Society of the Descendants of Washington’s Army at Valley Forge
Member jure William Darby; member no. 3371
Member jure William Darby; member no. 3371
The Society of the Descendants of Washington’s Army at Valley Forge (DVF) is a lineage society dedicated to preserving the memory of those who served in the Continental Army during the harsh winter encampment at Valley Forge from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. Membership is open to any individual who can prove lineal descent from a soldier who served under General George Washington at Valley Forge during this defining moment of the American Revolution.
William Darby, born circa 1760, served as a drummer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of Captain Laurence Keene’s company and is listed in the Valley Forge Muster Roll, confirming his presence during the brutal winter encampment of 1777-1778. Darby’s role as a drummer was not ornamental, he was part of the Army’s essential communications system.
During his extended service from 1777 to 1783, Darby reportedly participated in key battles, including Germantown, Princeton, Monmouth, and Brandywine. He also appears in the records as a drummer in Captain Davis’s company. The position of drummer was both dangerous and indispensable, often placing boys and young men like Darby near the front lines to transmit crucial signals by sound. His endurance through the war’s many trials speaks to his resilience and commitment to the revolutionary cause.
In the 18th century, before the age of portable radios or electronic communication, armies relied on a structured system of drumbeats and signals to coordinate movement, enforce discipline, and communicate commands across the noise and confusion of battle. Drummers were trained to execute a wide vocabulary of beats, each with specific meaning: calls to arms, assembly, retreat, advance, firing drills, and even wake-up and lights-out routines.
In camp, drummers regulated the soldiers’ daily schedule. On the battlefield, they were indispensable. Officers would issue an order, and the drummer would render it instantly audible to the entire unit. In this way, a single drummer’s rhythm could shift the direction of a regiment or trigger coordinated action across the field. Drummers also helped maintain morale, their steady cadence offering psychological structure in moments of chaos.
Because of their central function, drummers were often targeted by the enemy, both to disrupt communication and demoralize troops. Yet despite this, many were young, sometimes as young as twelve, and many, like William Darby, demonstrated remarkable bravery under fire.
After the war, William Darby married Signet Rushton in Randolph County, North Carolina. Around 1805, he migrated to Ohio, eventually settling in what is now Vinton County. He remarried in 1809, this time to Hannah Andrew, and became a landowner, receiving 80 acres in Jackson County in 1826 as part of federal land grants to veterans. William Darby died on April 30, 1836. Though originally buried near Allensville, Ohio, his remains were later honored with a granite monument erected in Bell Cemetery by his descendants in 1915.
Additional memberships will be added as they are approved.
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