Two hundred thirty-one years ago this month Colonial troops arrived at Valley Forge

During the American Revolutionary War, General George Washington moved his troops to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania on Dec. 19, 1777. That winter was harsh and history reports that about 2,500 soldiers died. As allies of the colonists during the war, the Oneida Indian Nation carried their corn from their homelands about 300 miles to help alleviate the hunger of Washington’s starving troops during the winter of 1777-78. Oneida oral history reports that an Oneida woman, Polly Cooper, stayed behind after the corn was delivered to help the troops prepare the white corn which was different than the yellow corn the colonists were familiar with. Prior to bringing the corn to Valley Forge, the Oneidas fought at the Battles of Oriskany and Saratoga on the side of the colonists.