The President of Congress wrote that Washington "lives himself in a Hut, that is a little temporary Cabin such as one inhabited by the poorest Boor", which is exaggeration bordering on slander. Washington lived in a tent for his first week at Valley Forge, but then moved into the Potts house with his entourage. The rest of his soldiers were housed in temporary log cabins built around the valley. Anyway, the house is a compromise between Washington's need to convey the image of a leader, but not place himself too far above the people he leads.