One of the most iconic commemorative works on the American Revolution, William Trego's March to Valley Forge was painted in Philadelphia and exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1883. Trego's inspiration was a passage from Washington Irving's Life of Washington: "Sad and dreary was the march to Valley Forge, uncheered by the recollection of any recent triumph.
...Hungry and cold were the poor fellows who had so long been keeping the field; ...provisions were scant, clothing was worn out, and so badly were they off for shoes, that the footsteps of many might be tracked in blood."