USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -By Frank E. Grizzard, Jr. Almost everyone is familiar with the great suffering that George Washington’s troops endured while encamped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in the winter of 1777-1778.

Detailed explanation-2: -In 1775, when enlisting in the Continental Army, soldiers were supposed to be issued certain supplies to meet their basic needs including clothing, a canteen for water, a blanket for warmth, a knapsack to carry supplies, as well as arms and ammunition.

Detailed explanation-3: -Waging the War If the Franco-American alliance was one of Congress’s greatest successes, funding and supplying the war were among its worst failures. Lacking a pre-existing infrastructure, Congress struggled throughout the war to provide the Continental Army with adequate supplies and provisions.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Commissary Department’s main task was to purchase, pack, and distribute rations of food and supplies to the Continental Army. At Valley Forge, especially at the beginning of the encampment, the Commissary Department’s role was critical to the survival of the army.

Detailed explanation-5: -In the spring of 1781 the New England states again came through with provisions, thanks largely to the efforts of Major General William Heath, whom Washington sent to request help. Congress then established a new system whereby private contractors, instead of the states, procured, delivered, and issued the rations.