This Week in History: The Winter of Discontent
The Winter of Discontent
On September 26, 1777, British troops marched into Philadelphia and occupied the city. Their approach had forced the Second Continental Congress, meeting in the Pennsylvania State House (later called Independence Hall), to flee some days before. The Congress met briefly in Lancaster, and then convened at York, Pennsylvania until the British departed Philadelphia the following June.
Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Carol M. Highsmith, photographer, [between 1980 and 2006]. Highsmith (Carol M.) Archive. Prints & Photographs Division
A few weeks earlier on September 11, General George Washington and his Continental Army had battled the British west of Philadelphia at Brandywine Creek. That evening, Washington sent a letter to the Continental Congress reporting the outcome:
Sir: I am sorry to inform you that in this day’s engagement, we have been obliged to leave the enemy masters of the field. Unfortunately the intelligence received of the enemy’s advancing up the Brandywine, and crossing at a Ford about six miles above us, was uncertain and contradictory, notwithstanding all my pains to get the best…our loss of men is not, I am persuaded, very considerable, I believe much less than the enemy’s…. Notwithstanding the misfortune of the day, I am happy to find the troops in good spirits; and I hope another time we shall compensate for the losses now sustained. The Marquis La Fayette was wounded in the leg, and Genl. Woodford in the hand. Divers other Officers were wounded, and some Slain, but the number of either cannot now be ascertained… G. Washington. P. S. It has not been in my power to send you earlier intelligence; the present being the first leisure moment I have had since the action.
George Washington to Continental Congress, September 11, 1777. Series 4, General Correspondence. George Washington Papers. Manuscript Division
[George Washington at the Battle of Princeton, full-length portrait painting]. Charles Willson Peale, artist, photograph created/published [1913]. Detroit Publishing Company. Prints & Photographs Division
A New and accurate map of the present seat of war in North America, comprehending New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pensylvania, New-York, &c. London, 1777. American Revolution and Its Era: Maps and Charts of North America and the West Indies, 1750 to 1789 . Geography & Map Division
While the British occupied the city, Washington and his army took up winter quarters at Valley Forge, some twenty-five miles west of Philadelphia. At times, both supplies and morale were low as the American troops braved a cold and snowy winter. The winter at Valley Forge has since become a symbol of dedicated patriots overcoming adversity during the American War for Independence.
In a studio recording of a 1917 commemorative speech first delivered at Valley Forge, Speaker of the House of Representatives Champ Clark paid tribute to the suffering of the brave men there:
Here in the winter of discontent, our fortunes sank to the lowest point. But from this place, Washington went forth conquering, and to conquer, and to become the foremost man of all the world.
“At Valley Forge.” Speech by Speaker of the House Champ Clark; [New York]: Nation’s Forum, January 17, 1918. American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I. Motion Picture, Broadcasting & Recorded Sound Division
In the spring of 1778, the British hastily abandoned Philadelphia for New York City, concerned that the new alliance between the French and Americans would result in a successful blockade of the Delaware River. Washington pursued, marching his men to the New Jersey coast where the Revolutionary War continued.
Learn More
- See the special presentation To Form a More Perfect Union in Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774 to 1789.
- Search on Valley Forge in the George Washington Papers. See, for example, a map showing the original plan for the defense of the Valley Forge Camp, dating from late 1777 or early 1778.
- See Volume IX and Volume X of the Journals of the Continental Congress in A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1785.
- View A Guide to the American Revolution, 1763-1783 to locate materials relating to the American Revolution on the Library’s website as well as on external sites. View a bibliography with selections for both general and younger readers.
- Primary Documents in American History links to significant documents from the Revolutionary era including Washington’s Commission as Commander in Chief and the Declaration of Independence.
- Search Today in History on Revolutionary War. Read, for example, about General Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown.
