1778.4
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Ewing Reports Playing "At Base" and Wicket at Valley Forge - with the Father of his Country
| Salience | Noteworthy |
|---|---|
| Tags | Military, FamousMilitary, Famous |
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| City/State/Country: | [[{{{Country}}}]] |
| Modern Address | |
| Game | WicketWicket |
| Immediacy of Report | |
| Age of Players | |
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| Text | George Ewing, a Revolutionary War soldier, tells of playing a game of "Base" at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: "Exercisd in the afternoon in the intervals playd at base. Caveat: It is unknown whether this was a ball game, rather than prisoner's base, a form of tag. Ewing also wrote: "[May 2d] in the afternoon playd a game at Wicket with a number of Gent of the Arty . . . ." And "This day [May 4, 1778] His Excellency dined with G Nox and after dinner did us the honor to play at Wicket with us." Ewing, G., The Military Journal of George Ewing (1754-1824), A Soldier of Valley Forge [Private Printing, Yonkers, 1928], pp 35 ["base"] and 47 [wicket]. Also found at John C. Fitzpatrick, The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799. Volume: 11. [U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, 1931]. page 348. Submitted by John Thorn, 10/12/2004. The text of Ewing's diary is unavailable at Google Books as of 11/17/2008. Also note: "Q. What did soldiers do for recreation? "A: During the winter months the soldiers were mostly concerned with their survival, so recreation was probably not on their minds. As spring came, activities other than drills and marches took place. "Games" would have included a game of bowls played with cannon balls and called "Long Bullets." "Base" was also a game - the ancestor of baseball, so you can imagine how it might be played; and cricket/wicket. George Washington himself was said to have took up the bat in a game of wicket in early May after a dinner with General Knox! . . . Other games included cards and dice . . . gambling in general, although that was frowned upon." From the website of Historic Valley Forge; see http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/youasked/067.htm, accessed 10/25/02. Note: it is possible that the source of this material is the Ewing entry above, but we're hoping for more details from the Rangers at Valley Forge. In 2010, we're still hoping. |
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1778.4 Ewing Reports Playing "At Base" and Wicket at Valley Forge - with the Father of his Country"
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