Encampment

I visited the site of the Continental Army encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1777-1778. This is the house that General Washington and his aides rented as their headquarters. A spare bedroom on the second floor was probably used by Thomas Paine at least once, when he was sent by the commander to York, PA to petition the Continental Congress for more money when its members had relocated there because the British had occupied Philadelphia.
Being at Valley Forge Park when the buildings were open and in good weather for the first time made it easier to understand the damage that was done to the surrounding countryside during the war. The soldiers starved, froze, and became sick, having to seize livestock and raze forests during the winter, with many not making it through.
This large tract became the first US National Park in 1893. I had a good chat with one of the guides about Paine at Valley Forge and was favorably impressed by the entire staff.