Washington's War Tent

General George Washington's original sleeping and office tent from the Revolutionary War was carefully preserved by generations of the Custis and Lee families following the deaths of George and Martha Washington. In 1909, Reverend W. Herbert Burk of Norristown, Pennsylvania, purchased the tent from Miss Mary Custis Lee, daughter of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Reverend Burk considered the tent the “supreme relic of Washington” and he made it the centerpiece of an American history museum he established at Valley Forge. Reverend Burk’s Valley Forge Historical Society, the predecessor organization of the Museum of the American Revolution, served as the longtime steward of Washington’s tent.
Object Details
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Tent
Reading, Pennsylvania
1777-1778
Linen, Wool
Museum of the American Revolution
2003.00.0897-2003.00.0898
Washington's War Tent Film
Follow the remarkable journey of General George Washington's headquarters tent from the Revolutionary War to the present in the Museum's signature Washington's War Tent film, highlighted by the reveal of the real tent. Watch a preview of the full Wasington's War Tent film, which is produced by Donna Lawrence Productions and airs daily in the Alan B. Miller Theater (second floor) at the Museum.
Among His Troops Online Exhibit

Explore the online exhibit inspired by French-born Continental Army engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant's 1782 watercolor painting depicting the encampment at Verplanck's Point, New York, which includes the only known wartime image of General George Washington's headquarters tent. The online exhibit was adapted from the Museum's 2018 exhibition of the same name.
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Washington's War Tents

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Frequently Asked Questions: Washington's War Tent

Washington's War Tent During the Civil War: Surviving the Civil War

Washington's War Tent After the Civil War: Reclaiming History

Camp Equipage for George Washington
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