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This is the first book to focus on the six crucial days of Washington’s Gulph Mills Encampment in December 1777, the Threshold to Valley Forge, an overlooked yet pivotal microcosm of the Revolutionary War that changed the entire course of America.
THE BOOK
Threshold to Valley Forge: The Six Days of the Gulph Mills Encampment
Between December 12–19, 1777, General George Washington and his Continental Army encamped in the towering hills of Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania, fifteen miles from Philadelphia. Known as the Threshold to Valley Forge, the Gulph Mills Encampment is often forgotten or minimized, falling between the more famous military engagements of the Philadelphia Campaign and the well-known experience of the army at Valley Forge. Yet, the Gulph Mills Encampment was a significant microcosm of the Revolutionary War and the issues that confronted the Continental Army, the Continental Congress, state governments, and the American citizens who suddenly found themselves on the front lines of the war. This encampment included military encounters with the British; little food, clothing, and shelter for the troops; the celebration of the new nation’s first Thanksgiving, and tough decisions by Washington, including the one to make Valley Forge the army’s winter quarters.
Based largely on writings and documents from soldiers, generals, local residents, the Continental Congress, the British Army, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and Benjamin Franklin and his colleagues who were in France seeking support from the French King Louis XVI, this first book on the Gulph Mills Encampment reveals the fascinating details of Washington’s and the Continental Army’s last stand before and as they moved into winter quarters at Valley Forge.
From Brookline Books, in paperback and e-book, 224 pages, $24.95.
Read more on the About The Book page
PRAISE FOR THRESHOLD TO VALLEY FORGE
“Sheilah Vance’s book, Threshold to Valley Forge, is an important, unique, and detailed examination of the role of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the issues that faced the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania during the pivotal and overlooked Gulph Mills Encampment of the Revolutionary War on December 12 – 19, 1777. This book is a major contribution to Pennsylvania history, to the understanding of the Commonwealth’s significance during the American Revolution, and to the examination of Pennsylvania’s intersectional relationship with General George Washington, the Continental Army, and the Continental Congress during this critical time in the founding and progression of our United States. It is a must-read for every student of the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”—The Honorable Joanna McClinton, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
“Threshold to Valley Forge adds an important, untold chapter to Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary War history. Through extensive research, Vance illuminates how six days in Gulph Mills shaped the Continental Army’s path to Valley Forge, while highlighting the complex challenges faced by Pennsylvanians during this pivotal time.” — The Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr., United States Senator for Pennsylvania
“Often the most familiar things are the least understood. Simply because they are so familiar, we never stop to really look at them. Nowhere is this more true than in American history where we think that we have the whole story, that we see the entire tapestry of events leading to where we are today, when in fact what we have is the barest outline of the facts – a mere sketch. And sometimes, as this book demonstrates, whole chapters can be missing.
Like a restorer of fine art, Sheilah Vance has carefully and lovingly revealed a whole section of that tapestry leading up to the encampment at Valley Forge. As we gaze at the events of the Gulph Mills encampment now restored to our consciousness by this book, we can truly appreciate the sacrifices and hardships of those who fought for the freedom we have today. There is no true understanding of the American Revolution without knowing the events at Valley Forge, and there is no true understanding of Valley Forge without an examination of the Gulph Mills encampment that immediately preceded it.
Perhaps at no other time in American history has it been more important to grow beyond the simplified stories we were taught when we were young into a fuller understanding of where we have come from, which of course enables us to understand who we are and where we are going. This book is a major step in that direction.”—Dave Montalvo, President, King of Prussia Historical Society
This reviewer recommends this book for filling the void and doing so with a trove of wonderful excerpts and images. The primary accounts are numerous and specific to the period while the publisher presents the images in a welcome array of modern and period maps, old photographs and drawings, as well as numerous visual displays of the primary sources: official returns, original letters, advertisements, proclamations, and newspaper excerpts. This presentation is unique and appealing. Together, the sources and the visuals elevate Threshold to Valley Forge to a welcome addition to the Revolutionary War literature.–Journal of the American Revolution
Read more reviews on the About The Book page.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sheilah Vance, Esq.
Sheilah Vance, Esq. grew up on Rebel Hill in Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania and resides in Washington, D.C. She has written and presented extensively about the Philadelphia Campaign of the Revolutionary War. She is the author of the article, “Valley Forge’s Threshold: The Encampment at Gulph Mills,” in the Journal of the American Revolution; the award-winning novel, Becoming Valley Forge; and the mini-ebook, Six Days in December: General George Washington’s and the Continental Army’s Encampment on Rebel Hill and Gulph Mills, December 12–19, 1777. A practicing attorney and higher education administrator, Vance has a BA from Howard University School of Communications and a JD from Georgetown University.
Email Sheilah at svanceauthor@gmail.com or info@thresholdtovalleyforge.com.
