The ordeal of the Valley Forge winter encampment is legendary. It was a continuous struggle to feed and clothe the troops, sustain morale and maintain enlistments. After the loss of Philadelphia to the British Army who used it for warm winter quarters, Washington chose a location for his winter quarters that was distant enough at 18 miles to be secure, but close enough to monitor the British. In December, the troops started to fell trees for the hundreds of small cabins where the Continental Army would spend the winter. During the encampment at Valley Forge, an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 soldiers of 12,000 total died from disease, possibly exacerbated by malnutrition and cold, wet weather.
After returning from Morgan’s Rifles, Samuel was re-assigned from the 6th to the 14th Virginia Regiment, under the command of Colonel Charles Lewis. Its other field officers were Lt. Colonel Abraham Buford and Major George Stubblefield, along with Major Cabell. The database at the National Park Service Valley Forge Visitor Center listed Samuel as a regimental inspector, charged with reviewing his troops.
While the 14th Regiment spent the winter at Valley Forge, Samuel was not there the entire time. In his pocket diary, William Cabell notes that during the winter his son Major Samuel Cabell and company officers Alexander Rose and Ben Taliaferro were on furlough, returning to Amherst County to recruit new soldiers. William Cabell paid them for the recruiting services.
Replenishing the ranks was essential. As some two-year enlistments expired, some Continental soldiers reenlisted, but most returned home to continue militia service. As a result of this and similar trends, on April 21, 1778 Washington reported to the President of Continental Congress from Valley Forge that resignations were surging, noting that the Virginia Line had suffered heavily, with at least ninety officers already resigning.
The Virginia 14th Regiment was an exception; rather than reducing in size it grew, in part thanks to the efforts of Samuel, his father and fellow officers. The 14th entered Valley Forge in December 1777 with 288 men assigned and 118 fit for duty. The next spring, they left Valley Forge with 408 men assigned and 225 fit for duty.
By springtime, warmth had returned and Washington set about training his army for fighting to come. He had a Prussian officer lead the effort. Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Stueben brought professional European military expertise which he used to train and instill discipline in the young army. He also reorganizing their units in an effort to prepare for the 1778 Campaign. Major Cabell’s 14th Virginia Regiment was part of Wheedon’s Brigade, General Stirling’s Division. The National Park Service database at Valley Forge Historical Park lists Major Samuel J. Cabell as a regimental inspector, who helped with this effort to make the Continentals into a fighting force that could take on the British Army and win.