Threshold to Valley Forge

The Six Days of the Gulph Mills Encampment

by Sheilah D. Vance

Imprint: Brookline Books

224 Pages, 6 x 9 in

Paperback
9781955041317
February 2025
Pre-Order

$24.95

Buy

Also available digitally:

Barnes & Noble

Google

Kobo

Casemate IPM will earn a small commission if you buy an ebook after clicking a link here.

Description
Contents
Authors
Praise

“Threshold to Valley Forge adds an important, untold chapter to Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary War history. Through extensive research, Vance illuminates how six days in Gulph Mills shaped the Continental Army’s path to Valley Forge, while highlighting the complex challenges faced by Pennsylvanians during this pivotal time.” —The Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr., United States Senator for Pennsylvania

When George Washington and the Continental Army marched into Gulph Mills in December 1777, they were “uncheered by any recent triumph.” Washington’s army had lost at Brandywine, at Germantown, and at Paoli and the British had captured Philadelphia, the largest city in the American colonies. Even worse, the Continental Congress had recently visited the patriot camp in Whitemarsh to inspect Washington’s work, questioning if he was the right man to lead the Continental Army. Members of the Continental Congress and local legislators pushed for one more battle with the British before going into winter quarters, but the soldiers and generals were in no condition to engage the enemy. The army was bruised, famished, and despondent. At the same time, the new nation was trying to secure its existence. The states began debating whether to adopt the Articles of Confederation that the Continental Congress had passed in the previous month. Benjamin Franklin and the members of the American Commission were in France, lobbying the King Louis XVI and his government to officially support the United States.

From December 12–19, 1777, Washington’s 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 as it did 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. It included encounters with the British and the local community; little food, clothing, and shelter for the troops; the celebration of the new nation’s first Thanksgiving, and tough decisions by Washington, including his momentous decision 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, and others, this book reveals the fascinating details of George Washington’s and the Continental Army’s last stand before and as they moved into winter quarters at Valley Forge.

“Sheilah Vance’s book, Threshold to Valley Forge, is an important, unique, and detailed examination of the role of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the issues that faced the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania during the pivotal and overlooked Gulph Mills Encampment of the Revolutionary War on December 12–19, 1777. This book is a major contribution to Pennsylvania history, to the understanding of the Commonwealth’s significance during the American Revolution, and to the examination of Pennsylvania’s intersectional relationship with General George Washington, the Continental Army, and the Continental Congress during this critical time in the founding and progression of our United States. It is a must-read for every student of the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” ~The Honorable Joanna McClinton, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

“Often the most familiar things are the least understood. Simply because they are so familiar, we never stop to really look at them. Nowhere is this more true than in American history where we think that we have the whole story, that we see the entire tapestry of events leading to where we are today, when in fact what we have is the barest outline of the facts - a mere sketch. And sometimes, as this book demonstrates, whole chapters can be missing.

Like a restorer of fine art, Sheilah Vance has carefully and lovingly revealed a whole section of that tapestry leading up to the encampment at Valley Forge. As we gaze at the events of the Gulph Mills encampment now restored to our consciousness by this book, we can truly appreciate the sacrifices and hardships of those who fought for the freedom we have today. There is no true understanding of the American Revolution without knowing the events at Valley Forge, and there is no true understanding of Valley Forge without an examination of the Gulph Mills encampment that immediately preceded it.

Perhaps at no other time in American history has it been more important to grow beyond the simplified stories we were taught when we were young into a fuller understanding of where we have come from, which of course enables us to understand who we are and where we are going. This book is a major step in that direction.” ~Dave Montalvo, President, King of Prussia Historical Society

“Threshold to Valley Forge adds an important, untold chapter to Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary War history. Through extensive research, Vance illuminates how six days in Gulph Mills shaped the Continental Army’s path to Valley Forge, while highlighting the complex challenges faced by Pennsylvanians during this pivotal time.” ~The Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr., United States Senator for Pennsylvania