Friday; December 19; 1777; dawned cold and windy. Fourteen thousand Continental Army soldiers tramped from dawn to dusk along the rutted Pennsylvania roads from Gulph Mills to Valley Forge; the site of their winter encampment. After the soldiers came the army’s wagons; then hundreds of camp women. Following the Drum: Women at the Valley Forge Encampment tells the story of the forgotten women who spent the winter of 1777–78 with the Continental Army at Valley Forge. While the camp women of Washington’s army were poor; dirty creatures who clung to the very edge of survival; many worked as the army’s washerwomen; nurses; cooks; or seamstresses. Other women at camp were of higher status: they traveled with Washington’s entourage when the army headquarters shifted from place to place and served the general as valued cooks; laundresses; or housekeepers. There were also ladies at camp; part of the “numerous and splendid†audience who enjoyed the camp theater and had their portraits painted by Charles Willson Peale. No evidence suggests that Martha Washington visited informally among the troops at any camp; including Valley Forge.In Following the Drum; readers will learn of the 1777–78 encampment’s devastating effect on the area’s farm families; meet the women and ladies who accompanied and aided the soldiers; and discover a Valley Forge that many never knew existed.
#2716425 in Books History Press 2006-09-01 2006-09-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.38 x .31 x 6.25l; .47 #File Name: 1596291656128 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A book that taught me much more about the war and the depths that some men will sink to; even in the presence of kind soulsBy RLA shocking true story that occurred in my families neighborhood. With many ancestors in the Shenandoah Valley and six that served in the Confederate Army I was shocked and intrigued by this book and even angered by the actions of some. I gave my copy to a friend by the name of Koontz as he had not heard of the event either. A great informative read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Laura Shawboosevery interresting1 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Maybe it's hindsight butBy seniorThe true tragedy was the war continued long after the shooting stopped. Without knowledge of the conversation between the small group of Confederates; and a Union patrol; there is no way of knowing if the actions of Koonce and Summers was at all justified. Even after voluntary reconciling the incident; Koonce and Summers probably should have put some space between themselves and that part of Virginia.
