Letter From Valley Forge
by Dan Gifford
A number of my ancestors served in the Continental Army, mostly with New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey units. One of those wrote the letter below which is now kept in the Revolutionary Era Documents section of the New Jersey Historical Society. The letter was written by Captain William Gifford of the Third New Jersey Regiment to his best friend, Colonel Benjamin Holme of the New Jersey Militia. I thought this 4th of July weekend would be a good time to read it again…
Camp at Valley Forge Jan. 24, 1778
D. Col.
I should have wrote you before now, had it not been for our Expectations of going to Jersey for Winter Quarters, — but I fancy we may give up our notions of Jersey & Content ourselves in these Wigwams this winter, — We are encamped about Twenty Miles from Philad. at a place called the valley Forge, along the Schuylkill. The Army is divided into Two lines front & Rear, besides Corps de Reserve, and possess very
Commanding and defensible ground, we are fortifying the Camp as fast as possible, tho’ we are under no apprehensions of a visit from the Enemy, (Tho’ such a report is current in Camp) but I am very sensible they know better things, if they shou’d come I trust in God we shall be able to give them a warm reception, perhaps a total defeat, We have a large Army in every respect fit for Action, Tho’ some are very bare for clothes, I wish with all my heart our State wou’d make better provision for out Brigade, respecting Clothing & other necessaries than they do, if they had any Idea of the hardships we have & do undergo, they Certainly wou’d do more us, [sic] than they do, I assure you Sir we have had a very Severe Campaign of it, Since we came in this State,– our Men are in huts 16 by 18, Covered with Oak Shingles, and now are pretty Comfortable — since they have got to live in ‘em, we lay in Tents until the 20 instant; an instance of the kind hardly ever known in any Country whatever, but what ca’t brave Americans endure, Nobly fighting for the rights of their injured country. –
I Congratulate you on the arrival of 8 ships from France under Convoy of a 40 Gun Frigate at a port in Maryland, their Lading is uncertain but supposed to have necessaries for the Army. –
As you are acquainted with Captain Lee of Horse, I will mention Some thing that happened [to] him a few Nights past. On the 19 ins about day break, 200 of the enemies Horse surrounded his quarters, with the intent to take him by Surprise, — but Captain Lee’s vigilance baffled their designs by industriously posting his men in their Quarters, although he had not a sufficient number to allow one for each Window, he Obligated them disgracefully to retreat after Repeated & fruitless attempts to force their way into the House, leaving Two killed and four wounded, their Wounded they took off. –
We received no other damage than a Small patrole of Horse, Consisting of four fell unfortunately in their hands, as they were returning from their post, & Lieu. Lindsay Slightly wounded in the wrist. — The
Commander in Chief has returned Cap. Lee, his officers & Soldiers of his Troop, his warmest thanks in general orders for their good Conduct and Superior bravery. — Captain Lee had in House but a Corporal and 4 privates. –
Perhaps you will think I have forgot you, in not writing to you oftner than I do, I must confess I have been careless about writing, but I assure you Sir it’s owing to my not having time or Paper to write on, I
shou’d be ungrateful to the last Degree, if ever I forget you my best friend. — I wrote you immediately after the Action of Short Hills, and likewise after the Battle of Brandywine, in the first I mentioned the
Person at Morris-Town, which I think wou’d be agreeable in every respect. –
When I shall have the Pleasure of seeing you is uncertain — if you have a Safe opportunity send me warm[est] breeches & Stockings [take] great care of the Linen as that article is very dear and hard to be purchased, Colonels Ogden and Martin, with a number of other inferior officers of this Brigade have Resigned. –
I Shall be very fond of hearing from you when an opportunity offers, my best respects to Col. Jn. Holm Cap. Sayre, Jenny, Geo[rge] and your family & remain D. Col. your assured friend to serve you if in me lay. –
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33 Comments
Thank you for sharing and reminding us of the sacrifices of all those who have been before us! It humbles me deeply.
Very stirring, indeed. Think about this, without General Washington, what kind of shape would we, and the rest of the world, be in today? What an exemplary and extraordinary human being.
Dan – thanks for sharing that letter. What a great read (not to mention a wonderful family treasure.) As someone who recently learned about my own ancestors who fought in the Revolution (Saratoga and Lexington) I now look at Independence Day in a whole new light. It was incredibly neat last year to see my 7g grandfather's home in Newton, Mass which was used to store munitions for the Minutemen. Incredibly that house was built in 1681 and still stands today. It absolutely gave me chills to see it for the first time last year.
I grew up about 15 miles from Valley Forge and have hiked all over the park many times. The painting of Washington and the troops is one of my favorite historical military paintings of all time.
Great letter thanks for sharing!
Great point. I think that is one of the reasons one of the best biographies of Washington, written by James Thomas Flexner, was titled "Washington, The Indispensable Man."
A great way indeed, to cap off this 4th of July weekend.
Thank you Dan.
thank you so much, Dan, what a wonderful thing to have that letter in your family! It's plain-spoken and determined. I have seen the reconstructed huts at Valley Forge and can't imagine staying in them even one week.
My own ancestors toughed it out in North Carolina and King's Mountain, 7th G-g'father was a magistrate and had to hide for months when the British came through as he was part of the Revolutionary government and his son was fighting w/ a NC regiment. They were all soggy, miserable and hungry. He could have had a comfortable life as a magistrate under the Colonial Gov't but chose otherwise. Am deeply thankful for all they did.
Excellent read
Tom – Neat! thanks for sharing.
This article and the readers comments are a great way, as JA said, to cap off the 4th of July weekend. Not only do we owe it to ourselves to continue to "fight the good fight", we owe it to our children, grand-children, future decendants and these great men who came before us and risked ALL, essentially for US! Incredible. Of course, we owe so much to all of our servicemen and women, past and present, especially those who paid the ultimate price in defense of this great nation.GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
I am descended from Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee. (That may be the "Captain Lee of Horse" referred to in this letter") I am curious – How many of us on this site are descended from our original Patriots? It would be very interesting to know…
Hey Bev – that is a very interesting question, although one we probably will never know. You have to get so lucky with genealogy, although things have gotten a lot better in the age of the internet. I started getting interested a year and a half ago while recuperating from kidney stones and got some key help help from the LDS (Mormons) who are great at transcribing old records. Of course, you already know Lighthorse Harry was also the father of one of the greatest Generals Generals in history (Robert E. Lee.)
I had an ancestor who took a cannonball in the gut at Bunker Hill. Unfortunately, he was a major on the wrong side
Newton, Mass. is my birthplace. History is everything there. Just a scant few miles from Boston.
I can sympathize… from all we can tell some of my ancestors, likely loyalists, may have ditched the colonies for our good neighbor to the north around the time of the Revolution. They apparently returned via Wisconsin a generation later. Others remained but I haven't been able to trace their history yet. Hopefully a few brave, rebellious souls were among them.
Steve – Thanks for your reply. The folks at Newton Historical Society were unbelievably great when they found out I was a direct descendant. They gave me two different pictures of the house from the 19th and early 20th century (which now hang proudly in my home,) a list of the original features, copy of the deed and a newspaper article about the history of the house. If you remember Newton, it actually is located in the Waban neighborhood of Newton at 50 Fairlee Rd. although it was originally a 27 acre estate on Woodward Road that went down to the Charles River. A 7th cousin from there is a member of the New England Genealogical Society downtown. He took me for a visit and it was like hitting the mother lode for getting documentation on our first four or five generations. A great place and unbelievable adventure for me.
Great, great..etc., granddaughter of Capt. Thomas Willett, here.
Had an ancestor that fought at the Battle of Monmouth (1778). He was enlisted. His CO was killed during the battle and my ancestor was given a field commission in the middle of the battle. We recently discovered his burial site in Southwest Ohio. He was buried with several other Rev. War veterans who moved to the Ohio territory after the war.
We are currently in the process of rebuilding/preserving the small cemetary where they are all buried; as it had fallen into disrepair and was overcome by trees and vines
Wow TJ! I know exactly where you mean. I've only been back once since I left as a 9 year old in 1985 but I've studied my roots from afar. My one visit back was hard to describe… it was like coming home to the place where I belonged. If only for a few days. I guess I only feel "right" in Newton, Massachusetts.
I watched the entire mini-series "Revolution" on the Military channel yesterday. It is truly amazing what these men went through to keep their right for self governance and Liberty. If we will follow their example, we have nothing to complain about or fear. To put it in the modern lexicon, "Just do it"
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I have an ancestor who died in New York fighting with Washington. Whether from wounds or disease, I do not know, but he was there fighting for freedom. God bless him. I am proud to be an original American from the earliest of times. I have immigrant blood, too (and Wampanog Indian). I am an American! Not English-American, Romanian Jewish-American or Indian-American. I am an American. One of the greatest people the world has have seen. May God let us prosper as we ought if we are true to Him and to life.
Growing up in historic Morris County, New Jersey and later living in Hunterdon County, then attending university in Massachusetts, I've had American history be an integral part of my surroundings for as long as I can remember. One of the houses we used to live in dates back to 1760 (don't tell Gwyneth Paltrow) and provided much-needed shelter and respite to many a fatigued soldier during those brutal winter campaigns so many years ago. Our wine cellar even had a secret exit and tunnel to permit escape for American militia eluding the British.
History is all around us, if we care to look. Thanks for caring.
I wonder what Obama did for the Fourth. Usually the president appears at some kind of celebration or makes some kind of speech; and usually its buncombe because nearly every president of the 20th and 21st Centuries, with the exception of Reagan maybe, is involved with undoing the legacy of the Founders. But if there is one president who is diametrically opposed to the classical-liberal ideals that led to the Declaration of Independence, it's our current president, "Il Dufe." Instead of the spirit of Locke and Paine ("the government that governs best governs least), The World's Greatest Community Organizer's motto seems to be Mussolini's "Everything for the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State." Anything he might say on the Fourth related to the origins of the holiday would have to be so hypocritical even he would have to choke on the words.
Descended from Pennacook Indians here. Originally part of the larger Iroquois tribe, which was divided by the colonists and the British. Which began their downfall.
But I don't hold a grudge. I grew up in MA and currently live in CT. I love that we in New England "started it all" – I'm very proud of that, despite what it did to some of my ancestors. Fact is, if the colonists hadn't betrayed the Indians, the British certainly would have. They had already started to divide the tribe by the mid 1700's.
When my daughter had to do a family history report for her Spanish class (we live in New Mexico,) she discovered that although one branch of the family tree fought in the Revolution, all the rest were populated with either rebels (and had to escape the original homeland) or scientists (my grandfather developed a battery that enabled our submarines to stay down longer during WWII even though he had Parkinson's disease). I told her that was a noble heritage to have. She heads off to college in the fall to study biology with an eye toward medical research. I guess she's going the scientist route.
I know on one side that we immigrated from England some time after the Revolutionary War and started a fairly successful ceramics/tableware business in the Cincinatti area, but at some point, a branchof the family broke off and moved west to Kansas to become gentleman farmers. We've been there ever since.
It's pretty untraceable on the other side due to some paternity issues a few generations back.
My husband is adopted, so who knows with him?
I had a grand father(many G's) that helped build Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga. also a grandfather that immigrated to New Hamshire from Canada to fight for the colonist . My other side of the family were from out west where they fought the "white devils " that stole their land.
Steppenwolf: Monster Suicide America…
Youtube it, pay attention to the lyrics.
Dan,
Thank you for that letter, how tremendous that you have something so tangible from your ancestor. I recently discovered 2 of my ancestors served during the Revolutionary War in North Carolina. One was a Colonel, the other a Major. The Major was captured at the disasterous battle of Camden South Carolina and somehow died at the hands of the British. Little is know of his death other than that. He is buried in Columbia South Carolina. I dont live far from there and would love to find his grave and pay my respects. We owe much to these men who started the fire and continued until we were free. Our freedom only continues because of the enormous cost that has been paid over the last 233 years. God Bless.
That is a great letter and a testament to our soldiers…..I have said it a bunch this past weekend and will say it again… THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE!
Praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we look towards our ancestry as a free nation in these United States I always point to the Pilgrims and the Puritans. We all came from either the two. For the last 70 or so years the society has been getting sloppy and lazy in our cultural ethic of responsibility. As a monument on the Chelmsford, Massachusetts green points out over a revelutionary war grave says: These men died for the freedom we have, and it is up to succeeding generations to guard the freedom.
The so-called term religious right is a misnomer placed on a group of believers' in a sovereign God above all man made religions. They do not hate anyone but pray to free each creation of a loving Father from the sins of this world, enveloping the promise given to them at birth with a hope of a eternity with the Savior of all mankind, Jesus Christ. The world wants to include them in a worldly religion, but they deal with a relationship as St. John describes in 1 John 4 "Perfect Love Casts out fear". Please trust in Jesus and his eternal love in you. All things are possible through God. Our country is a Christian Country. One founding father, a Christian, said we were the last best hope of all mankind. Keep the Faith……….
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