A Very Special Day

Yesterday was a unique day for me. I found myself on another in a seemingly endless string of business trips. I was away from my family, yet again, missing Natalie and the kids and wishing I was back home with them. This time I was in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The meetings had been long and tedious, just as they always are. But this trip was shaping up to be different from the others for a few different reasons. First, because I was in South East Pennsylvania. Second, because the date was September 17th. And third, because I finished meetings the night before, but my flight home wasn’t scheduled to leave until after 5:00 that afternoon from Philadelphia.

9/17 is a special day. On September 17, 1787 fifty-five delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document that created the greatest form of government ever devised for man. I can’t think of a better place to be on Constitution Day than in Philadelphia, where the Constitution became a reality, made ready for ratification by the colonies. The actual location of one of the most important events in all of history.

But before I get to that, there was another reason this day was so special. Conveniently located between Allentown and Philadelphia is Valley Forge.

There are few places on earth that carry as much significance as this area in Southern Pennsylvania. The historical significance of Valley Forge is unquestionable, but the site is special not just because it was the location that Washington’s army encamped during the winter of 1777-78. The true significance of Valley Forge is the tremendous price that was paid there for the freedom we enjoy.

Washington’s army moved into the Valley Forge area in December of 1777 with over 12,000 men. The army was already sorely destitute of supplies, but this was only a shadow of the challenges that the troops would face in the coming months. In freezing temperatures, Washington could not secure food or clothing for the troops, and the Continental Congress was either unwilling, or unable to assist. The soldiers were instructed to build small 11 x 7 ft log huts with nothing but a dirt floor, bunk beds and a single fireplace.

Exterior view of troop quarters.

Interior view of troop quarters from the front door. Twelve men would share this living space for the winter months.

Conditions were so bad during the stay in Valley Forge that over 2,000 men died from starvation, freezing and sickness. Over 4,000 men were admitted to makeshift hospitals were conditions were worse off than in the general living quarters. Many men stayed at their posts despite debilitating sickness just to avoid being sent to the hospitals.

The state of affairs in Valley Forge became so bad that General Washington stated at one point that "that unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place... this Army must inevitably... starve, dissolve, or disperse, in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can." If the army had disbanded, the travails of Valley Forge would have ended the revolution.

General Washington and his troops at Valley Forge

It was overcast and raining yesterday as I walked through the replicas of the cabins built to house the soldiers. I couldn’t help but think that the chilly, wet day I was experiencing was only the slightest taste of what those men and women experienced, but it still seemed somehow appropriate that the weather was dark, gray, and wet.

The green open areas and the dense woodlands around the area were breathtakingly beautiful. It seemed so ironic that an area of such beauty was the site of such suffering. I saw about a dozen white-tailed deer wandering through the area, along with scores of Canadian Geese and even a badger. I couldn’t help but think what the troops would have given for the ability to hunt for fresh meat at the time, but harsh weather and the large number of mouths made game scarce and insufficient.

My emotions were close to the surface during my visit. Natalie actually called on the cell phone while I was there, but I had to keep the conversation short because I was overwhelmed with so many different thoughts and feelings. It was clear to me that I was walking on hallowed ground, made sacred by the sacrifice offered by so many. It was very similar to how I felt when I stood several years ago in the upper room of the Carthage Jail. I believe there is something unique and special about those places where great sacrifices were made for the good of mankind. In my mind, Valley Forge is, without a doubt, one of these places.

General Washington's quarters at Valley Forge. The interior is much smaller than it looks. This space was shared with over 25 staff members. It has three very small bedrooms and a loft. General Washington's office was on the ground floor and had a window that overlooked some of the encampment. From here he wrote in April of 1787 "To see the men without clothes to cover their nakedness, without blankets to lie upon, without shoes...without a house or hut to cover them until those could be built, and submitting without a murmur, is a proof of patience and obedience which, in my opinion, can scarcely be paralleled."

Throughout the time I spent in the Valley Forge area, I couldn’t escape thinking about the responsibility we have to honor the great sacrifices the location represented. I kept trying to figure out what I could do to honor their sacrifice, show my gratitude, and make my modest contribution to help cover freedom’s high price. The little I do so infrequently and so ineffectively to defend freedom never seemed more inadequate. So many in our day seem willing to barter the freedom purchased for us that winter with the lives of over 2,000 men, and the bitter suffering of thousands of others. What would those men and women think if they were able to see what is going on in our country today, and how we are trifling with our liberty? If we lose the freedom they fought for, starved for, froze for, suffered for, and died for, will we be able to look them in the eyes when we pass through the veil? It will depend on whether we stood up when we could, and represented what we should.


With all my heart I agree with the statement made by George Washington that is inscribed in the impressive National Memorial Arch located in the park.

"Naked and starving as they are

We cannot enough admire

The incomparable Patience and Fidelity

of the Soldiery"

-- George Washington

National Memorial Arch at Valley Forge Natl Park

In my next posting I will share some of the pictures and thoughts from my visit to Independence Hall on Constitution day to see the location of the signing of the document.

Thanks,

Richard