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Society of the Descendants of Washington's Army at Valley Forge

Until the Bicentennial of American Independence, there had been no general effort to draw up the Roll of perhaps as many as 3,000 soldiers who died in and around Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, while encamped there with His Excellency, General George Washington during that fateful winter of 1777-1778, and the months that followed.

The Society of the Descendants of Washington's Army at Valley Forge was founded on March 25, 1976, by Mr. Donald G. Cronan of Manhasset, New York, for the purpose of compiling the Roll, and of preserving the identity of the individual soldiers, especially those who lie in unmarked graves.

The first meeting of the Society was held in Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge on October 23, 1976, as part of a military ceremony prior to the Organizational Committee Meeting held at the Washington Memorial Chapel Library. The launching of the Society was a Federally-registered Bicentennial project, and the first Encampment of its members took place over Washington's Birthday weekend in 1978, to commemorate the anniversary of the encampment of the Continental Army. The Society Encampment has become an annual event, scheduled to take place in the time frame of the original encampment, from December 19 through June 19.

Website at http://my.execpc.com/~drg/widwavf.html