Commander in Chief's Guard Huts

These log huts represent the dwellings where soldiers in the "life guard" camped at Valley Forge.

NPS Photo / G. Purifoy

Quick Facts

Location:

Near Washington's Headquarters in Valley Forge National Historical Park

Significance:

Location of dwellings used by General George Washington's Life Guard

Designation:

Reconstructed log huts

Amenities

2 listed

Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

The Commander in Chief's guard huts are reconstructed log structures representing the quarters where soldiers of General George Washington's guard lived during the Valley Forge encampment.

This special detachment was created to protect the Commander in Chief, his official family, and his equipment, supplies, and papers. During the American Revolution, Washington required that each "life guard," as they called themselves, be born in North America, not in Great Britain. It was assumed such men would be loyal, as they had a vested interest in the success of the war.

Today, the tradition of the "life guard" continues in the form of the Third United States Infantry, a unit that stands guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington.