Description: A persuasive history detailing how the Continental Army was fed at Valley Forge in the deadly winter of 1778. Packed with names, places, and details. A tour de force! Herrera states “this book contends that the Continental Army at Valley Forge was a field army engaged in active operations.”
My Review …
A history book — NOT a novel and packed with tons of information. I can see this as a textbook in an advanced class at any of the military academies. Definitely, a reference book to be used in the study of Valley Force. Insight into the Leadership of George Washington. Herrera provides very detailed information about the forages.
Very interesting reading about the leaders on both sides of the conflict. No “punches were pulled”. If the person was weak and/or ineffectual, Herrera plainly states why. The same is for those who led well.
The author is a professor of military history at the School of Advanced Military Studies at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. His knowledge shows throughout the book.
For this reviewer who is a history buff because I am the genealogy researcher in my family (working on DAR certification), I found the last chapter, the Conclusion, to be the most interesting. (One doesn’t read this book like they would a novel. I read this book over two weeks.) The final chapter is more about people and includes what happened to them after the war ended.
The following is provided because it demonstrates the documentation and research that went into this book. My e-ARC copy was early in the manuscript process. The book ends on page 185. Acknowledgments are followed with (End) Notes on page 189. The Bibliography begins on page 219 and is broken into the following:
– Manuscript and Archival Sources,
– Published Primary Sources – Books,
—– Articles and Chapters,
—– Periodicals,
—– Constitutions,
—– Maps and Charts,
– Published Secondary Sources,
—– Books,
—– Articles and Chapters,
– Unpublished Secondary Sources,
– Reference Works and
– Digital Sources
The book will have an index that was not available in the e-ARC.
I received a complimentary e-ARC copy of Feeding Washington’s Army via NetGalley from the publisher, University of North Carolina Press. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. I loved this acknowledgment to his mother — “With this book, I think my mother … finally understands (mostly) what it is that I do for a living.”
#FeedingWashingtonsArmy #NetGalley #RicardoAHerrera