Caption title. One sheet bearing two blank copies of the loyalty oath to the United States of America. This version of the oath was adopted by Congress in 1778, with the recommendation that it be signed in duplicate, one for the signer to keep and one for the commander-in-chief who would forward it on to Congress. Receiving the order during the harsh winter at Valley Forge, General Washington delayed administering the oaths to his men, writing that "owing to the state of the Army … there were some strong reasons which made it expedient to defer the matter."