What were some problems the men faced at the Valley Forge camp?

Answer 1

The Pennsylvania congressional delegation forced Washington to put his army into winter quarters at Valley Forge, threatening to withdraw the Pennsylvania troops from his army if he did not do so. This was an open and exposed plateau through which the winter winds blew and the snow piled deep. The men were inadequately sheltered. They arrived well into December and began to try to build themselves huts. They would cut and notch logs as in a log cabin and stack these up three or four feet, then put a tent on top of that. They made chimneys from sticks and mud to try to make a place to cook and a source of heat. They had to cut wood continually for the cooking and heating fires.

There was very little food to eat. Congress failed throughout the war to adequately feed the army. Congress had no power to tax, and therefore had no money. They printed paper money, but they printed so much it quickly became worthless. Pennsylvania farmers preferred to take their goods on into Philadelphia and sell them to the British for gold or silver coins, rather than take the worthless Continental paper or promises.

The army lacked adequate clothing. They had no winter clothes and the clothes they had were ragged. Many were barefoot. Some resorted to wrapping their feet in rawhide and tying that on for foot covering. There were not enough blankets or medical supplies, because Congress had no money to buy clothing, blankets, medical supplies or food.

The army was saved by a "shad run" in the early spring, an annual occurrence where freshwater shad fish swarm upstream to spawn. The soldiers caught thousands of these and had their first full meal in months.

During the winter one visitor to Washington's army recounted going to see the encampment with Washington, and they were confronted with the spectacle of thousands of soldiers cawing like crows and flapping their arms, and calling out "no meat!".