Today is Day 1 of the Six Days in December: General George Washington’s and the Continental Army’s Encampment on Rebel Hill, December 13 – 19, 1777.  That’s the day that 10,000 members of the Continental Army descended on and encamped at Rebel Hill, in Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania, some eight miles away from Valley Forge.  The army stayed there until December 19, 1777, when they marched to Valley Forge.  Those six days have largely been overlooked, so in 2011, I set out to change that.  I grew up on Rebel Hill, and I felt that it was time that Rebel Hill’s amazing history was told and retold.

So, in 2012, I published an e-book titled, Six Days in December: General George Washington’s and the Continental Army’s Encampment on Rebel Hill, December 13 – 19, 1777.     It’s available on Amazon by clicking  here.    I also talk about those six days in my novel, Becoming Valley Forge, from the perspective of the people who lived on Rebel Hill and woke up one day to find 10,000 soldiers on their hill.  The novel, which covers The Philadelphia Campaign, from the Battle of Brandywine on Sept. 11, 1777 through the Valley Forge Encampment, answers the question–what happens when the war comes to your back yard? You can read more about it here.  And you can also read all about those six days in my 11/5/19 article, Valley Forge’s Threshold: The Gulph Mills Encampment  in the Journal of the American Revolution.

I’ll be blogging about these six days up through December 19.  I will provide day-by-day coverage to the important activity that occurred during those six days, including the army’s celebration of the first Thanksgiving as a new nation and Gen. Washington’s decision to move to Valley Forge for the army’s winter quarters. These six days are the thrilling story about the threshold to Valley Forge and what happened when the war came to the backyard of the residents of Rebel Hill and Gulph Mills.

So, here we go…

Late in the evening of December 12, 1777, in a blinding snowstorm, General George Washington and 10-11,000 of his hungry, tired, and barely-clothed Continental Army, spent from a December 5 -7 encounter with the British during the Battle of Whitemarsh and a Dec. 11 skirmish known as the Battle of Matson’s Ford, started the march from Swedes Ford, in Norristown, to Gulph Mills. One soldier writes, “We are ordered to march over the river. It snows–I’m sick–eat nothing–no whiskey–no baggage–Lord-Lord-Lord–. Till sunrise crossing the river cold and uncomfortable.”

At 3 a.m. on December 13, 1777, Washington and his army marched into Gulph Mills, where Rebel Hill is located. “…at 3 a.m. encamped near the Gulph where we remained without tents or blankets in the midst of a severe snow storm.”

Several historians believe that Washington was going to make Gulph Mills the Continental Army’s winter headquarters because if he had decided on Valley Forge, it would have been easier to march his tired army straight to Valley Forge, rather than detour them several miles to Gulph Mills. Some of the letters from members of the army bear that out.  Soldier Timothy Pickering wrote, “the great difficulty is to fix a proper station for winter quarters. Nothing else prevents our going into them…it is a point not absolutely determined.”

Because of their elevation, Rebel Hill and the hills of Gulph Mills provided an advantageous view for miles around. The army could have easily seen the British advancing from Philadelphia to the east, where the British had established winter headquarters. Also, Rebel Hill gave the army great access to the Schuylkill River, particularly the crossing points of Matson’s Ford and Swede’s Ford. Finally, Rebel Hill was friendly territory–it is believed to have gotten its name because the people who lived there were definitely rebels and patriots supporting the Continental Army.

In any event, General Washington had to get his army, which had no tents to shield them from the elements, settled. He issued these orders:

GENERAL ORDERS December 13, 1777.

Head-Quarters, at the Gulph,

Parole Carlisle. Countersigns Potsgrove, White Marsh.

The officers are without delay to examine the arms and accoutrements of their men, and see that they are put in good order.

Provisions are to be drawn, and cooked for to morrow and next day. A gill of Whiskey is to be issued immediately to each officer, soldier, and waggoner.

The weather being likely to be fair, the tents are not to be pitched. But the axes in the waggons are to be sent for, without delay, that the men may make fires and hut themselves for the ensuing night in the most comfortable manner.

The army is to be ready to march precisely at four o’clock to morrow morning.

An officer from each regiment is to be sent forthwith to the encampment on the other side Schuylkill, to search that and the houses for all stragglers, and bring them up to their corps. All the waggons not yet over are also to be sent for and got over as soon as possible.

Mr. Archibald Read is appointed paymaster to the 8th. Pennsylvania regiment, and is to be respected as such.

On to Day 2…

Growing up near Matson’s Ford Road and living on Rebel Hill in Upper Merion Township, I never learned about the Battle of Matson’s Ford in school, but I should have. It’s an important prelude to General George Washington and the Continental Army’s march to Valley Forge. I wrote about the Battle of Matson’s Ford in my ebook,  Six Days in December: General George Washington’s and the Continental Army’s Encampment on Rebel Hill, December 13 – 19, 1777      Please see the excerpt below:

“On December 11, Washington’s Army began marching to the Rebel Hill area for what some historians thought would be the army’s winter quarters. However, on that day, the army was not aware that British General Cornwallis had 3000 troops brutally foraging through Rebel Hill and Gulph Mills , taking whatever food and provisions they could find from local residents. The first divisons of Washington’s Army began crossing over from Whitemarsh over a bridge they had constructed at Matson’s Ford. As they came over, they saw

Cornwallis’ troops up on Rebel Hill and on Prospect Hill, on the other side of what is now Matson’s Ford Road. General James Potter, with part of the Pennsylvania Militia, had been at Harriton Plantation on Old Gulph Road. His regiments began attacking the British, and his men formed battle lines on Rebel Hill and other hills in Gulph Mills over four miles. Gen. Potter’s men fought bravely until the sheer numbers of British soldiers caused them to retreat back across the bridge at Matson’s Ford, as had other tropps that had crossed over, where the rest of Washington’s Army was waiting. Gen. Washington lauded Gen. Potter and the Pennsylvania militia in his Orderly Book of December 12, 1777, writing, “The Commander-in-Chief, with great pleasure, expresses his approbation of the behavior of the Pennsylvania Militia yesterday, under General Potter, on the vigorous opposition they made ot a body of the enemy on the other side of the Schuylkill.” However, General Potter later lamented the retreat because it left the residents of Rebel Hill and Gulph Mills to the British plundering. In a report to Thomas Wharton, President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, Potter wrote, “…thus the enemy Got leave to plunder the Countrey, which they have dun without parsiality or favour to any, leaving none of the Nessecereys of life Behind them that the conveniently could Carry or destroy….”4

There are several versions of how Rebel Hill got its name. One is that British General Cornwallis, who led the 3000 British soldiers in the foraging raid on December 11, called it Rebel Hill because the British Army found that the hill was full of rebels—or what we call patriots. Another is that it was called Rebel Hill because Continental Army General William Alexander “ Lord Stirling” commanded an outpost on the hill during the Valley Forge encampment. While on Rebel Hill, General Lord Stirling stayed at the home of Jonathan Rees. Joining General Stirling on Rebel Hill was his aide-de-camp, James Monroe, who later went on to become the 5th President of the United States.

No matter how Rebel Hill got its name, it has a proud history in the founding of this nation. As one historian noted, “These grounds were the threshold to Valley Forge, and the story of that winter—a story of endurance, forebearance, and patriotism which will never grow old—had its beginnings here, at the six days encampment by the old Gulph Mill.”

Who knew, right? Of course, I write about this battle in my novel, Becoming Valley Forge.    I answer the question:  what happens when the war comes to your back yard? What happened to the residents of Rebel Hill and Gulph Mills when, overnight, the Continental Army came to encamp around them?

For more about the Battle of Matson’s Ford, click here.         .

Peace!

Sheilah Vance

  Our nation is starting another Thanksgiving holiday as millions of people travel to festivities tonight.  Most of us look forward to the fourth Thursday in November Thanksgiving and the four day weekend that surrounds it.  But, it was’t always this way.

Actually, the first Thanksgiving celebration of our new nation–the United States of America–occurred on December 18, 1777, by proclamation of the Continental Congress.

On November 1, 1777, the Continental Congress proclaimed that on December 18, 1777, the new nation would stop and give thanks to God for blessing the nation and the troops in their quest for independence and peace in the Revolutionary War.  The Thanksgiving proclamation is eloquent, and the full text follows.  I write about how General Washington and the Continental Army celebrated that first Thanksgiving in my non-fiction book, Six Days in December: General George Washington’s and the Continental Army’s Encampment on Rebel Hill, December 13 – 19, 1777, an ebook on Amazon ($2.99; now available in print from The Elevator Group), and in my novel,  Becoming Valley Forge.   Check them out, but in the meantime, here’s the text of the Continental Congress’ Proclamation.

And Happy Thanksgiving 2017!

THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS’ FIRST THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION

IN CONGRESS

November 1, 1777

FORASMUCH as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of; And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence, but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defence and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased in so great a Measure to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops and to crown our Arms with most signal success:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these United States, to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for Solemn Thanksgiving and Praise; That with one Heart and one Voice the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favour, and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD, through the Merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole; to inspire our Commanders both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty GOD, to secure for these United States the greatest of all human blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE; That it may please him to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People and the Labour of the Husbandman, that our Land may yet yield its Increase; To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand, and to prosper the Means of Religion for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom which consisteth “in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost.”

And it is further recommended, that servile Labour, and such Recreation as, though at other Times innocent, may be unbecoming the Purpose of this Appointment, be omitted on so solemn an Occasion.

Extract from the Minutes,

Charles Thomson, Secr.

So there you have it.  A little bit of #revolutionarywarreallness.

Peace–Sheilah Vance

 

This year is the 240th Anniversary of The Philadelphia Campaign–that part of the Revolutionary War that began on September 11, 1777 with the Battle of Brandywine and ended on June 19, 1778 with the Continental Army’s march out of Valley Forge.  I cover The Philadelphia Campaign in my novel,  Becoming Valley Forge.

Many historical societies and commemorative organizations have held major reenactments this year, with some 800 reenactors of the Battle of Brandywine in September to a few hundred at the Battle of Paoli in late September, where I took the pictures at the bottom of this post.

One of the largest, annual reenactments is taking place on Saturday, October 7 when hundreds of reenactors will converge on Germantown in Philadelphia to reenact The Battle of Germantown at the Revolutionary Germantown Festival on the grounds of The Cliveden House, Germantown Avenue and Cliveden Streets, Philadelphia, 10am – 4pm.  Battle reenactments will occur at 12 noon and 3 pm.  You owe it to yourself to see this reenactment or any number of reenactments that will occur this year.

To read more about The Philadelphia Campaign and how it impacted the ordinary residents of The Philadelphia area when the war came to their back yard, check out my novel, Becoming Valley Forge, on Amazon or at my publisher website, The Elevator Group.

 

Greetings from Philadelphia–the city where our nation was founded!  If your Independence Day weekend plans bring you to the new Museum of the American Revolution here for some Revolutionary War Realness, make sure you stop by the gift shop and pick up a copy of Sheilah Vance’s award-winning novel, Becoming Valley Forge.  We’re honored to have Sheilah’s book reviewed, approved, and now available in this groundbreaking and important museum dedicated to the Revolutionary War. The painting that is the cover of Becoming Valley Forge– William Trego’s The March to Valley Forge  is on exhibit at the Museum.  Stop in and learn more about our country’s birth and its birthplace.

Happy Fourth of July!

 

Today is the day that the Continental Army left Valley Forge–June 19, 1778.

The army left Valley Forge more disciplined and as a better fighting force than when they marched in on December 19, 1777.  Unfortunately, some 2,000 died during the Valley Forge encampment.  Yet, the army persevered.

When the army left Valley Forge, they headed towards the British army, which left their winter quarters in Philadelphia towards New York.  The Continental Army caught up with the British army at Monmouth, New Jersey where they showed their new mettle as a better fighting force in the Battle of Monmouth..

The sacrifice of the Continental Army, George Washington and his generals, and all of those who supported them at Valley Forge is legendary.  It is one of the things that inspired me to write my novel, Becoming Valley Forge.  In walking through the Valley Forge National Park one day in 2010 with a friend, I was overcome with the feeling and the sacrifice of those six months.  As we walked for miles, we came across commemorative markers from various groups like the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution, local historical societies and counties, and groups such as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, with their Patriots of African Descent in the Revolutionary War monument.  We stopped at the striking statue of General Anthony Wayne, on whose land my home in Paoli is located, and when I returned home, I felt spirit of General Wayne and those who fought in and lived through the Paoli Massacre.

At every spot, honoring this regiment or that, I wondered–what was it like for the people in those regiments? What was it like for the people who lived here when those regiments descended on this area during the Philadelphia Campaign and its battles–Brandywine, Germantown, Paoli, Barren Hill–and its encampments, like Rebel Hill and Gulph Mills, where I grew up?  What happens when 11,000 soldiers come to your backyard?   What happens when you are in the midst of a war when you are just a farmer or a businesswoman just trying to make a living?  What happens when the British army descends on your town, bringing their repression straight to your front door, stealing your food, harming your family?

These were the questions that all made up the sum and substance of that fiction writer’s question–what if?  What if the war came to your backyard? What would that be like?  So, I tried to answer those questions in Becoming Valley Forge through the eyes of a family of patriot farmers, spies and soldiers from Paoli; a blacksmith, then soldier, patriot from Rebel Hill; a blacksmith, then soldier, former slave from Rebel Hill who purchased his freedom and sees the war as a means to an end to purchase his fiancée’s freedom from a nearby plantation; a brothel owner in Germantown who was disowned by her Paoli family and who services the chief commander of the British Army during their occupation of Philadelphia; the Oneida Indians who come to Valley Forge to assist their friend, General Washington; and others.

Becoming Valley Forge is my homage to the Revolutionary War and those who fought in and supported it.  I appreciate their sacrifices for our freedom.  And, as an African American woman, I had to keep it real and address the dichotomy of people who fought for the freedom of their country while so many African Americans who lived there were not free.  I wanted to honor the contributions of the Oneida Indians and all of the different types of people who “became Valley Forge”–not just the white male soldier who most of us learned about in history class.

I thank God for those with whom my novel has resonated with positive reviews from the  Midwest Book Review (read full review here, too) and the  Historical Novel Society and with winning the Regional Fiction category in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.  And I thank all of my readers who took the time and spent the money to read this novel.

My novel will be in the gift shop at the new Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia in the next few days, and it should be in the Valley Forge National Park Encampment Store.    (If you don’t see the book at either store, please ask for it–they are probably out!)

So, as the Continental Army moved out of Valley Forge and on to other things, I’m going to do the same.  I’ll blog here occassionally about Becoming Valley Forge, but I won’t blog regularly until we get closer to September 11–when, in 1777, the Continental Army began the Philadelphia Campaign with the Battle of Brandywine, and when Becoming Valley Forge begins.

If you read Becoming Valley Forge during the summer, I’d love to hear from you.    Main Line Today magazine called my book  “the perfect beach read for a patriotic month.”

Please feel free to email me at svance@theelevatorgroup.com.

Peace.

Sheilah Vance

I’m looking forward to speaking about “Becoming Valley Forge” to the Upper Moreland Historical Society on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at 7:30 p.m., Upper Moreland Township Building, 117 Park Avenue, Willow Grove, PA  19090.  Please come out and join me for some Revolutionary War Realness!

For more information, about Becoming Valley Forge, click here.

See you on the 28th!

The Museum of the American Revolution opens next month in Philadelphia. One of its exhibits is called “The Darkest Hour”, and it covers the period of late fall 1776 to 1778. This includes that part of the war known as the Philadelphia Campaign, from the Battle of Brandywine on 9/11/1777 to the march out from the Valley Forge encampment on 6/19/1778. See the link below for a description of the exhibit, which includes Revolutionary War weapons, stories of women, a feature on the Oneida Indians who were so helpful during the Battle of Barren Hill, stories from soldier Joseph Plumb Martin–a/k/a Private Yankee Doodle, and, of course, the Valley Forge Encampment itself. I cover The Philadelphia Campaign in my novel, Becoming Valley Forge, which will also be on sale at the Museum’s gift shop.
Check it out and learn about this important time in our nation’s history.
#RevolutionaryWarRealness

Peace–Sheilah

http://flip.it/XTpRIB

http://flip.it/XTpRIB