THE WOMEN OF VALLEY FORGE: UNSUNG HEROES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast

Jon Hagadorn

Society & Culture, History

4.4 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 9 March 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

They say behind every good man there is a strong woman- and if ever men needed strong moral support it was during the harsh winter of Valley Forge (1777-78), where the wives of George Washington, Henry Knox, Nathaniel Greene- and members of the "camp followers"- wives and children of the soldiers- tended to the sick, washed laundry, cooked what food there was, and helped to keep the flame of liberty which had brought them there alive. This is their story...

Resources: Martha Washington’s birthday cake: https://home.nps.gov/articles/000/great-cake-recipe.htm Thompson-Neely House and Grounds: https://www.washingtoncrossingpark.org/park/thompson-neely-house-farmstead-upper-park/ https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/women-valley-forge https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/martha-washington/martha-at-the-front https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/lucy-flucker-knox https://www.dar.org/museum/exhibitions/general-henry-knox https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/lucy-knox-1756-1824 https://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/ https://emotich.wordpress.com/2015/12/15/african-american-servants-slaves-and-camp-followers/ https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/valley_forge/health%20_medicine.html https://www.washingtoncrossingpark.org/sickness-vaccines https://www.science.smith.edu/climatelit/winter-encampment-at-valley-forge-pennsylvania-u-s-a-1777-1778 https://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/history/vstory_unhealthy https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/catharine-greene-1755-181 https://wams.nyhistory.org/settler-colonialism-and-revolution/the-american-revolution/catharine-littlefield-greene-miller/ Kristin E. Holmes, “Revolutionary Slave an Afterthought No More,” October 7, 2015, Philadelphia Inquirer, http://articles.philly.com/2015-10-07/news/67170806_1_american-revolution-marian-anderson-lane. https://valleyforgemusterroll.org/valley-forge-stories/ https://valleyforgemusterroll.org/polly-cooper/ https://valleyforgemusterroll.org/hannah-till/ https://www.tehistory.org/hqda/html/v43/v43n3p084.html https://www.irishamerica.com/2022/03/george-washington-irish/ https://www.oneidaindiannation.com/polly-cooper-from-cook-to-oneida-icon/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back, everyone, to 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories, and Mysteries podcast.
0:05.9	This is John Hagadorn, your host and storyteller.
0:09.2	Today's podcast highlights the women at Valley Forge, alongside their husbands and
0:13.6	sweethearts, fighting for independence for all.
0:17.1	Most people are not aware that our Continental Army allowed wives and children followers,
0:21.6	and that the freezing winter of 1777, 78, during which our soldiers' faith in the glorious cause of freedom was so sorely tested.
0:29.6	Along with the army of 12,000 men who trudged into the Barren Hills of Valley Forge in December of 1777,
0:36.6	came 400 women and children following their
0:40.1	husbands and fathers, and soon after came many officers' wives, all of whose sacrifices contributed to
0:46.3	the battle against starvation, smallpox, dysentery, exposure, and a host of other maladies which
0:53.0	were to steal thousands of young lives.
0:57.2	This is the largely untold story of the women of Valley Forge.
1:01.7	As some of you know, Valley Forge Park was my backyard playground between the ages of 10 and 17,
1:07.7	offering lots of exploring, winter sledding, and my first exposure to American history.
1:13.1	The love and respect for which has stayed with me all these years.
1:17.1	A few weeks ago, I brought my grandchildren to Valley Forge to share the history,
1:21.3	along with a look at our old house at 529 Colonel Deweese Road in the Glenhardy neighborhood.
1:26.9	The park is beautifully led out for visitors with rangers and an audio tour.
1:32.3	And the Modern Information Center in gift shop is fully stocked and manned with knowledgeable experts.
1:38.2	I was after a few stories, one of which was how camp followers were treated and housed.
1:43.4	And what roles did women play in
1:45.2	their survival of the camp? Was Washington in favor of them? Did officers' wives come as well,
	...

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