The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Heart of Everything That Is return with “a thorough, nuanced, and enthralling account” (The Wall Street Journal) about one of the most inspiring—and underappreciated—chapters in American history: the Continental Army’s six-month transformation in Valley Forge.
In December 1777, some 12,000 members of America’s Continental Army stagger into a small Pennsylvania encampment near British-occupied Philadelphia. Their commander in chief, George Washington, is at the lowest ebb of his military career. Yet, somehow, Washington, with a dedicated coterie of advisers, sets out to breathe new life into his military force. Against all odds, they manage to turn a bobtail army of citizen soldiers into a professional fighting force that will change the world forever.
Valley Forge is the story of how that metamorphosis occurred. Bestselling authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin show us how this miracle was accomplished despite thousands of American soldiers succumbing to disease, starvation, and the elements. At the center of it all is George Washington as he fends off pernicious political conspiracies. The Valley Forge winter is his—and the revolution’s—last chance at redemption. And after six months in the camp, Washington fulfills his destiny, leading the Continental Army to a stunning victory in the Battle of Monmouth Court House.
Valley Forge is the riveting true story of a nascent United States toppling an empire. Using new and rarely seen contemporaneous documents—and drawing on a cast of iconic characters and remarkable moments that capture the innovation and energy that led to the birth of our nation—Drury and Clavin provide a “gripping, panoramic account” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) of the definitive account of this seminal and previously undervalued moment in the battle for American independence.
Industry Reviews
Praise for Valley Forge
"A thorough, nuanced and enthralling account of the darkest winter of the American Revolution, Valley Forge recounts an epic of suffering, endurance and martial rebirth that Americans should never forget. . . . Masters of narrative history, Messrs. Drury and Clavin have written rousing and sharply rendered accounts of lesser known but thrilling historical episodes. . . . Valley Forge is their first attempt at one of the seminal moments in American history. It may also be their finest work."
—Wall Street Journal
"A superb account of the Revolutionary War from the Battle of Brandywine in the fall of 1777 to Monmouth Courthouse in the summer of 1778 . . . its well written account of the events and personalities from this storied period in American history is most welcome."
—Journal of the American Revolution
"A powerfully human portrait of George Washington . . . Valley Forge is deeply researched but presented in such lively style that it reads like a novel."
—Tampa Bay Times
“A towering and important work . . . Valley Forge offers an eminently readable, in-depth account of one vital page in the history of our nation."
—East Hampton Star
