Supply Crisis at the Encampment's Outset

Supplies for the Continental Army had dried up in large part due to neglect by Congress, so that by the end of December 1777 Washington had no way to feed or adequately clothe his soldiers. The Continental Congress had authorized a reorganization of the supply department in May and June 1777, but the crisis persisted as the army settled into Valley Forge. There the army struggled to manage a disastrous supply crisis while simultaneously retraining and reorganizing its units to mount counterattacks against the British.