This is the first book to focus on the six crucial days of General George Washington’s Gulph Mills Encampment, the Threshold to Valley Forge, a pivotal yet often overlooked microcosm of Revolutionary War. Coming in February 2025, the book is available for pre-order now at all booksellers. Read more about the book below or at Threshold to Valley Forge: The Six Days of the Gulph Mills Encampment
Between December 12–19, 1777, General George Washington and his Continental Army encamped in the towering hills of Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania, fifteen miles from Philadelphia. Known as the Threshold to Valley Forge, the Gulph Mills Encampment is often forgotten or minimized, falling between the more famous military engagements of the Philadelphia Campaign and the well-known experience of the army at Valley Forge. Yet, the Gulph Mills Encampment was a significant microcosm of the Revolutionary War and the issues that confronted the Continental Army, the Continental Congress, state governments, and the American citizens who suddenly found themselves on the front lines of the war. This encampment included military encounters with the British; little food, clothing, and shelter for the troops; the celebration of the new nation’s first Thanksgiving, and tough decisions by Washington, including the one to make Valley Forge the army’s winter quarters.
Based largely on writings and documents from soldiers, generals, local residents, the Continental Congress, the British Army, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and Benjamin Franklin and his colleagues who were in France seeking support from the French King Louis XVI, this first book on the Gulph Mills Encampment reveals the fascinating details of Washington’s and the Continental Army’s last stand before and as they moved into winter quarters at Valley Forge.
From Brookline Books, in paperback and e-book, 224 pages, $24.95.
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