Page "belles_lettres" Paragraph 1177

If the hardships of the winter at Valley Forge were trying for healthy men, they were, of course, much more so for those not in good health.

Daniel Morgan's rheumatic condition worsened with the increase of the cold and damp weather.

He had braved the elements and the enemy, but the strain, aided by the winter, was catching up with him at last.

Also, he was now forty-three years old.

The mild activity of his command during the sojourn of the troops at Valley Forge could be handled by a subordinate, he felt, so like Henry Knox, equally loyal to Washington, who went to Boston at this time, Morgan received permission to visit his home in Virginia for several weeks.

In his absence, the rifle regiment was under the command of Major Thomas Posey, another able Virginian.