At Valley Forge, deep snow covered the shabby fort.

The temperatures at the icy, snowy camp were rarely above freezing.

Food was scarce.

Many soldiers had no shoes.

Hope grew dim.

Some whispered that the army should give up.

One night a young soldier stepped forward and asked quietly, “General, do you think we can survive the winter?”

For a moment, George did not answer. The firelight flickered across the frozen camp. Then he straightened his shoulders saying, “Yes, because we will not quit.”

Every night he walked through the camp, encouraging the ragged soldiers.

Cold, hungry, determined. If he stood, the army would stand.

The army needed hope, and that’s when George made a bold decision.

Directly across the icy Delaware River, a huge number of British troops were camped. They confidently believed the exhausted Americans had already lost the war.

They were soon proved wrong.