For soldiers in times of war, it might seem that conflict offers few moments of quiet reflection, let alone prayer.

Consider the gravity of the moment. After entering winter quarters at Valley Forge in December 1777 with 12,000 men, Washington and his group encountered lack of

food, proper clothing, poor shelter and extreme cold. Disease would ravage his troops, and historians estimate between 2,000-3,000 soldiers had died. Washington begged the Continental Congress for supplies, to no avail, and by February, he was merely trying to maintain morale

and prevent desertion.

The story of Washington kneeling in prayer originated from Isaac Potts, who recounted it some 40 years after it happened to his pastor, Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden. As the story goes, Potts was riding alone one day when he found General Washington

praying alone in the Valley Forge woods. Potts was originally against the war, but was moved and had a change of heart upon seeing Washington in prayer.

While historians have had difficulty in proving the veracity of the moment, there can be no mistaking the powerful imagery it conjures in our imagination. After all, this involved one of the greatest Americans of all time.

He is our first president, memorialized by monuments, public works, stamps, currency - places across the nation, including our capital. Authentic or not, the consideration of that instance offers a moving scene as we contemplate what took place during Washington’s darkest hours.