The Bergen County Historical Society Lecture Series:

Surviving the Winters: Housing George Washington’s Army and the American Revolution

Nov 10, 2021, 7 pm

Steven Elliott’s Zoom presentation will examine in depth the army’s winter quarters from the war’s beginning in 1775 to its conclusion in 1783.

The image of George Washington’s Continental Army suffering through harsh winters at Valley Forge and Morristown is familiar to most students of the American Revolution. However, beyond cold weather and hunger, the details of daily life in these encampments has largely gone overlooked. Also unrecognized are the Continental Army’s other winter camps at Middlebrook, New Jersey, West Point, New York, and Redding, Connecticut, among others. This presentation will examine in depth the army’s winter quarters from the war’s beginning in 1775 to its conclusion in 1783. It will cover the Continentals’ improvements to building quarters, maintaining hygiene, and providing a steady flow of supplies. Keeping the army healthy throughout the winter and spring ensured it would remain effective during the active campaigns of summer and fall. Consequently, winter quarters proved as important to Washington’s overall strategy as his more famous battles and sieges.

Make a Zoom reservation also on our website in “Events.”