United States toppling an empire. Using new and rarely seen contemporaneous documents--and drawing on a cast of iconic characters and remarkable moments that capture the innovation and energy that led to the birth of our nation--the New York Times bestselling authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin provide a breathtaking account of this seminal and previously undervalued moment in the battle for American independence"-- "The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is and Lucky 666 return with an unforgettable and perhaps the most underappreciated chapter in American history--the inspiring, page-turning account of Valley Forge, the Continental Army winter camp where George Washington turned the tide of the American Revolution"-- "December 1777. It is 18 months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and some 12,000 members of America's beleaguered Continental Army stagger into a small Pennsylvania encampment 23 miles northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia. The starving and half-naked force is reeling from a string of demoralizing defeats at the hands of King George III's army, and are barely equipped to survive the coming winter. Their commander in chief, the focused and forceful George Washington, is at the lowest ebb of his military career. The Continental Congress is in exile and the American Revolution appears to be lost. Yet a spark remains. Determined to keep the rebel cause alive through sheer force of will, Washington transforms the farmland plateau hard by the Schuylkill River into a virtual cabin city. Together with a dedicated coterie of advisers both foreign and domestic--Marquis de Lafayette, Baron von Steuben, the impossibly young Alexander Hamilton, and John Laurens--he sets out to breathe new life into his military force. Against all odds, as the frigid and miserable months pass, they manage to turn a bobtail army of citizen soldiers into a professional fighting force that will change the world forever. Valley Forge is the story of how that metamorphosis occurred, despite thousands of American soldiers succumbing to disease, starvation, and the elements.... At the center of it all is George Washington, in the prime of his life yet confronting crushing failure as he fends off political conspiracies every bit as pernicious as his incessant military challenges. The Virginia planter-turned-general is viewed by many as unqualified to lead the Continental Army after the humiliating loss of Philadelphia, and his detractors in and out of Congress plot to replace him. The Valley Forge winter is his--and the revolution's--last chance at redemption. And, indeed, after six months in the camp, Washington fulfills his destiny, leading the Continental Army to a stunning victory in the Battle of Monmouth Court House."--Jacket "The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is and Lucky 666 return with an unforgettable and perhaps the most underappreciated chapter in American history--the inspiring, page-turning account of Valley Forge, the Continental Army winter camp where George Washington turned the tide of the American Revolution. On December 19, 1777, some twelve thousand members of America's nascent Continental Army staggered into Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, a small encampment twenty-three miles northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia. The starving and half-naked force was reeling from a string of demoralizing defeats at the hands of the King George III's army, and barely equipped to survive the coming winter. Their commander in chief, the focused and forceful George Washington, was at the lowest ebb of his military career. With the Continental Congress in exile and its treasury depleted, the American Revolution appeared lost. As the days and weeks passed, however, Washington embarked on a mission to transform his troops from a bobtail army of citizen soldiers into a professional fighting force. Keeping a wary eye out for a British attack, he was aided by a trio of home-grown generals as well as a young coterie of American advisors and foreign volunteers led by Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Within six months Washington had achieved his miracle. Valley Forge is the riveting true story of an underdog United States toppling an empire. Using new and rarely seen contemporaneous documents--and drawing on a cast of iconic characters and remarkable moments that capture the innovation and energy that led to the birth of our nation--the New York Times bestselling authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin provide a breathtaking account of this seminal and previously undervalued moment in the battle for American independence"-- Provided by publisher The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is and Lucky 666 return with an unforgettable comeback story in American historythe inspiring, page-turning account of Valley Forge, the Continental Army base where George Washington turned the tide of the American Revolution. On December 19, 1777, twelve thousand members of the American Continental Army staggered into Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, a small encampment twenty miles northwest of Philadelphia. They were poorly fed, ill-equipped, coming off a string of demoralizing defeats at the hands of the British, and faced a harsh winter ahead. Their general, a focused and forceful man named George Washington, was at the lowest point in his career. The Continental Congress was in exile, its treasury depleted. When the rebels arrived at Valley Forge, it looked like they would be on the losing side of history. As days passed, however, Washington realized that the British would not attack, and he embarked on a mission to reshape his army from the top-down. Aided by his close advisors Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens, Henry Knox, and William Howe, his wife Martha, and new friends and allies, Washington transformed the troops from a rag-tag band of volunteers to a fighting force that was ready to take on the British. In six months, he turned the tide of the Revolution and changed the future of the United States forever. Valley Forge is a riveting, true American underdog story, with a cast of iconic characters and remarkable moments that perfectly capture the innovation, energy, and birth of our nation. In this breathtaking account of this seminal moment in the battle for independence, New York Times bestselling authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin uncover new and rarely seen documents and research to finally give it the credit it deserves. The #1 New York Times Bestselling Authors Of The Heart Of Everything That Is Return With One Of The Most Inspiring--and Underappreciated--chapters In American History: The Story Of The Continental Army's Six-month Transformation In Valley Forge. On December 19, 1777, Some Twelve Thousand Members Of America's Beleaguered Continental Army Staggered Into Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, A Small Encampment Twenty-three Miles Northwest Of British-occupied Philadelphia. The Starving And Half-naked Force Is Reeling From A String Of Demoralizing Defeats At The Hands Of King George Iii's Army, And Are Barely Equipped To Survive The Coming Winter. Their Commander In Chief, The Focused And Forceful George Washington, Is At The Lowest Ebb Of His Military Career. The Continental Congress Is In Exile And The American Revolution Appears To Be Lost. As The Days And Weeks Passed, However, Washington Embarked On A Mission To Transform His Troops From A Bobtail Army Of Citizen Soldiers Into A Professional Fighting Force. Keeping A Wary Eye Out For A British Attack, He Was Aided By A Trio Of Home-grown Generals As Well As A Young Coterie Of American Advisors And Foreign Volunteers Led By Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens, And The Marquis De Lafayette. Within Six Months Washington Had Achieved His Miracle. Valley Forge Is The Riveting True Story Of A Nascent United States Toppling An Empire. Using New And Rarely Seen Contemporaneous Documents--and Drawing On A Cast Of Iconic Characters And Remarkable Moments That Capture The Innovation And Energy That Led To The Birth Of Our Nation--drury And Clavin Provide The Definitive Account Of This Seminal And Previously Undervalued Moment In The Battle For American Independence-- Examines what is perhaps "the most underappreciated chapter in American history [in an] ... account of Valley Forge, the Continental Army winter camp where George Washington turned the tide of the American Revolution"-- Provided by publisher