Today, in 1778, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to begin formal training of the Continental Army. The Minutemen and state Militias were important in the early days of the Revolution, but we didn’t win Independence until we had a professional, disciplined regular Army. Something to keep in mind this year.

This morning, in 1776, General Washington led a rag-tag Continental Army across the Delaware and surprised the Hessians in the Battle of Trenton. Though final victory was still 5 years away, the victory at Trenton provided an important morale boost in the Revolution’s darkest hours.