[Chopping, wood cracking]
[Up-tempo music plays]
NARRATOR: In December 1777, the Continental Army
temporarily transformed Valley Forge
into the fourth-largest city in the nation.
The diverse cultures and ethnicities within the encampment
reflected the future fabric of the United States.
The army was dependent on individuals working together
to support the encampment.
Up to 400 women supported the army as nurses,
laundresses, seamstresses, provisioners, and even spies.
These women and children were exposed
to many of the same hardships and risks as soldiers.
As many as 700 African American soldiers served at Valley Forge.
Some enslaved men were forced by their slaveholders
to enlist and fight in their place.
Free men of color were joined by enslaved men
who enlisted in exchange for the promise of freedom.
African American men and women
also worked as camp followers and servants.
While most American tribes allied themselves with the British,
the Tuscarora, Delaware, Stockbridge-Mohican, and Oneida tribes
supported the Continental Army.
In May, a delegation of 47 Oneida warriors
arrived at Valley Forge to support Washington's Army
by serving as scouts and tracking enemy movements.
According to oral tradition,
the Oneida also brought valuable corn for the encampment...
and instructed the Continentals on how to forage.
After the war, the United States government
betrayed many of their former tribal allies,
breaking treaties and prior promises for land and compensation.
At war's end, some African Americans
were granted freedom for their service...
but many others, despite risking their lives,
were re-enslaved by both the British and American governments.
Throughout the Revolutionary War,
as many as 20,000 women traveled alongside the Continental Army,
contributing to the ultimate victory.
Despite these sacrifices,
women received little acknowledgement or compensation
compared to their male peers.
For the women, American Indians, and African Americans
that sacrificed for the cause of liberty at Valley Forge,
the fight for freedom, equality, and recognition continues.