Customer Reviews

Valley Forge (Cornerstones of Freedom)

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The "Cornerstones of Freedom" series does an excellent job of providing in depth information about historical events for students in upper elementary or junior high school. "Valley Forge" starts with the American Army avoiding barely avoiding being annihilated at the Battle of Brandywine. In the brutal winter of 1777 the colonial army limped into Valley Forge a disorganized and low on supplies and morale. The two things R. Conrad Stein's book focuses on are the severe conditions the troops faced and how they were transformed into a more professional fighting force. Students will learn about not only the leadership shown by commanding general George Washington, but also the efforts by Nathanael Greene to provide better equipment and Baron Friedrich von Steuben to drill the troops in marching and shooting. The improvement was seen the following year at the Battle of Monmouth. This book is filled with paintings and etchings from the 18th and 19th centuries along with contemporary photographs of the National Park. One of the strengths of this book is that Stein often uses quotations from the ordinary soldiers and military leaders of the American army to flesh out the narrative. I found these quite effective in giving young readers a better sense of what things were like at Valley Forge.