PA, USA
Continental Army Departs Valley Forge
June 19, 1778
The Continental Army broke camp and marched out of Valley Forge in pursuit of the British army, which had evacuated Philadelphia the previous day. The force that left Valley Forge was fundamentally different from the one that had arrived six months earlier. Von Steuben's training had produced disciplined soldiers who could execute complex maneuvers under fire.
Nine days later, at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey, the army proved its transformation. Continental troops fought British regulars to a standstill in a pitched battle — something that would have been unthinkable before Valley Forge. The winter of suffering had produced a professional army.
People Involved
Prussian military officer who arrived at Valley Forge in February 1778 and transformed the Continental Army through systematic drill and training. His "Blue Book" of regulations became the army's standard manual for decades.