Geoff Baggett

Little Camp Follower Geoff Baggett

Elizabeth Yeisley was mature beyond her years. As the oldest of five daughters in a fatherless home, she had no choice but to grow up fast. Her father, Michael Yeisley, was a soldier in the German Regiment of the Continental Army. He was deployed on the battlefields of Pennsylvania, fighting under General George Washington for independence from Great Britain. The war was not going well for the American cause. The British occupied the capital at Philadelphia. Redcoats were swarming throughout the countryside. Washington's army lost one battle after another. The prospects for a victorious American nation seemed quite grim. Like so many others in eastern Pennsylvania, Elizabeth and her family lost their home in the fighting. The only way they could find food and shelter was to go in search of her father and join the Continental Army as "camp followers." Their journey would lead them to a cold, muddy, hunger-filled encampment known in American history as Valley Forge. Little Camp Follower is the story of one brave little girl who became a part of Washington's army. Hers is a uniquely American story of unspeakable difficulties and incredible bravery.