Valley Forge, the 1778 winter encampment of Washington’s Continental Army, is the stuff of legend and lore. Tales of brutal temperatures, bare footed soldiers and near starvation are what come to mind when recollecting middle school American History courses. Rick Herrera set out to understand the strategic importance of Valley Forge and the logistics challenges that Washington and his staff overcame. He captures many lessons still applicable today in his new book Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778, and he’s in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss it.
Every real historian is a revisionist. If your name was Thucydides you’re revising what was done. If your name was Herodotus, you were doing the same thing. If you’re just repeating the same old silly stories, you are not a historian.
Podcast: Download
Rick Herrera is Visiting Professor, Department of National Security and Strategy, U.S. Army War College and an award-winning historian. He is most recently the author of Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778 (University of North Carolina Press, 2021).
Ron Granieri is Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense.
Photo Description: Valley Forge National Historic Park
Photo Credit: Thomas James Caldwell via Wikimedia Commons
