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Probably the most obvious symbol of American independence, and the war that was waged to create the nation, is the Liberty Bell, which is housed in Independence Park in downtown Philadelphia. While it's unlikely the Bell was actually used to proclaim the Declaration of Independence (it was in pretty bad shape at the time, apparently) it's become an international icon and relic.
Less iconic but certainly more important from a political perspective is Independence Hall, across the street from where the Bell is housed. It was here that the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated and adopted. This building was literally the delivery room into which the United States was born.
Founding Father and all-around rock star Ben Franklin is buried a couple of blocks away.
It was not at all clear that, once the War commenced, that the new country would succeed. In fact, the odds against their doing so were quite high: At the time England had the most powerful military force in the world, having only a few years before defeated France in the Seven Years' War (aka French & Indian War) in one of the first true world wars.
So much more remarkable, then, was Washington's crossing the partially frozen river that is Philadelphia's (and Pennsylvania's) eastern border to defeat the Hessian troops stationed in Trenton with a successful surprise attack on December 25, 1776.
While an important tactical and political victory the Continental Army's victory at Trenton obviously didn't settle the matter. In fact, Washington's troops pretty frequently took what we'd have called down South an a**-whipping. Several noteworthy battles fought in the 1777 Philadelphia campaign took place within a few miles of here.
At the Battle of Brandywine in mid-September 1777 Washington was outmaneuvered due to poor battlefield intelligence. The fight, one of the largest of the War, nearly led to the destruction of the Continental Army and allowed the British to march unimpeded into the new American capital of Philadelphia.
Remember that most European wars were politically or religiously motivated so the goal of the fight was to capture the capital, at which point the defeated monarch would cry uncle and pay tribute or give up land. Rather than rolling over and giving up the Continental Congress simply moved out of town while the British occupied Philadelphia and the Continental Army, while depleted and depressed, remained viable.
It's likely that members of the Continental Army would have marched down the road in front of our house on their way to Yellow Springs, site of a Revolutionary War hospital. Washington withdrew his men to Yellow Springs in search of ammunition after the Battle of the Clouds (September 16 1777).
A few days later, British troops got the drop on a detachment of Continental soldiers led by General Anthony Wayne, who had himself been planning to ambush the British army. Wayne, who lived in nearby, encamped his troops in Malvern (within a couple of miles of Kenn's office). The British got wind of Wayne's plans and executed a devastating bayonet and sword attack on the unsuspecting American camp after midnight.
On December 19th 1777 the Army marched into an area that was home to an iron forge west of Philadelphia and began establishing its winter encampment at Valley Forge.
There's plenty to intrigue and satisfy the history buff in southeastern PA. Beyond the Revolutionary War sites, the most obvious might be the Battle of Gettysburg fought during the War of Northern Aggression (Civil War for those who didn't grow up in the South), but plenty of important stuff has happened here. More on that later.
walking Karma in Valley Forge National Historical Park - Sunday 22 Jan 2012
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