Day 5- Valley Forge

Went to Valley Forge and it was incredible!!  What's Valley Forge you might ask? Why do I care?  Well, to start out let's dismiss some of the myths:

Myth #1- Valley Forge is famous for being super cold and wintery.
       In truth, Valley Forge was one of the warmest winters that the Continental Army faced- which turned out to be the problem.  Without the ground freezing, supplies couldn't travel along the muddy roads and disease spread rapidly.

Myth #2- The soldiers were all alone in camp.
      False! In almost all winter camps, women and children were there as well. In fact, Martha Washington went to every winter camp and stayed with her husband, George Washington.  Women followed the army often with their children for a few reasons, but the main reason was for security.  They provided morale, did laundry, sewed, and nursed the troops.  THEY DID NOT cook however, since soldiers were expected to do this.

Myth #3- Valley Forge was in an area where the British couldn't see them.
      Actually, Valley Forge is only about 18-20 miles away from Philadelphia where the British were having there winter camp.  Valley Forge was picked because it had good water sources, a vantage point of the British (only about a days march), and plenty of forage (food) nearby.

Myth #4- Valley Forge was a famous battle.
      Valley Forge was simply where the Continental Army camped.  In those days, during the winter armies would camp for the winter and then resume fighting in the spring, summer, and fall.

Here is what the cabins looked like.  The cabins were two rows wide for a mile down this road when they were first constructed back in December of 1777-1778.

The men were instructed to build each cabin 14 feet wide, 16 feet deep, and 6 1/2 feet high.  Twelve men would live in each hut.  There were no windows, just a door and a fireplace. Each hut had four sets of triple bunks.  Here are two pictures: The first is what the cabins looked like inside, and the second are two teachers who bravely climbed into the bunk.  A tight fit for sure!!

One of the worst problems they faced was disease during the stay at Valley Forge.  One thing that contributed to disease was that soldiers were not going to use the latrines (which were far from camp) at night.  Instead they would use the bathroom outside of their cabin.  It became such a problem that George Washington ordered that any man caught, would be given 5 lashes with a whip.  Even after that  order, men were still not going to the latrines.  SO...he ordered that if they were caught...they would be shot in the leg!  Filth was unbelievable here at this camp!!

Any idea what this is????  This is actually a field oven.  They would heat it with fire and wood inside until it was hot enough.  How did they know it was hot??  Well..... they would pick a "volunteer" and they would stick their arm in for 5 seconds.  If the hair on their arm burned...the oven was READY!! :-)  They would then be able to use it for 3 hours to bake.  (*How many times could you volunteer?? Well twice of course! You only have two arms! HA!)

Another neat place that we were able to go to was Isaac Potts house.  This was where Washington stayed at Valley Forge and used it as his headquarters.

Outside would also be a flag.  This flag is the commander's flag and designated wherever the commander was.

This house is an original!! So what does that mean?? While walking up the stairs...I was actually touching the same railing that George Washington did himself.  It gave me total goosebumps!!

So....why do we care about Valley Forge?  Well for three reasons:

#1- Valley Forge had the highest death toll during the Revolutionary War.  The reason though was disease.....

#2- General Von Steuben came.  Von Steuben was a military officer from Germany who came over to help the American Army.  What he ended up doing was standardizing everything.  Prior to his arrival, each colony, regiment, or what-have-you had their own drills and fighting routines.  Von Steuben changed all of that.  He made all of the soldiers, including officers, train, march, and learn how to fight together.  It was at Lexington and Concord where the Continental Army was born, but it wasn't until Valley Forge and Von Steuben that the "American" Army was created.

#3- It was a Valley Forge that the Frech became our allies. Without the aide of the French...we would be speaking British and drinking tea. :-)

Day 5- Battle of Germantown

The Battle of Germantown happened before Washington went into winter camp at Valley Forge.  But, what is unique about this battle is that it all concentrated around a mansion.  I was fortunate enough to go this mansion-Cliveden.

Inside the mansion, they actually still have evidence of the fight. Check out the musketball hole in the wall!

The Battle of Germantown was the FIRST time that General Washington had ever gone on the OFFENSE.

Day 4- Franklin Institute

We spent the first half of the day at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.  One of the first things that you see when you walk in this giant statue of Benjamin Franklin himself.

You can see how large it is by the lady on the right who is walking by it.

Here at the Franklin Institute they have an AMAZING museum with tons of hands on activities for kids.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to go through all of it.  Instead, I was busy in a meeting where I was able to actually TOUCH some really cool objects that dealt with Franklin himself.

The first thing that I was able to see was an ORIGINAL book entitled, Experiment and Observations on Electricity.  Hmmm....does that sound familiar at all?? Well it should!  After Franklin retired from his printing business, he started working on his science. This of course is what many of us remember most about Franklin.

This was probably one of the coolest things that I got to hold and look through all day.  If you notice, it's an original publication from 1751. The curator there said that there were eventually five other publications but this was his first.  If you notice at the bottom the price is 2s. 6 d.  Any idea of what that means? Well it was 2 shillings and 6 pence for this book in 1751. Today...you would pay MUCH more for this precious book. :-)

Has anyone ever wondered WHY Benjamin Franklin was interested in electricity or how it all started?

Well... believe it or not his experiments all started from simple parlor games.  Static electricity was common parlor game and Franklin wanted to find out more.

This book earned Franklin the prestigious Copley Prize given by the Royal Society in London.  It made Franklin a super star of his time!!

I was also able to HOLD one of Franklin's original lightening rods that he used.

Notice how crooked and twisted it is!!

Another thing I was able to see was a Collinson Tube that was given to Franklin.

This was actually quite heavy to hold since it was made of glass.  What is a Collinson Tube? Well, you would rub a piece of cotton on the outside and create electrical charges on the inside.  You could then transfer or "pour" them into a lightening jar (notice the cork at the end) and it was essentially a primitive battery.  Even then, Franklin wanted to know how to use and SAVE electricity.  Pretty cool.

Another cool think that I got to see was one of Franklin's wills. (He wrote a few over his lifetime) This one was dated 1755 and if was entirely written in his hand.  Check out how pretty his signature was!!

                                  

















Last but NOT least, I got to hold Franklin's ceremonial sword that he took when he went to France.  It was BEAUTIFUL!! The sword wasn't meant as a weapon, but simply part of the dress he needed to wear at the French court.

Day 4- Philadelphia Museum of Art

Later on in the day we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Does it look familiar?  Well for those of you movie buffs, this is where the iconic movie shot of Rocky running up the stairs took place. (And, yes of course we did it as well. :)

They even have the exact spot so that you can be just like Rocky himself!

While in the museum, we looked at specific pieces of American art and I learned a lot about how to use art as a primary source in the classroom.  It was really neat!

What about the big Washington's Crossing painting? Sorry folks...that's in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Internet Disruptions

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lag in posts.  Internet connection was pretty spotty on most of the trip and it was difficult to upload pictures, video, etc.  I've been busy typing up the blogs and will update them shortly. :-)

Also, I will be adding some more pics and video eventually to the posts I've already added as well.

Day 3- Battle of Trenton

We also went to the Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey where the Battle of Trenton took place.  Remember how Washington crossed the Delaware?  Where did he cross to? Why.... Trenton!

While we were there we were brought in as new recruits.  We had to learn how to march, shoot, get inoculated for small pox, and find out how much we were paid and what we ate.


How many teeth did you need to have in order to be a soldier in the Continental Army?

Well, you only needed two teeth. (as long they met -one on the top and one on the bottom)  The reason? So that you could tear your powder cartridge.  But, what if you didn't have two teeth that met? Then you were assigned to the artillery.  I guess this means that you would not only have teeth but you would be deaf too!!

Here is a picture of our drill sergeant at the barracks. We were told that we were NOT the best set he's seen :-)

How long were recruits there?

Recruits had to be there for about 6-8 weeks.  While there, we also had to be inoculated for small pox.  This was a requirement by General Washington.  Inoculation was a way to make sure that the disease didn't spread.  First they would purge you of all liquids by giving you a special syrup that made you throw up or something to give you bad diarrhea and clean out your bowels.  Then they would take an old scab of smallpox, grind it up, scratch your skin, and then rub the small pox onto it.  You might get a little sick and break out all over your arm, but it was sure better than getting the full blown virus.  This might have been one of the strongest reasons why the Americans eventually won the war.

What would happen if you tried to desert, or leave?

Typically if you were caught deserting, you would be executed.  BUT, because there was low enrollment into the army they decided to not do that.  Instead, they would whip you anywhere from 80-1000 lashes with a cat-o-nine tails. YIKES!!

What did you eat while you were there?

You actually ate pretty well.  You were guaranteed bread, vinegar (to keep the disease scurvy away), a pint of beer, and meat while you were training at the barracks.  When you were actually out on the campaign and fighting....you weren't guaranteed food.  They tried to get you salted pork or beef (it traveled and kept well) and some bread.

What were you paid like?

Well...the Continental Army wasn't quite the best at paying the soldiers.  You were the highest paid soldiers in the world though at $6.50.  Except, you would be paid in paper money...which was basically worthless.  You would have rather have been paid in gold or silver like the British army.





We also went to go see the actual place where the battlefield took place at the Mercer House outside of Princeton. (Where the actual university is.  I went there later that day!)

The Mercer House is right behind me when I took this picture and looking out towards the battlefield.  You can kind of see small white pillars in the background of this picture.  Can you imagine over a thousand British soldiers marching towards you all at once here? I would be scared senseless at the sight!!!

Inside of the house:

There was a really neat museum over the battle.  In it I was able to see a really nice display of guns that would have been used during the Revolutionary War.

The guns shot out musket balls.  These little balls could do a LOT of damage.  To illustrate, the guide showed us an example he has used for school kids when they come and visit.  Notice the first picture that shows the way a musket ball would enter a body: (musket all is situated on top and the bullet hole is in the middle of the phone book)

NOW...check out what it looks like when it is coming out the back........

IMAGINE THAT GOING THROUGH YOUR BODY!!!!!

Day 3- Washington's Crossing

This was the area where Washington crossed the Delaware...although imagine it as snowy and the water chocked full of icy flows......

When did Washington’s Crossing happen?

Washington’s Crossing happened on December 25, 1776

What was happening in America right before Washington’s Crossing?

It was only in July that the Declaration of Independence was signed.  Six short months later, the war was almost over.  New York had fallen to the British and the British had chased the Americans across New Jersey.  George Washington and his troops were only saved by going across the Delaware, so the British stopped the campaign to set up for winter camp.

How did Washington get across?

Washington and his men got across on Durham boats. These looked like big canoes.  But, what about all of the artillery and horses? Well they went across on larger ferry vessels, like the picture I have taken.  It might be hard to see...but that is ONE big BOAT!! (A fellow teacher from the trip is on so you can see how big it is)