&PeeKSy &nmava Jimerican
VOL. 13
Washington's -Army.
General Howe, having sallied forth
from Philadelphia, where he had es
tablished his headquarters, several times
during the eajly part of December to
give battle to General Washington, but
finding the latter's forces were too form
idable, Howe finally decided to go into
winter quarters in Philadelphia on De
cember 9, and Washington, seeing that
the campaign t n the part of Howe would
hardly be r sumed before spring and
not having an army formidable enough
for attack, decided to go into winter quar
ters himself. He selected Valley Forge,
about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Washington and his army arrived there
on December 11, 1777, and at once began
the erection of huts. They were ar
ranged in street?, giving the place the
apptarance of a'ciiy. It was the first of
the year before thev occupied, it and pre
vious to that the suffering of the army
had become great
Although the winter was intensely
eo.d the men were obliged to work at the
buildings, with nothing to support life
but flour mixd with water, which they
baked into cakes at the open firts The
lioises died of starvation by the hun
dreds, and the men were obligeti to haul
NO. 23
their own provisions and firewood.
Sickness spread rapidly. "The unfor
tunate soldiers," wrote Lafayette in af
ter years, "were in want of everything;
they had neither coats, hats, shirts, nor
shoes; their feet and their legs froze un
til they became black, and amputation
was frequently necessary."
Congress seemed to be woefully inffi
cient to render assistance. The suffer
ing and the shameful neglect spurred
Washington to write to congress: "Since
the month of July we have had no assist
ance from the quartermaster general.
The soap, vinegar and other articles al
lowed by congress we see none of, nor
have we seen them, I believe, since the
battle of Brandy wine. The first we have
indeed now little occ .sion for as few men
now have more than one shirt, many
only the moiety of one, and some none
at all. In addition to which, as proof
of the little benefit received from a
clothier general, and as further proof of
the inability of an army, under the cir
cumstances of this, to'perform the com
mon duties of soldiers, we have, by a field
return this day made no less than
2898 men now in camp unfit for duty,
(Coutiuued ou page 8.)
DECEMBER 16, 1910