“The Heart of Everything that is Valley Forge” by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin

December 1777. King George III’s army has pummeled the Continental Army into submission, the Continental Congress is in exile, and the American Revolution appears to be lost just 18 months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The beleaguered troops stagger into a small Pennsylvania encampment 23 miles northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia.  They’re physically and morally defeated, barely equipped or expected to survive the frigid winter ahead. Their commander in chief, George Washington, is decidedly at the lowest point of his military career–certain to be relieved of his command. The situation seemed hopeless. They needed a miracle.  What they got was indefatigable leadership and a last chance at redemption. With the help of his foreign and domestic advisers—Marquis de Lafayette, Baron von Steuben, Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens—in six short months, Washington re-lit the fire under the rebel cause and created a professional fighting force that would achieve a stunning victory in the Battle of Monmouth Court House and change the world forever.  Find out how.