Aides-de-Camp Office

The first room on the right on entering the Headquarters was a beehive of activity. Washington's military aides, six to ten in number, used this room for the bureaucratic business of managing a war. The aides-de-camp were required to make three handwritten copies of each official document, using the implements available at the time including quills pens, inkwells, and sanders. At 2:00 P.M. every day, the papers and documents were put aside, the tables pushed together and the English creamware removed from the recessed cabinet as the office was transformed into a dining room for the general and his aides. With all the officers together, Washington used this time wisely for group discussion and planning. In the evening, all furniture would have been pushed aside to make room for sleeping. No space was wasted when fifteen to twenty-five people shared a house of this size.

Set around three tables are several types of informal chairs commonly used in 18th century homes. Light, durable chairs like these were ideal for use by the officers while copying documents and answering correspondence. The aides-de-camp that occupied these seats included John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton. At times the Marquis de Lafayette could also be found here. These long hours spent working and eating together helped foster a bond between these young men and Washington that lasted throughout their lives.

Photograph by Carol M. Highsmith
Valley Forge National Historical Park