Dear America: The Winter of Red Snow

by Kristiana Gregory

  So Mama has taken to rubbing laurel leaves and mint on our faces, hands, and necks, and having us sleep in long-sleeved dresses with cotton leggings. This way we can lie on our cots and stare at the sky. The stars are so bright we can see the dark hillsides and the shadows of bats as they fly about. All night there is a faraway murmur from the creek.

  I think about Mrs. Washington. Somehow I feel not so lonesome for her, knowing she may be wearing Lucy’s beautiful brown hair. I’m beginning to believe that unpleasant events often work together for good, like a coat of many colors.

  June 29, 1778, Monday

  Criers rode through Valley Forge this morning with news of a battle yesterday near Monmouth Courthouse. While our Army fought the British, General Washington rode back and forth among the ranks of his soldiers until his horse dropped dead from exhaustion. At sunset both armies stopped fighting so they could rest, then after midnight the enemy snuck away.

  We know not how many of our soldiers were wounded or killed, but we worry for them. They are like family to us now. Elisabeth must wait patiently for word about Ben Valentine.

  I watch her wait and I puzzle how it has happened that strangers from last winter have become so dear.

  June 30, 1778, Tuesday

  More news about the Battle of Monmouth:

  Three women stepped in to help with cannons after their husbands fainted from the heat. It has been the hottest June in memory and even some of the horses collapsed.

  Other news pleased me: General Charles Lee was stripped of his command by General Washington, because he disobeyed orders and retreated in haste.

  Papa said, “Bravo. The man is a coward, an embarrassment to the Patriots.”

  July 3, 1778, Friday

  Much pie baking and visiting between the farms to borrow eggs, flour, sugar, bacon, and so-forth. We are all very much glad to replenish our larders and not worry about thieves, although if our soldiers should again be in need, I think I shall be one of the first to share.

  Tomorrow is a celebration for Independence Day. It has been two years since the Declaration was signed and even though the British shant leave us alone, we shall still have a party!

  Papa sawed our front and back doors in half, then re-hung them so we can latch the lower half. With the tops open we catch a breeze, but Johnny can’t crawl out and no wild animals can crawl in.

  July 4, 1778, Saturday

  It is late and I am tired.

  A breeze rose this afternoon that made the heat bearable. We are sleeping inside with windows open and the upper doors open. The breeze is pleasant and not allowing mosquitoes to land on us. I am dead sleepy, thus shall be brief.

  Some of the soldiers’ May Poles were still in camp, so much of the day we children played and ran around them, using rope to swing on. There are still many trinkets to be found in the grass and dirt, even enough cannon balls to play Long Bullet.

  At noon, blankets were spread in the shade along the banks of the Schuylkill. A finer barbeque I’ve not enjoyed — Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald butchered two of their cows to share with everyone, so grateful they are for all our prayers and concern. There also were dozens of meat pies, fruit pies, and pumpkin pies passed around; cider and sweet lemonade, too.

  Baby Olivia is nearly two months old and is quite content. No wonder. There is always someone wanting to hold her and kiss her. Johnny looks like a giant next to her. He now pulls himself up and with one hand on a tree trunk walks around it in a circle, around and around. He is sore proud of himself.

  Colonel DeWees gave a patriotic speech, but I did not listen. It was hot and I wanted to play in the stream.

  Tomorrow I shall have to ask Mama for more paper to sew together, so I can keep writing my journal … I want to record every word we hear about our Army. Papa says the war might continue many more months, but he’s not worried. He has so much confidence in General Washington and our newly trained soldiers, that he says we shall beat the British for sure.

  The crickets are loud tonight! And there is an owl nesting in our barn. When he flies out to do his night hunting he passes our window, his wings like a whisper

  One more thought before I blow out my candle. I do hope Ben Valentine receives Elisabeth’s letter.

  Epilogue

  During the Battle of Monmouth, Ben Valentine was shot in the left wrist. His arm was amputated on the field, then he was sent to Philadelphia to recover. Over the weeks, Elisabeth visited him, a romance developed, and they were married in the summer of 1779.

  Two summers later, at the age of 15, Abigail married a blacksmith named Willie Campbell. Another wedding took place at this time: The young widow, Helen Kern, married Daniel Kern, her deceased husband’s brother, so she remained “Mrs. Kern.” They eventually had five children together.

  In 1787 the Valentines and Campbells, the Stewarts and Kerns, moved west to homestead in the Ohio River Valley.

  Abigail and Willie had nine children. Their daughter, Hannah, became the first woman doctor in Philip’s County, and three sons became lawyers; one moved to Washington City to be President Thomas Jefferson’s personal counsel.

  Abigail died in 1823 at the age of 57, after being thrown from her horse. Willie died two years later … some say from grief.

  Elisabeth and Ben had four daughters who died in infancy, but their sons, Paul and Nathaniel, grew up to be explorers. Paul helped map the Missouri River and its surrounding territory. He was good friends with Daniel Boone.

  At the age of 13, Nathaniel ventured to Boston and signed on as a cabin boy aboard the ship Otter, captained by the legendary China trader Ebenezer Dorr, Jr. They sailed into Monterey Bay in October of 1796, the first American vessel to anchor in a California port.

  Elisabeth and Ben died together when their house caught fire in 1825.

  Life in

  America

  in 1777

  Historical Note

  The American Revolution, also known as the War for Independence, was fought between 1775 and 1783. For the first time in history, the thirteen American colonies banded together as a nation so that they could fight against Britain and achieve their own independence. Over the years, Britain and their ruler, King George III, had given the colonies a lot of freedom to govern themselves by allowing each colony to have its own legislature. In return, the colonies were given the protection of the British Empire and its famous Royal Navy.

  But then, in 1764, Britain imposed the Sugar Act and, a year later, the Stamp Act on the colonies. These acts forced Americans to pay very high taxes on sugar, legal documents, newspapers, and other items being imported into the colonies. Since the colonies had not been consulted about this, there were many riots and protests. This was “taxation without representation,” and the colonists had no intention of cooperating. In 1767, Britain’s Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which placed outrageously high taxes on items such as paper, glass, paint, and tea.

  The colonists continued to protest and tried to boycott British products. Finally, in late 1773, some rebellious citizens in Boston crept onto a British supply ship in Boston Harbor. They found more than three hundred chests of tea and dumped them into the water. Britain was furious about this and began to pass even more punitive laws, which the colonists described as the Intolerable Acts.

  For many years the colonies had acted like thirteen little countries, but now it was time to work together. In 1774, the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, with representatives from twelve of the thirteen colonies. They agreed to remain under British authority, but decided that they wanted the right to create their own laws and taxes, without British interference. They also agreed to ban most imported products from Britain. Britain’s response to this was to bring troops, the Redcoats, into the colonies. While the colonies had no army of their own, small local volunteer groups began to form militias, so that they would be able to defend themselves.

  Then, one night in April 1775, British troops were ordered to march from Boston out to C
oncord, Massachusetts, where they were planning to arrest rebel leaders and seize weapons and ammunition. That was the night Paul Revere crossed Boston Harbor and took his famous ride on horseback through the nearby towns, shouting a warning to one and all. When the Redcoats arrived in Lexington, the rebels — also known as the “patriots” — were there to greet them.

  Nobody knows who fired that first shot, but it is called “the shot heard ’round the world.” The rebels ended up chasing the Redcoats all the way back to Boston. Considering how many thousands of shots were fired that day, surprisingly few people were killed, but the war had now begun.

  A few weeks later the Second Continental Congress met and decided to form a Continental Army. They selected a man who had been a great hero in the French and Indian War to be their general. His name was George Washington. He had never run an army before, but he turned out to be a born leader.

  Early in 1776, a writer named Thomas Paine published a pamphlet titled Common Sense. In it, Paine described the terrible tyranny King George III was forcing on the colonies and called for complete independence. The Continental Congress agreed. They appointed a small committee to draft some resolutions for the colonies, now to be described as “states.” Three of the five men on the committee were Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams. It was primarily Jefferson who wrote a document called the Declaration of Independence, and the Congress voted it into law on July 4, 1776.

  There seemed to be very little chance that these tiny united states could defeat the great British Empire. Britain had a population of eight million people, a thriving economy, and the finest naval and armed forces in the world. The total population in the colonies was only two and a half million, and half a million of these citizens were still pledging allegiance to King George. They were called “loyalists” or “Tories,” and they refused to help the patriots in the war against Britain. There were also half a million slaves, who were not allowed to fight, and two hundred thousand more people who were “neutralists” and would not fight at all. The colonies were not only outnumbered, but they also had no army, no navy, and almost no factories to manufacture the weapons and other supplies they would need. The only advantage they did have was that Britain was three thousand miles away, across the Atlantic Ocean, and would have a hard time supplying its own troops.

  Britain’s goal in the war was to squash the rebellion and force the colonies back under British rule, while America’s goal was to gain total freedom and independence. The first major skirmish was the Battle of Bunker Hill — which actually took place on nearby Breed’s Hill, in Boston. Neither side won. The British should have easily defeated the small amateur militia but, because the undermanned patriots fought so well, the British knew they were in for a difficult fight.

  The British decided that if they could capture New York and the Hudson River, they could cut the colonies in half. During the lengthy Battle of Long Island, British General Sir William Howe almost managed to do just that. He was able to chase General Washington and his untrained soldiers from Brooklyn Heights all the way to Pennsylvania and probably could have defeated the colonists once and for all. But wars were fought very differently in the 1700s and, among other things, most armies took the winter off. Transportation was difficult under any circumstances, and the cold winter months made fighting almost impossible.

  Having succeeded sufficiently for the time being, Howe withdrew back to New York. However, while Howe’s army was resting and the general was busy going to parties and enjoying his holiday season, George Washington led his troops on a sneak Christmas attack. Washington and his militia crossed the Delaware River in boats, surrounded the British fort in Trenton, New Jersey, and forced the one thousand soldiers inside to surrender. Washington and his troops escaped before General Howe’s army could retaliate.

  The war continued in small, indecisive battles during 1777. The British were able to capture Philadelphia and won large battles at Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Edward in New York. But only a few weeks later, the Americans forced over 5,000 British soldiers to surrender at Saratoga. It was the first genuine victory for the United States and the turning point of the war. France, which had remained neutral, now decided that the United States would ultimately prevail, and the French agreed to become an ally. Throughout the rest of the war, the French were often able to provide desperately needed supplies and financial assistance to the colonists. Without this help, the Americans might not have been able to hang on long enough to win the war.

  The winter of 1777–1778 is famous because Washington brought his troops to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, for the winter. Food and clothing were so scarce that as many as 4,000 soldiers — about a third of the army—were barefoot and starving. While this could have permanently destroyed the soldiers’ willpower, these struggles ended up making them stronger. The troops spent the long, cold months being drilled and trained in military tactics. By the time spring arrived, the motley Continental Army had become a group of skilled professional soldiers.

  The war continued on for the next several years. Britain couldn’t manage to win, and the Americans would not give up. Finally, in late 1781, with France’s help, America won a crucial victory at Yorktown, Virginia. They defeated British General Cornwallis, who was forced to surrender his entire British Army of 8,000 men. It was the last real battle of the war.

  The next spring, peace talks began in Paris. Britain officially agreed to grant America its permanent independence and to withdraw all of its remaining troops from the country. America’s victory was complete, and the Treaty of Paris was approved by the Continental Congress on April 15, 1783, and signed in September. It was almost exactly eight years after “the shot heard ’round the world,” and the thirteen colonies had finally become a free and independent nation, the United States of America.

  Typical dress of an eighteenth-century man. The tailored coat buttoned to the waist and then curved away to allow for freedom of movement.

  Eighteenth-century women often wore shawls to fill in the low necklines of their gowns. Aprons were considered fashionable decorations, and caps or bonnets were also popular.

  The main room in an eighteenth-century home, where the family cooked, ate, and worked. The fireplace provided some warmth, but the houses were still quite cold during the winter.

  Teaching manners to children was very important in Colonial America. Many books and behavior, such as The School of Manners, in 1701.

  An excerpt from The School of Manners. borrowed from a famous earlier book called Youths’ Behaviour, or Decency in Conversation Amongst Men. Note that S’s look like F’s.

  Charles Willson Peale was one of the most famous portrait painters of the eighteenth century. He painted some of the best-known portraits of George Washington, such as the one from which the illustration shown here is drawn. His son, Rembrandt Peale, painted this portrait of Martha Washington.

  Martha Washington arrives in her carriage at Valley Forge.

  The young American soldiers slept in tents until they could build log huts. Without proper shelter, enough food, or shoes, the troops were poorly prepared to fight the able British Army.

  The British soldiers were outfitted in formal uniforms.

  Commander in Chief George Washington issued this request, seeking aid for his men, to all people in the Valley Forge area.

  Washington’s Headquarters in Valley Forge.

  The Declaration of Independence, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson over the course of seventeen days, explains why Americans should fight for their freedom from the oppressive British king. “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” it decrees, “that all men are created equal.”

  Lyrics to an early version of the popular song “Yankee Doodle.” The expression Yankee Doodle, coined by the British soldiers, was meant to mock the young American army. But it quickly became the Americans’ rallying cry — and their theme song.

  Modern map of the continental United States, showing the approximate loc
ation of Valley Forge, and the original thirteen colonies.

  This detail of Valley Forge and its outlying areas shows important places and battles sites of the American Revolution.

  About the Author

  KRISTIANA GREGORY is well-known for her accurate and compelling historical fiction for middle-grade and young adult readers, bringing the adventures and struggles of young people during many different times in American history vividly to life. The Revolutionary War period has always held a particular personal interest for her.

  “I’ve always felt a kinship with this period of history because many of my ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War, including one who was camped at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777–1778. His name was William Kern, and he was a sergeant in Daniel Morgan’s 11th Virginia Regiment.

  “One of my visits to Valley Forge was on a Christmas Day. It was bitterly cold and the snow was knee-deep. Shivering, I peered inside one of the log huts and tried to imagine the poor soldiers without shoes or warm clothes. It fascinated me to realize that George Washington had ridden his horse along that very road. My ancestor may have spoken to him.”

  Writing The Winter of Red Snow allowed her to imagine what it really would have been like to watch the young American soldiers prepare for war and also to experience the excitement of meeting George Washington. And though the diary is a work of fiction, most of the events and characters are real, including von Steuben’s 17-year-old interpreter, Pierre Etienne Duponceau, and his polite greyhound, Azor, as well as George Washington’s expense account, which records a payment of “40 shillings a month, plus 4 shillings per dozen pieces” to a laundress named Peggy Lee.