A glimpse into the past will be available to Valley Forge National Historical Park visitors next weekend during a re-enactment of the Continental Army's winter encampment there in 1777-78.

From dawn until dusk on Saturday and Sunday, visitors can experience a snapshot of life during the Valley Forge winter encampment and interact with historians and reenactors portraying the Fourth Connecticut Regiment and learn about army provisions and the dedication of the soldiery.

The real Fourth Connecticut Regiment kept detailed notes that were well-preserved over the past 230 years, providing these historians and educators with first-hand accounts of life in the regiment: how they dressed, what they ate, the highs and lows of fighting in the war for independence.

Programs throughout the weekend include:

Saturday 8 a.m.– 5 p.m.

* 10:30 a.m. - Company March: Public is invited to fall in and march with the company from the Visitor Center to the Muhlenberg Brigade Huts

* 11 a.m. – Army Provisions: The challenges of feeding an army

* 12:30 p.m. – Fearsome Footwork: The Basics of Soldiering

* 1:45 p.m. – The Prosperity of our Arms: Musket and Marching Demonstration

* 3:30 p.m. – Cloathing the Troops: Care and clothing provisions for the Connecticut Line

Sunday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

* 12 p.m.– Cleanliness and Appearance: The expectation of a proper appearance in formation

* 1 p.m.– Present, Fit for Duty: The reality of serving at Valley Forge

* 1:30 p.m.– Company Exercise: Marching and Drilling

* 2 p.m. – Neatness and Purity of the Camp: Health and sanitation during the encampment

* 2:30 p.m.– Final formation: Roll call and dismissal of the troops

"Naked and starving as they are, we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery, that they have not been ere this excited by their sufferings, to a general mutiny or dispersion." -- General Washington to Governor George Clinton from Headquarters, Valley Forge February 16, 1778