Transformation of the American Army

At Valley Forge in December 1777, units from various states arrived with officers who brought different experiences and ideas about military operations and maneuvers, and these differing tactics had limited the army’s effectiveness in battle. On the Grand Parade, the large protected valley that served as the centerpiece of camp, soldiers from all the states spent months in daily training to learn to act as a unified force. Despite a hard winter, vast differences in experience, and uncertainty about the outcome of the revolution, this training produced a stronger, more disciplined, and more professional national army with new confidence and a stronger identity as the American army. By May 6, 1779, ten thousand Continental soldiers were arrayed on the Grand Parade to demonstrate their new skills for General Washington and a crowd of dignitaries during a gala celebration of the newly announced military alliance with France, forming battalions, maneuvering as if on a battlefield, and marking the occasion with thirteen cannon fired at once, running musket fire in circles around the Grand Parade, a review, and extra rations for everyone.

Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania · United States