Weekend Event Highlights America's First Freedom Fighters

Ask anyone about the patriots who won America's War for Independence, and the responses would no doubt be predictable: George Washington, Paul Revere, Thomas Paine. But who were the ordinary men and women on the battlefield, in the trenches and behind enemy lines?

Last weekend,  Lock, Stock & Barrel: The World of the Continental Soldier, a symposium hosted by The Friends of Valley Forge Park, answered that question.

Held at both Valley Forge National Historical Park and the Crowne Plaza Valley Forge on March 25-27, the symposium offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the everyday lives of the Revolution's unsung heroes.

Topics ran the gamut from early American espionage to the role of the Liberty Bell as our national icon, focusing primarily on the individuals whose quest for liberty and personal sacrifice helped forge a nation.