We visited Valley Forge National Park today and drove around the park loop, acquainting ourselves with Washington’s winter encampment. We were driving through the area and had arrived at our hotel at King of Prussia early and wanted to pass the time. We were amazed at what a show the National Park Service has put on for visitors, especially in light of our recent visit to Waterloo in Belgium last month. I don’t remember any reconstructed soldier’s tents in Belgium, but here at Valley Forge there were many reconstructed huts to give you a good idea of the life of the common soldiers. A real canon stood there for your examination. You could pose beside it. An interpreter stood by dressed in a costume of the time period to answer questions. The statue of Washington on a horse was awesome. The Valley Forge Memorial Arch looks as if it was constructed yesterday and was kept in excellent condition with plenty of parking for everyone to see it.
I contrast this with the Lion’s Mound at Waterloo, which really has nothing to do with Napoleon and is the largest monument there. It’s not well kept up, and the steps look dangerous. There was little parking anywhere, and the parking lot wasn’t even paved. Pot holes filled up with water for Waterloo’s 200th anniversary celebration.
Waterloo was the most important battle in European history in the 19th century. Valley Forge was just an encampment. But the Park Service does more for the memory of General Washington (even sponsoring scholarly lectures free for the public about the great man and announcing them on park bulletin boards). Europe does far less for the memory of one of its greatest generals and emperors.
