Parade Grounds - Valley Forge

The grand parade grounds, here at the center of the encampment, is the only terrain expansive enough for drilling mass brigades. In simulated battle, General Von Steuben sent his troops back and forth across rough ground in preparation for the eventual campaign against the British forces.

General Von Steuben stressed the use of bayonets. Before this time, the Americans had never been trained in close combat tactics. Bayonet charges decided the outcomes of most battles in the 18th Century.

On May 6,1778, General Washington reviewed all of his troops on this grand parade ground in celebration of the signing of the French Treaty of Alliance. Cannon smoke clouded the field and the roar of muskets crisscrossed the parade grounds as thousands of double-ranked troops performed the feu de joie (fire of joy).

The signing of the Treaties of Commerce and Alliance with France was a crucial step toward victory. For the first time a major power officially recognized the independence of the United States, assuring a steady flow of foreign aid. France soon became Great Britain's open enemy.