Winter in Wartime
Bad weather and impassable roads made the Winter a difficult time for 18th and 19th century armies. Military leaders during this period — including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War — tried to avoid military operations during this trying season. Yet, even when not on active campaign, soldiers struggled against the weather and the boredom of life in winter quarters to try and bring some semblance of home and comfort to the holiday season. And, of course, there were those rare instances in which Americans had to wage war against the enemy and the elements.
Explore the battles and activities that carried soldiers through the bleak months.
Valley Forge: "Why are we sent here to starve and Freeze?"
Albigence Waldo was a surgeon in the Continental Army and kept a diary during the winter at Valley Forge.
Morristown: Ice-cold Winter Encampment
VIDEO | Valley Forge may be the winter encampment that is most remembered as testing Patriot troops to the limits of their endurance – but the winters...
From Snowballs to Cannonballs
Grab your snow shovels, bundle up, and man the ramparts of your impromptu winter quarters for this edition of Nature of History on the influence of...
Valley Forge in American Memory
It’s a gripping story – the Continental army, on the brink of defeat, huddled together to survive the winter of 1777-1778 while Philadelphia , the...
Valley Forge Encampment
On December 2, 1777, General George Washington wrote to Joseph Reed about the issue of where to encamp the Continental Army for the upcoming winter of...
The Effects of Weather on 18th Century Warfare
Weather played an incredibly important role in 18th-century warfare. In an age before industrialization, the weather played a decisive role in how...