# Was Valley Forge unusually cold when Washington was there?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-valley-forge-unusually-cold-when-washington-was-there/1013257>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 22, 2025, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-valley-forge-unusually-cold-when-washington-was-there/1013257 "2025-01-22T17:30:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-valley-forge-unusually-cold-when-washington-was-there/1013257/61 "2025-01-28T14:33:30Z")

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Only the tough survive. And they expect a life of almost no creature comforts and are duly “rewarded” with the same.

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**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-valley-forge-unusually-cold-when-washington-was-there/1013257/62 "2025-01-28T21:06:56Z")

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The Thames river was wider then, and flowed more sluggishly due to the obstruction of London Bridge.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2025, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-valley-forge-unusually-cold-when-washington-was-there/1013257/63 "2025-01-30T22:09:04Z")

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> [@mcgato](#):
>
> I’m not sure how accurate it is, but note that the famous “Washington Crossing the Delaware” painting has a couple of guys in the boat pushing ice away from the boat. I can’t remember the last time there was ice on the Delaware, much less in late December.

Not accurate it all. The painter, Emanuel Leutze, first painted it (there were several versions) in 1850, long after any witnesses had died. Leutze was of German descent, and painted it to inspire revolutionary movements in Europe.

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**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-valley-forge-unusually-cold-when-washington-was-there/1013257/64 "2025-02-01T21:41:17Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Not accurate it all. The painter, Emanuel Leutze, first painted it (there were several versions) in 1850, long after any witnesses had died.

Sure. But the fact there is ice pictured does not make the painting wrong, nor Geo. standing up. The type of boats used were _considerably_ different. But artistic license and all that.

In fact this cite indicates there was indeed ice-

> **[DRBC Outreach/Education](https://www.nj.gov/drbc/public/outreach/crossing.html#:~:text=George%20Washington%20and%20his%20Continental,temperatures%20ranging%20from%2029%20to)**
>
> DRBC: Washington Crosses the Delaware River

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