A Tribute to the memory, character and position of Washington, the Father of American independence, with a biographical sketch of his beloved wife Martha, together with Chateaubriand's interview with Washington, a poem entitled The dawn of liberty, and a beautiful couplet on seeing his grave at Mount Vernon
x, 205 pages, [8] pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Notes
Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-200) and index.
Contents
Setting the stage : the war, army, and community -- Martha Washington at Valley Forge : "the worthy partner of the worthiest of men" -- Martha Washington at the other encampments : a resolute and loyal lady -- Catharine Greene and Lucy Knox : the ladies come to Valley Forge -- Rebekah Biddle, Lady Stirling, and Alice Shippen at Valley Forge : "I should not be sorry to see you here" -- The women with Washington's "family" : slaves, servants, and spies -- Camp women at Valley Forge : "a caravan of wild beasts" -- Camp women with the Continental Army : cannonballs and cooking kettles -- The general returns to Valley Forge : a distinguished officer's musings -- Appendix: Making the myth of Martha Washington : nineteenth-century fantasy vs. eighteenth-century reality.
Summary
"[This book] tells the story of the forgotten women who spent the winter of 1777-78 with the Continental Army at Valley Forge -- from those on society's lowest rungs to ladies of the upper echelon. Poor, dirty beings who clung to the very edge of survival, many camp women were soldiers' wives who worked as the army's washerwomen, nurses, cooks, or seamstresses. Though these women's written correspondence is scarce, author Nancy Loane uses sources such as issued military orders, pension depositions after the war, and soldiers' descriptions to bring these women to life. Other women at the encampment were of higher status: they traveled with Washington's entourage when the army headquarters shifted from place to place and served the general as valued cooks, laundresses, or housekeepers ... Drawing from diary entries and letters, Following the drum illuminates the experiences of these ladies, including Martha Washington, Lucy Knox, and Lady Stirling, during the encampment and then traces their lives after the Revolutionary War"--Jacket.
From the Collection of the Heritage Center Museum, P00.35.3.
On first flyleaf before title page is written in ink: "Francis Mylin Miller/ Lampeter Township/ Lancaster County"; on first flyleaf before back cover is is written in ink: Mylin's Book/ Conistoga Township Lancaster/ County State of Pennsylvania./ January 2nd "on inside back cover are other signatures of Francis Mylin. No map.
The Washingtoniana: containing a sketch of the life and death of the late Gen. George Washington, with a collection of elegant eulogies, orations, poems, &c., sacred to his memory
A detailed account of the engagements around Whitemarsh, PA, December 5-8 1777, which ended with Washington's forces retiring to Valley Forge. "After the reverses at Brandywine, Paoli and Germantown, it was significant that the skirmishes around Whitemarsh constituted an important moral victory for the American cause, for had General Howe succeeded in destroying the Continental Army by his well planned surprise attack, there might very well have been no Valley Forge!" [from the foreward]
Pub. under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce of Reading, Pennsylvania,
Date of Publication
1931.
Physical Description
p. 7-162 p. front., illus., pl., ports., facsims. 24 cm.
Notes
Illustrated lining-papers.
"Notes and authorities": p. 151-156.
Contents
Chapters: Early Association // The Garrison Village // The campaign of the upper schuylkill // The choice of winter quarters- Reading or Valley Forge // The Conway Cabal // Warriors in undress , Part One, The native born // Warriors in undress , part 2 , The soldiers of fortune // Washington's visit to Reading in 1793 // Washington's visit to Reading in 1794 // The catafalque (response to Washington's death )
