Discipline and Training

The large protected valley in front of you is the Grand Parade. Extending from where you are standing to the ridge almost a mile away, it served as the centerpiece of camp. When units from the various states arrived at Valley Forge in December 1777, their officers brought individual experiences and ideas about military operations and maneuvers. These differing tactics had limited the army's effectiveness during battle. On the Grand Parade, soldiers from all the states spent months of daily training learning to act as a unified force.The winter was hard, the differences in experience were vast, and the outcome of the revolution was uncertain. But the result of the soldiers' training on the Grand Parade was that a stronger, more disciplined and professional national army emerged, with new confidence and a stronger identity as the American army. < Sidebar : >The Result:Demonstration and CelebrationImagine it is May 6, 1779. Arrayed on the Grand Parade in front of you are 10,000 Continental soldiers. They are demonstrating their new skills for General Washington and a crowd of dignitaries. This is the gala celebration of the new military alliance with France, which has just been announced. The soldiers move into position for inspection. They form battalions and maneuver around the Grand Parade,



as if on the field of battle. At a signal thirteen cannon discharge at once. Like a wave, running muskets fire circles around the Grand Parade. After passing in review, extra rations for everyone. Huzzah!

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Soldiers' Huts
Greene's Division
A City of Huts
Log City
Winter Encampment
On the Lookout
Advance Redoubt
Are the British Coming?
Protection from Attack
Greene's Division

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