Kathleen Coulter, MSed
An Army of Skeletons: The Politics of Washington’s Fight to Save the Continental Army At Valley Forge
This presentation will examine the challenges to George Washington’s leadership of the Continental Army while at Valley Forge from 1777–1778. Washington dealt decisively with multiple challenges, including supplying the Army (on their way to the winter encampment as well as feeding the Army while it was there), maintaining his Officer Corps (there were many that were leaving the Army due to lack of pay), keeping his job as Commander of the Army (this challenge was known as the Conway Cabal), and preparing the Army to fight the next campaign (with the help of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben). Significantly, this earned him greater confidence from his subordinate officers and soldiers, secured his position as Commander of the Army, and gained critical political support from members of the Second Continental Congress.
Kathleen Coulter, MSed, is an Army veteran and middle school social studies teacher in western New York. A native of the Boston area, she strives to bring a touch of local Boston history into many of her lessons. She is also an avid traveler, who loves to incorporate the historical background into the area that she explores with her family. Her current area of research is foreign fighters in the Revolutionary War in anticipation for the 250th Independence celebration.
