… for without arrogance, or the smallest deviation from truth it may be said, that no history, now extant, can furnish an instance of an Army’s suffering such uncommon hardships as ours have done, and bearing them with the same patience and Fortitude. To see Men without Cloathes to cover their nakedness, without Blankets to lay on, without Shoes, by which their Marches might be traced by the Blood from their feet, and almost as often without Provisions as with; Marching through frost and Snow, and at Christmas taking up their Winter Quarters within a day’s March of the enemy, without a House or Hut to cover them till they could be built and submitting to it without a murmur, is a mark of patience and obedience which in my opinion can scarce be parallel’d.10
Only their unity, courage, and the “sacred cause” could enable the men to make the required sacrifice. As a challenge to their faith in the cause, they began their trek to Valley Forge in conformity with the Congressional Proclamation, with “thanksgiving and praise” and “…grateful acknowledgements to God for the manifold blessings he has granted us.”11 Washington’s General Orders explained:
…the General … persuades himself, that the officers and soldiers, with one heart, and one mind, will resolve to surmount every difficulty, with a fortitude and patience, becoming their profession, and the sacred cause in which they are engaged. He himself will share in the hardship, and partake of every inconvenience. To morrow being the day set apart by the Honorable Congress for public Thanksgiving and Praise; and duty calling us devoutly to express our grateful acknowledgements to God for the manifold blessings he has granted us. The General directs that the army remain in its present quarters, and that the Chaplains perform divine service with their several Corps and brigades. And earnestly exhorts, all officers and soldiers, whose absence is not indispensably necessary, to attend with reverence the solemnities of the day. (emphasis added.)12
One of the sermons preached by the chaplains on that tenuous Thanksgiving Day was by Israel Evans, Chaplain to Gen. Poor’s New Hampshire brigade.13 Printed for the army and distributed free of charge, Evans’ sermon called on the soldiers to “look on” “his Excellency General Washington” “and catch the genuine patriot fire of liberty,” “and like him, reverence the name of the great Jehovah.”14
In Chaplain Evans’ mind there was an intimate connection created by Washington between the “genuine patriot fire of liberty” and “the great Jehovah,” the one who had given his name in sacred fire at the burning bush. Washington did not read Evans’ sermon immediately. But he did read it, and when he did, he wrote to Evans on March 13, 1778:
Revd. Sir: Your favor of the 17th. Ulto., inclosing the discourse which you delivered on the 18th. of December; the day set a part for a general thanksgiving; to Genl. Poors Brigade, never came to my hands till yesterday.
I have read this performance with equal attention and pleasure, and at the same time that I admire, and feel the force of the reasoning which you have displayed through the whole, it is more especially incumbent upon me to thank you for the honorable, but partial mention you have made of my character; and to assure you, that it will ever be the first wish of my heart to aid your pious endeavours to inculcate a due sense of the dependance we ought to place in that all wise and powerful Being on whom alone our success depends; and moreover, to assure you, that with respect and regard….
Washington promised to assist Evans in advancing the sacred cause by fanning the divine fire. It was a good thing he did, because there was little else that winter at Valley Forge to keep his men warm, as the uncharming sound of the whistling, winter wind pierced the freezing ears and ragged coats of General Washington’s soldiers.
Washington’s promise to Chaplain Evans proved to be more than mere pleasantries. After his March 13, 1778, letter promising to aid the chaplain in inculcating his men’s dependence on Jehovah, Washington makes one of his clearest calls for his men to be Christians. On July 9, 1776, he had called on his men to be “Christian soldiers.”15 But on May 2, 1778, six weeks after his letter to Evans, near the end of the Valley Forge encampment, he again challenged his men to be Christians. To their “distinguished character of Patriot,” which was a high calling, since they were after all the Patriot Army,16 it was to be their “highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”17
With this command, Washington began to assist the chaplains in their “pious endeavours to inculcate a due sense of the dependence” that he thought he and his Army “ought to place in that all wise and powerful Being.”
We should note well that when Washington selected the word “inculcate,” he chose a strong word. It meant “to teach or impress by urging or frequent repetition; instill.” It is derived from the Latin word inculcare, meaning “to force upon.” The literal meaning of the word is “to trample,” or “to stomp in with one’s heel” which is evident since it combines the words “in” and “calcare,” which in turn is built on the word “calx” meaning “heel.” Apparently, Washington’s efforts became a matter of discussion that traveled outside the ranks of the camp. According to the notebook of German Lutheran clergyman, Reverend Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, it seems that Washington did more than simply issue an order about becoming a Christian. Reverend Muhlenberg wrote,
I heard a fine example today, namely that His Excellency General Washington rode around among his army yesterday and admonished each and every one to fear God, to put away wickedness that has set in and become so general, and to practice Christian virtues. From all appearances General Washington does not belong to the so-called world of society, for he respects God’s Word, believes in the atonement through Christ, and bears himself in humility and gentleness. Therefore, the Lord God has also singularly, yea, marvelously preserved him from harm in the midst of countless perils, ambuscades, fatigues, etc., and has hitherto graciously held him in his hand as a chosen vessel.18
Reverend Muhlenberg was in a significant position to know of such activity in the camp, not only because he was a pastor in Trappe, near Valley Forge, but also because he was the father of one of Washington’s generals, Reverend John Peter Muhlenberg. The Reverend General Peter Muhlenberg had also been a Lutheran pastor in Virginia, where he had known Washington before the war.19
WASHINGTON’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE “SACRED”
Since Washington was calling on his army to support the “sacred cause,” it is important to understand what he meant by the word “sacred.” He used the word fifty two times in his writings. There were two primary senses of the word in Washington’s use. The first use implied that something was dedicated or set aside exclusively for a single purpose or person. Second, when something was sacred, it meant that it was holy or set apart as a duty to God, and thus the object was worthy of reverence or the utmost respect.
Examples of the first use, where something was dedicated or set aside exclusively for a single purpose or person, includes the time given by an employee to an employer,20 money to be saved,21 boats to be used only for the military.22 Other examples from the military include the loyalty of a soldier that prohibits desertion,23 the flag of truce,24 the honor of a promotion in rank,25 the administration of justice belonging only to the civil magistrate and not the military,26 the distribution of food,27 maintaining the secrecy of passwords,28 the boundary line with the enemy,29 and the soldier’s arms.30 Washington’s papers that he possessed31 and those that were in the government archives32 were also sacred in this sense.
There are also several examples of the second use, where something is holy or set apart as a duty to God, and thus the object or activity is worthy of reverence or the utmost respect. In the diplomatic arena, this included the safety of an ambassador33 or the King.34 In military life, this included the discipline and character of an officer,35 the honor of the officer.36 The life and protection of the prisoner of war was a “faith held sacred by all civilized nations.”37 The government had sacred compacts and treaties,38 and citizens had sacred privileges.39 The president’s use of the powers of the Constitution was a sacred duty.40 The nation and the citizens possessed sacred ties,41 and sacred engagements.42 Honor and veracity were sacred enough to “extort” the truth even from a devious person.43 The nation had a duty to keep a sacred regard for public justice44 and have a sacred regard for the property of each individual.45 When war was pending, everything dear and sacred was at risk.46 In the more spiritual sense, there were books ordered for children that contained sacred classics,47 the private and sacred duties of the office of the chaplain,48 and the sacred duties due from everyone to the Lord of Hosts.49
It is clear that when Washington spoke of the “sacred cause,” he was using the phrase in the second sense, of something that was holy due its relationship with God. In a letter written to John Gabriel Tegelaar, he underscored that heaven’s favor and protection were deeply concerned with the survival of liberty.
May Heaven, whose propitious smiles have hitherto watched over the freedom of your republic still Guard her Liberties with the most sacred protection. And while I thus regard the welfare of your Country at large, permit me to assure you, that I shall feel a very particular desire that Providence may ever smile on your private happiness and domestic pleasures.50
And ultimately, Washington even believed that the sphere of the sacred extended to the realm of politics. He claimed that even when freemen disagreed over political issues, this was not a fault, since “they are all actuated by an equally laudable and sacred regard for the liberties of their Country.”51
If Heaven guarded liberty with “sacred protection” it surely was appropriate for citizen soldiers to pursue the “sacred cause” on earth. Such a precious gift was worthy of the greatest sacrifice, the kind the patriot army made at Valley Forge.
“…WITHOUT A HOUSE OR HUT TO COVER THEM….”52
As the army prepared to move out to Valley Forge, the general sought to put on the best face he could to address his soldiers’ desperate circumstances. On Dec. 17, 1777, Washington explained the army’s success, failures and hopes,
The Commander in Chief with the highest satisfaction expresses his thanks to the officers and soldiers for the fortitude and patience with which they have sustained the fatigues of the Campaign. Altho’ in some instances we unfortunately failed, yet upon the whole Heaven hath smiled on our Arms and crowned them with signal success; and we may upon the best grounds conclude, that by a spirited continuance of the measures necessary for our defence we shall finally obtain the end of our Warfare, Independence, Liberty and Peace. These are blessings worth contending for at every hazard. But we hazard nothing. The power of America alone, duly exerted, would have nothing to dread from the force of Britain. Yet we stand not wholly upon our ground. France yields us every aid we ask, and there are reasons to believe the period is not very distant, when she will take a more active part, by declaring war against the British Crown. Every motive therefore, irresistably urges us, nay commands us, to a firm and manly perseverance in our opposition to our cruel oppressors, to slight difficulties, endure hardships, and contemn every danger. The General ardently wishes it were now in his power, to conduct the troops into the best winter quarters. But where are these to be found?
There were reasons why the “best winter quarters” could not be found:
Should we retire to the interior parts of the State, we should find them crowded with virtuous citizens, who, sacrificing their all, have left Philadelphia, and fled thither for protection. To their distresses humanity forbids us to add. This is not all, we should leave a vast extent of fertile country to be despoiled and ravaged by the enemy, from which they would draw vast supplies, and where many of our firm friends would be exposed to all the miseries of the most insulting and wanton depredation. A train of evils might be enumerated, but these will suffice. These considerations make it indispensibly necessary for the army to take such a position, as will enable it most effectually to prevent distress and to give the most extensive security; and in that position we must make ourselves the best shelter in our power.
And what would be “the best shelter in our power”?
With activity and diligence Huts may be erected that will be warm and dry. In these the troops will be compact, more secure against surprises than if in a divided state and at hand to protect the country. These cogent reasons have determined the General to take post in the neighbourhood of this camp;
To make it all work, it would indeed be a matter of the “officers and soldiers” working “with one heart, and one mind.” They would have to “surmount every difficulty, with a fortitude and patience” and not forget “the sacred cause in which they are engaged.” Washington’s commitment to “share in the hardship, and partake of every inconvenience” was surely one of the elements of the next day’s “public Thanksgiving and Praise.”53
So on the next day, Thursday Dec. 18, 1777, plans for the huts were disseminated:
A field officer was to supervise a squad of twelve. The dimensions were to be 14’ × 16’ of logs, roof of split slabs, sides with clay, 18” thick on inside fireplace, door at street, side 6’ high.54
On Friday Dec. 19, 1777, the cold wind began to blow, piercing the soldiers’ threadbare garments as the snow began to fall. At 10 a.m., the American Army began its march to Valley Forge and upon arrival immediately began to lay out the grounds for their respective cantonments.
Saturday Dec. 20, 1777 saw the beginning of felling trees: “Soldiers cutting firewood are to save such parts of each tree as will do for building, reserving sixteen or eighteen feet of the trunk for logs to rear their Huts with.”55 Commands for straw governed a seventy mile region, requiring straw for beds, whereby each farmer had to thresh half his grain by February 1st, and the other half by March 1st for use by the soldiers, otherwise the army would seize all that the owner had.
On Sunday Dec. 21, 1777, a model of a hut was ready to be viewed at headquarters. While no enemy bullets flew at Valley Forge, there were many battles to be fought nevertheless. The immediate battle was over shelter, or the huts. The generals, who longed to head for their own homes for winter quarters, were not permitted to leave until all huts were done (General Orders of Dec. 27.) Washington, of course, never left for Mount Vernon until the war was over.
About the time of the battle of Germantown (October 1777), the northern American Army had won an astounding victory at Saratoga, under General Gates, who had just replaced Gen. Schuyler. But this victory to the north added pain for General Washington, not only in what became known as the Conway Cabal, which we will review later, but it also caused pain for the soldiers at Valley Forge. It was sarcastically observed that “Genl Burgoyne and his defeated Army are to be returned to Britain to sit out the War in the cold discomforts of the London Coffee Shops while we shall remain here in our warm, cozy Hutts living en prince off this generous land and enjoying our liberty.”56 Such was the ordeal of crafting the huts that, as human nature is so apt to do to cope with a difficult situation, the men wrote a poem about the pain and progress of the task:
Of ponderous logs:
Whose bulk disdains the winds or fogs
The side and ends are fitly raised
And by dove-tail each corner’s brac’d;
Athwart the roof, young sapling lie
