Valley Forge, outside Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), has long been recognized as the site of a great victory of the human spirit. Eleven thousand men including Blacks and Indians resided there during the winter of 1777-78 and triumphed over cold, starvation, nakedness, disease, and uncertainty. The encampment site was unprepared for the tattered, hungry army, and soldiers had to build their own huts to shelter them from the cold and snow. During the long, bitter winter, the lack of food, clothing and proper sanitation led to epidemics of pneumonia, dysentery, typhoid, and typhus, and an estimated 3,000 men died. Officers, including General George Washington, fared little better. Discipline was a constant problem as desertions escalated, and the punishment for pillaging and theft was whipping. While at Valley Forge, Washington oversaw the training of his soldiers in proper military tactics by Friedrich von Steuben. Amusements among the soldiers, especially after spring arrived, included cricket and an early form of baseball, and the officers enjoyed dancing lessons and dining with Washington as social activities. Washington's personal influence during the long and agonizing ordeal was in many respects a key factor in the army's endurance. (DJC)