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. Herrera ( For Liberty and the Republic ) expands the scope of the familiar legend of George Washington bringing his Continental Army to Valley Forge for winter encampment in 1777-78..., but he makes clear that Washington acted boldly to try and supply the needs of his soldiers...and...the army survived, ready to fight. VERDICT Impeccably researched, this is a needed addition to the story of the war for independence. Library Journal The Continental Army was not about to go down without a forage—and a grand one at that. Rick Herrera in Feeding Washington's Army provides a lively story and argument that the encampment at Valley Forge was anything but a mythic scene of passive, static self-sacrifice. The Grand Forage of 1778 to garner the supplies necessary to sustain the Revolution's main army may have been an act of desperation, but as Herrera proves, it also manifested the acumen and daring of General Washington and the commanders who executed the mission."—Holly Mayer, author of Congress's Own: A Canadian Regiment, the Continental Army, and American Union Now in paperback ― The Continental Army’s battle to survive at Valley Forge centered on one enemy: starvation Ricardo A. Herrera is professor of military history, retired, at the U.S. Army War College.