Afternoon of Geocaching and History
The weather was fantastic this weekend. The first really nice weekend of the year. Everyone was out jogging and riding their bikes. I decided to do some geocaching. So I did some research on the internet. Plugged some coordinates into my GPS and off I went.
Near my house, about 4 miles away, there is a cache called "From The Fields of Valley Forge". A virtual cache is a place where there is no buried treasure. It's just a place that someone wants to draw your attention to. Usually they are historically significant. I was expecting this cache to be located at Valley Forge National Historical Park which is about 3 miles south of my house. Much to my surprise, when I plugged in the coordinates for the cache it pointed north. So I followed route 23 north and came up on the site just north of Phoenixville, PA. Unfortunately, blogger is not cooperating with loading the pictures. I will try again on another post.
It was a modest grave site right along the side of the road. If you were in your car you would drive past it without thinking twice. Buried at this site are twenty-two soldiers from the Revolutionary War. There is a church across the street from this site that served as a hospital while the Continental Army was camped at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778. I probably stood there for fifteen minutes reflecting on these brave men. They died hundreds of miles from their homes with nobody to comfort them. Their families probably didn't know they had died for weeks. Yellow fever was rampant throughout the camp, so these men were probably infected and removed from the camp to isolate them from the army. They were probably cold and hungry. They weren't getting paid since the Continental Congress had no money. They were fighting for a belief. A dream that they would not live to see come to a realization. These were great men who should never be forgotten.
After paying my respects I headed south to Valley Forge. I had planned on visiting some of my favorite monuments while I was there looking for the cache. Since the cache was unexpectedly offsite, I was disappointed. So I drove down to the park to take a look anyway. One of my favorite monuments in the park is the Site of the Marquee. Once again Blogger is not cooperating with pictures. I'll try to upload it later on another post. It's a small attraction when compared to the National Monument Arch and Washington's Memorial Church. Picture a modest sized stone monument standing about eight feet tall. Almost like an obelisk without the point on top. It's sitting on the slope of a small hill in between a road and a bike path. Across the street from the monument are some woods. The tall trees dwarf the monument making it almost indistinguishable from the dozens of monuments throughout the park remembering the various regiments from the different states. But when you get up close, you can see this monument is different. Engraved on the monument is the following:
Site of the Marquee
On this spot General Washington erected his campaign tent (Marquee) when he entered Valley Forge December 19, 1777. He occupied this tent until December 24, 1777 when he moved his headquarters to the Potts house at the junction of Valley Creek and Schuylkill River.
This site always provides me with powerful images in my mind. Imagine General Washington leading his troops to Valley Forge on a cold December night in 1777. They had just suffered a loss to the British in Brandywine giving Philadelphia to Lord Cornwallis in September. They tried an offensive attack in October against the British at Germantown and again were pushed back. The army was defeated and demoralized. Winter was setting in. The men were naked, cold and starving. Many had come down with the fever. It was time to set up winter quarters. The men were ordered to build their own huts in four inches of snow with no shoes. The huts were drafty and cold with a blanket for a door. The roads were a quagmire of mud making it impossible to get supplies in. The men were forced to live off the land and forage for food. The winter of 1777 would be a harsh one. I can only imagine the despair in Washington's eyes as he set up his tent and saw the men he loved so much suffering just to survive against the elements.
Every time I stand at that monument and look out over the fields of Valley Forge I am filled with a sense of history and pride. I am astounded and in awe that I am standing in the footsteps of General Washington. Sometimes I wonder about the people who seemingly walk or ride past this monument to get their exercise. I wonder if they ever stop to read this great tribute. I wonder if they realize the significance of the place they let their dogs relieve themselves. I wonder if they care.
We must never forget.
Near my house, about 4 miles away, there is a cache called "From The Fields of Valley Forge". A virtual cache is a place where there is no buried treasure. It's just a place that someone wants to draw your attention to. Usually they are historically significant. I was expecting this cache to be located at Valley Forge National Historical Park which is about 3 miles south of my house. Much to my surprise, when I plugged in the coordinates for the cache it pointed north. So I followed route 23 north and came up on the site just north of Phoenixville, PA. Unfortunately, blogger is not cooperating with loading the pictures. I will try again on another post.
It was a modest grave site right along the side of the road. If you were in your car you would drive past it without thinking twice. Buried at this site are twenty-two soldiers from the Revolutionary War. There is a church across the street from this site that served as a hospital while the Continental Army was camped at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778. I probably stood there for fifteen minutes reflecting on these brave men. They died hundreds of miles from their homes with nobody to comfort them. Their families probably didn't know they had died for weeks. Yellow fever was rampant throughout the camp, so these men were probably infected and removed from the camp to isolate them from the army. They were probably cold and hungry. They weren't getting paid since the Continental Congress had no money. They were fighting for a belief. A dream that they would not live to see come to a realization. These were great men who should never be forgotten.
After paying my respects I headed south to Valley Forge. I had planned on visiting some of my favorite monuments while I was there looking for the cache. Since the cache was unexpectedly offsite, I was disappointed. So I drove down to the park to take a look anyway. One of my favorite monuments in the park is the Site of the Marquee. Once again Blogger is not cooperating with pictures. I'll try to upload it later on another post. It's a small attraction when compared to the National Monument Arch and Washington's Memorial Church. Picture a modest sized stone monument standing about eight feet tall. Almost like an obelisk without the point on top. It's sitting on the slope of a small hill in between a road and a bike path. Across the street from the monument are some woods. The tall trees dwarf the monument making it almost indistinguishable from the dozens of monuments throughout the park remembering the various regiments from the different states. But when you get up close, you can see this monument is different. Engraved on the monument is the following:
Site of the Marquee
On this spot General Washington erected his campaign tent (Marquee) when he entered Valley Forge December 19, 1777. He occupied this tent until December 24, 1777 when he moved his headquarters to the Potts house at the junction of Valley Creek and Schuylkill River.
This site always provides me with powerful images in my mind. Imagine General Washington leading his troops to Valley Forge on a cold December night in 1777. They had just suffered a loss to the British in Brandywine giving Philadelphia to Lord Cornwallis in September. They tried an offensive attack in October against the British at Germantown and again were pushed back. The army was defeated and demoralized. Winter was setting in. The men were naked, cold and starving. Many had come down with the fever. It was time to set up winter quarters. The men were ordered to build their own huts in four inches of snow with no shoes. The huts were drafty and cold with a blanket for a door. The roads were a quagmire of mud making it impossible to get supplies in. The men were forced to live off the land and forage for food. The winter of 1777 would be a harsh one. I can only imagine the despair in Washington's eyes as he set up his tent and saw the men he loved so much suffering just to survive against the elements.
Every time I stand at that monument and look out over the fields of Valley Forge I am filled with a sense of history and pride. I am astounded and in awe that I am standing in the footsteps of General Washington. Sometimes I wonder about the people who seemingly walk or ride past this monument to get their exercise. I wonder if they ever stop to read this great tribute. I wonder if they realize the significance of the place they let their dogs relieve themselves. I wonder if they care.
We must never forget.
posted by Mike at 9:17 AM
<< Home