Ricardo A. Herrera, PhD
Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778
In this major new history of the Continental Army’s Grand Forage of 1778, award-winning military historian Ricardo A. Herrera uncovers what daily life was like for soldiers during the darkest and coldest days of the American Revolution: the Valley Forge winter.
Here, the army launched its largest and riskiest operation—not a bloody battle against British forces but a campaign to feed itself and prevent starvation or dispersal during the long encampment. Herrera brings to light the army’s herculean efforts to feed itself, support local and Continental governments, and challenge the British Army.
Highlighting the missteps and triumphs of both General George Washington and his officers as well as ordinary soldiers, sailors, and militiamen, Feeding Washington’s Army moves far beyond oft-told, heroic, and mythical tales of Valley Forge and digs deeply into its daily reality, revealing how close the Continental Army came to succumbing to starvation and how strong and resourceful its soldiers and leaders actually were.
Selected History Camp Author Discussions related to the Revolutionary War:
Maureen Taylor—Images of the Revolutionary War Generation
Stephen L. Kling, Jr.—The American Revolutionary War in the West
Selected History Camp presentations related to the Revolutionary War:
JL Bell — William Dawes Before and After his Ride
Christopher Davis — The Boston Tea Party: Separating Myth from Reality after 250 Years
Bob Allison — 1773: What Else Happened Besides the Tea Party?
[Recorded January 12, 2023 and rebroadcast on January 23, 2025]
Ricardo A. Herrera, PhD, began his career as an armor and cavalry officer in the U.S. Army. He is Senior Historian, George Washington Leadership Institute, George Washington Presidential Library, and Professor Emeritus, U.S. Army War College. An award-winning historian, Rick Herrera is the author of Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778; For Liberty and the Republic: The American Citizen as Soldier, 1775–1861; and of numerous articles and essays. His forthcoming book is the tentatively titled, A Most Uncommon Soldier: The Life, Letters, and Journal of Edward Ashley Bowen Phelps, 1814–1893, an edited collection to be published by the University Press of Kansas. A graduate of Marquette University (PhD, 1998) and the University of California, Los Angeles (BA, 1984), Herrera has taught at Mount Union College and Texas Lutheran University.
