Clarksboro, NJ - Bell Bottoms and Hiking Pants

We’ve left Gettysburg and are now right outside Philadelphia in a small town called Clarksboro, in one of the only campgrounds close to the city. Nice campground and we’re in a site with a pond view. But, we’re usually gone so much that we don’t often get to enjoy the actual campground.

Our first stop is Valley Forge where Washington and his army wintered in 1776 - 1777.

Hey, who’s this 70’s chick leaning on the cannon in this picture? She’s stylish attired in her counter culture army jacket and bell bottoms and that long hair - whoo-eee. Who is she? Sure enough, it is I (there, I still remember my 10th grade English.) Long ago, in a world far away, Gary was working for Burroughs and was sent to Philadelphia for training. I hopped on the train in Rhode Island, transferred in Grand Central Station in NYC and exited at Penn Central in Philadelphia to visit him. I remember nothing about that visit except that it rained all weekend and that we visited a battle field (which we have always thought was Gettysburg) and we have a picture of me - leaning on a cannon.

When we were touring Gettysburg, neither of us could find the cannon nor the sight that we had in our minds. Well, sure - that’s because we visited Valley Forge, right here outside Philadelphia, not Gettysburg at all. Here we are again, and since we remember nothing of that first visit, it is all new to us. Probably, it IS all new. It’s been 44 years since that first visit. The NPS has redone many of its sites, has added marvelous Visitor Centers and museums. Visiting a National Park is a whole new experience than it was 44 years ago.

So, here we are again at the South Redan. I have onshorts and t-shirt and short hair. Heavenly days!! I’ve got wrinkles and sagging skin. Ouch. The cannon and redan are the same - I’m conciderably - well, older. How in the world did I get sags and wrinkles? 

We’ve all heard about Valley Forge, Washington’s winter headquarters during the winter of 1776 and 1777. It was cold and snowy, the army often didn’t have enough food to eat and clothing to wear. Some went barefoot, some had only flour cakes to eat for their day’s rations and often 1/3 of the men were sick. But it was the making of the Continental Army. They went in as amateur militiamen from a colony, they came out as a trained disciplined Continental Army - confident and able to match the British Army. Thank you Baron von Steuben.

It was 1777, the British had captured Philadelphia, the Continental Congress had fled inland to York, PA and General Washington and his rag tag army were left to keep the hope of independence alive. Washington decided to settle for the winter in Valley Forge, far enough from Philadelphia that the British could not surprise him but close enough that he could keep tabs on what they were doing. Here von Steuben instilled the army not only with his Prussian military trailing but also with his Prussian desire for order and cleanliness. Both of which were desperately needed by the Americans fighting the Revolutionary War.

Washington appointed him as Inspector General at Valley Forge and he was appalled by the lack of sanitation he saw. The men relieved themselves where ever they were at the time and when an animal died they stripped it of its meat and left the rest to rot where it lay. (Imagine the rats.) They drank water from the nearby streams. First, they all built huts in streets, neatly with each hut holding 12 enlisted men. In the second picture you can see the nice fireplace they had to keep warm and on each side are 6 bunks, 3 each in 2 sections. Not much space between them. You might scrape your nose on the bottom of the top bunk.

He set kitchens and latrines (something the men had to get used to) on opposite sides of the camp, with latrines on the downhill side. The men learned to disinfect their water with whiskey and vinegar. (much better than taking water straight from the river). They gathered and burned all garbage. They aired out their cabins in the spring. They shaved and washed their faces and hands daily. When they reported for duty, their uniforms had to be clean. Each soldier’s kit contained: soap, comb, razor, toothbrush, hair powder.

(By the way, Valley Forge with its 12,000 soldiers and 400 women was the 4th largest city in America.)

He wrote the Military Training for Dummies or, as he called it, Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, a military training manual. He was the original Marine Drill Instructor. He drilled and trained and trained and drilled so much that the men knew it all by heart and could execute it without problem. But, then, that was the point. He didn’t speak English at all but could curse elegantly in 3 different languages (which endeared him to the army) and used to have his aide translate his curses into English and yell them at the men. He also had his aide translate all his orders and his manuals for him.

Most important for 18th-century battle was an efficient method of firing and reloading weapons, which von Steuben forced the Patriots to practice until it became second nature. Cleanliness, training and military precision, all contributed to the making of the American army.

Meanwhile Washington had also appointed Nathanael Green as the Quartermaster. And, now the troops even got more food and warm clothing. They were ready to fight and acquitted themselves well at their next encounter with the British.

As we walked this battlefield, we found this cool car - a Lotus.

We also toured Washington’s headquarters which was down by the river but had no original furniture or furnishings.

Well preserved battlefield and a very good website with descriptions of many of the individuals in the camp both Generals and Washington’s aide-de-camp. The website also describes an attempt to replicate the conditions of the winter of 1776 - 1777 in the huts.

We took the Interstates across Philadelphia back to the RV at 5:00. Hour, yes: 'Rush', no