"To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace."
--George Washington in his first annual address to the Congress in 1790
Think this past year was hard? Well, it was. But the 4th of July 1782 in the Wyoming Valley (modern day Wilkes-Barre, PA) was a massacre for American Patriots--a grim reminder that life in the past was fraught was hardships and danger.
George Washington at Valley Forge.