Valley Forge

Originally Aired: October 9, 1940 Cavalcade of America #195, "Valley Forge," presents Maxwell Anderson's poetic drama of the Continental Army's darkest hour. At Valley Forge in the winter of 1778, General George Washington struggles to hold together a starving, freezing army on the brink of collapse. His soldiers, including the desperate Teague and the ailing Neil, debate desertion as they subsist on filthy rations and face the grim reality that Congress has failed to supply them. When Lieutenant Cutting arrives with General Howe's well-fed dog, which has wandered from British-occupied Philadelphia, Washington seizes the opportunity to send a pointed message to his enemy, noting his astonishment that deserters seem to be running toward Valley Forge rather than away from it. The action shifts to Philadelphia, where General Howe enjoys elaborate entertainments with his officers, including Major Andre's theatrical masquerade mocking the ragged colonials. When Spad delivers Washington's letter and Howe's dog, the British commander receives troubling intelligence that France will soon ally with the American cause. As Washington fights to preserve his army and his dream of free men governing themselves, and as Howe contemplates how to exploit the colonial army's dire circumstances, the fate of the revolution hangs in the balance.