Author Archives: savagesc

A Deep Dive into the Digital Archives

by Sarah Savage

Upon my brainstorming session for the second blog post assignment this semester, I found that I struggled in narrowing down my interests into a concise post. But after browsing the archives for a little, I found that something I wanted to research further and learn more about was the Battle at Valley Forge. I think it is safe to say that we are all probably somewhat familiar with the broader details regarding this battle, like that it was fought from 1777-1778 and was commanded by General George Washington. Since it is such a well-known battle of the American revolution, I figured that I should know more about it (at least to the point where I know vaguely what I am talking about if the topic were ever to arise in dinner conversation, perhaps).

So I conducted some preliminary research on the battle, just so I was familiar with the basics. If Wikipedia is as reliable as I would like to believe it is, then this battle was actually the third of eight winter encampments of the continental army during the years of the war. Additionally, the battle has been credited with being the “Birthplace of the American Army” because it was believed to be the first battle where the continental army formed a strong, concise unit and fought as a whole. Valley Forge is located around twenty-five miles outside of Philadelphia, and George Washington made the decision to camp there for that very reason-to be close to the British who were stationed in Philadelphia. I was in search of an artifact from this battle that really captured this unity and camaraderie that Valley Forge was best known for, and eventually I found myself browsing around the paintings of Valley Forge on the “Digital Public Library of America” database. I was pleased to discover that there were, in fact, several notable paintings from this battle, so I decided to choose the two that I liked best.

The first painting I decided to focus on was William T. Trego’s oil on canvas entitled “The March to Valley Forge.” Upon inspection of this painting, I realized that the faces of Trego’s soldiers are nowhere near happy and absolutely did not capture this unified front that we know of now. Then I thought, “well duh, I don’t think I would be too happy either in temperatures less than ten degrees…” I found out that Trego’s inspiration for the depressing hues and faces of his painting was actually a quote from Washington Irving’s “Life of George Washington” which read: “Sad and dreary was the march to Valley Forge.”

Trego: The March to Valley Forge

The second artifact that I found interesting was actually a map of the encampment at Valley Forge that was drawn in 1778. This map was difficult to decipher in my opinion because I had trouble reading the key. There was a number of strange symbols that I could not quite understand, but this made it even more interesting in a way. Click the link and let me know if you can understand it!

 

Oh, That’s What That Building is! A Museum!

By: Sarah Savage

After reading the potential museum options for this blog post assignment, I found myself gravitating towards the Old Exchange and Provost’s Dungeon. I can’t explain why I chose this one really, perhaps because I had never heard of it before, or maybe even because the word “dungeon” piqued my interest. Either way, I made my decision, and punched 122 East Bay Street into my GPS and I was on my way. When Siri informed me that I had arrived at my destination, I was surprised to discover that I was actually familiar with the building that was the Old Exchange. I had passed by it several times in the four years that I have lived in Charleston, but never knew what it was. The building had always intrigued me, but it is right smack dab in the middle of tourist central, so I suppose that’s why I never investigated further. Once I walked up the grand steps, I was greeted by a man in an authentic colonial costume. I thought to myself, “Damn, I like this place already.” Once inside, my spirits were once again lifted when I spoke to the lovely elderly lady behind the counter (also dressed in colonial garb) and she informed me that there was a student discount. Score! Once I started walking around the museum, I couldn’t help but think to myself that there was a lot of open or empty space that was not being utilized. Maybe this was just an OCD observation, but I felt as though there was so much more room for other displays. There were several portraits on the walls, including descriptions which I enjoyed reading. Additionally, I loved the fact that the museum’s artifacts and displays were tailored around Charleston itself. We were given pictures of Washington in Charleston, as well as a brief biography of Francis Marion. Perhaps the most interesting display that I came across in the entire museum was the one that described the lives of women during the eighteenth century. Don’t get me wrong, battle history is always interesting, as well as the words of Jefferson and Franklin, but what about the women? There are unfortunately not many women who rose to notable status during this time, because someone had to be at home making dinner and raising the children. And I think that the part that women played in this time period is just as historically important as any other aspect of the American Revolution. The two displays were titled “Women in Public Life” and “Private and Family Life”. I found this display both intriguing as well as important because it is so often overlooked. The first sentence really set the tone for me: “Women’s lives within the public realm were heavily regulated both culturally and legally.” I was so interested in this text because it showed that women really did not have any shred of agency. I was shocked, however, to discover that the state of South Carolina “had one of the highest rates of female property ownership in the colonies.” I can’t say that I expected this from the state of South Carolina, but I am certainly impressed nonetheless. My favorite part of this display, however, were the words of colonial women taken from their own journals. These women relay their stresses and fatigues with their personal and privatized lives, and these quotes make for an excellent primary source.