Exploring American Histories: Printed Page 177

Document 6.4

Chevalier de Pontgibaud | A French Volunteer at Valley Forge, 1828

After a string of defeats in the fall of 1777, the Continental Army needed an encampment to wait out the winter and prepare for the fighting to resume in the spring. General George Washington chose to station his men in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The conditions proved formidable; more than 2,000 men died from disease, exacerbated by poor housing and scant supplies. In the following selection, from a memoir written in 1828, Chevalier de Pontgibaud, a French volunteer in the Continental Army, describes his arrival at Valley Forge in December 1777.

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Source: Chevalier de Pontgibaud, A French Volunteer of the War for Independence, ed. and trans. Robert Douglas (New York: J. W. Bouton, 1897), 40–41.

  • Question

    What problems seem particularly troublesome to Pontgibaud?

  • Question

    What is the significance of the woolen coats worn by Continental officers?

  • Question

    Why does Pontgibaud believe the colonial cause was eventually successful?

Put It in Context

Question

How did the Continental Army differ from the military forces of European nations?