Lets get to the main event. Were going to have a good conversation tonight. We have dr. Rick moreira, Ricardo Pereira visiting professor of military history of the u. S. Army war college at carlisle barracks, pennsylvania previously a professor of military history at the school of advanced military studies at the Us Army Command and general Staff College at fort kansas. Hes also a veteran of the u. S. Army. He earned his m. A. And ph. D. From marquette. Hes the author of for liberty and the republic, the american citizen, a soldier, 1775 to 1861 and many, many other articles helping us understand in the development of the united states. Hes worked on his new book while he was a member of Washington Fellow on the washington libraries, fellow class of 2016 2017. I remember he would be out there in the reading room working and. I would yell at him faster, write faster. I want book. Ive been wanting this book for many, many, many. And so im delighted tonight to welcome and lets give him a big warm mount vernon welcome to discuss his new book, feeding Washingtons Army surviving the valley forge winter 78. Please join me in welcoming dr. Rick herrera. Rick. Pertinent to the. Thank we very much support cspan being with us tonight to support this, lecture and and thats the pause here to get the proper multiple going on so that they can hear us and you know weve had cspan up at the library for many years and were delighted always when theyre here to extend the reach of the work that we do. So thank you all for your work as and and welcome to cspan audience will be enjoying this hopefully for years come record era and in talking about feeding Washingtons Army surviving the valley forge winter of 1778. Im really good its really good to see you again, rick. It is its its been far too long. Ill share earlier that having been a Research Fellow here at mount vernon, it is it was and remains one of the highlights of my career as a historian, when i came here, i was offered the opportunity homestead, as it were, in one of the carols. I instead to be in the reading room, which can be a little bit noisy as dougs bringing in various people to come and see things. But its got these six beautiful wooden inspired busts of washington adams, jefferson, franklin, hamilton, madison. And it was as though they, along with doug, were saying, write faster, get to it. It was a a phenomenal experience just to be here, to be on the grounds to live here at mount vernon for a month and to work in the resource cities and to work on something that was a labor of love i have nothing but great memories of having been there. We need to treat our historians with the same love and reverence we give to our celebrities in this nation. The ridiculous amount of attention the kardashians of the world. Ricks going to put out of fashion line soon, im sure. But now you say your experience here was one of your favorite times ever. But i know for a fact that you as a reserve officer had an opportunity to do some work. And i was looking at a beautiful map of its map of new york from the 1770s, from the American Revolutionary war. Thats a copy. And you you told me about an Expert Research experience you had at governors. Tell me and tell us of that share. Share that anecdote of your research life. Oh, it was was great. Who here has been a graduate student . Yes, many. So how many of you were actually. Yeah, exactly. So as a grad student at marquette university, i was doing research for dissertation that that eventually. My first book for liberty in the republic, i was still army reserve officer. I called up the the folks at island which is off the southern tip of manhattan. Its been a fortified position since about 1765. Thats right. When i called up, they asked, well, whats your rank . So im a captain. So, you know, fairly low in the in the officer ranks army officer ranks. But this was a coast guard station. They translated captain to the equivalent of an army colonel. So i got a colonels suite of rooms and the bachelor officers quarters. And then when i asked, well, where on my credit card, they said, oh, were in the process of shutting the base down, so we dont want to handle any cash. So three weeks, i got to stay on Governors Island with these gorgeous views of manhattan and it was fantastic. So i was able to research and do all my stuff and as a grad student, save some money. And so you think the American People for that. Thats fantastic. Thank you all wonderful anecdote. I love to hear it. All right. So lets get into it. Feeding washington is army. Why did you feel like this book needed to be written . It the book was for historian it was a dream. Its something important that happened that nobody had really touched upon. And if i can go back to some of the genesis, it started out as a teaching moment. So when left civilian academia 16 and a half odd ago and returned to the army as a civilian, i joined the staff ride team. And so what i was doing was, yeah, so is a staff right now. So lets pretend like im a child speaks in me as if im a child. What is a staff, right . Have you eat your vegetables . You dessert so day as a staff right is is a focus of a battle or a campaign that takes place on the actual ground over which the actions took place. And so what we do is use this is something that the American Army developed is has done the world over. I mean is this every every its done by every branch the us army stole the idea from germans about 19 six, introduced it and it it flurry ish to died off depending on on wars but its continued though and so most most sort of an officer Training Exercise its actually its actually part of soldier all ranks all right enlisted enlisted men and women noncommissioned officers officers. But also ive led them folks from usaid, the u. S. So an element of the state department done it for others as well. Yeah, theyve developed certainly into like a general leadership training. You get business doing staff rides and that sort of thing. But but yeah, its a unique kind of way. They are. They arent so the battlefield, the Campaign Area becomes your classroom so youre walking yorktown youre walking frederick road youre walking the area of the philadelphia. It becomes your classroom but it also becomes a primary document for you and your students to interrogate. And so you go to the different locations or stands as the terminology is. And you talk about what the actors at that time knew, at that time, and discuss what were their options. Because history, we know, is contingent. Nothings inevitable until it finally is. And you have no other options washington discovered during the valley forge encampment. And to try and understand the decision making, the leadership and a host of other things. Theyre also great for Team Building exercises. You get people away from the flagpole, people let their hair down, not we have much, at least in my case. And they are able to really build some good bonds. Yeah. And so this came out of my building of a Philadelphia Campaign staff ride and we get to valley forge. Yeah. So thats the question. Like what and valid. You know, you just that valuable valley forge is largely its static or so we think how to answer yes. So theres a general myth or understanding of that. There is. There is. And like all myths, their kernels of truth, of course. How do i interject movement this . Then i recalled some work that id read by wayne bottle of the valley forge standing at Anthony Wayne statue by the pennsylvania encampment. How many people have been to valley forge . Its a just described where valley forge is relative to the valley forge about 618 miles north of philadelphia. Its on the schuylkill, its within easy striking distance of philadelphia. Youre George Washington, but its far enough away to be inconvenient if youre a general. Sir william, how holding the garrison at philadelphia. Its a compromise as well. Its also an armed encampment and its something that i introduce or and understand. It is that was the a precursor, sir, to something that weve all encountered in the news. The Forward Operating base is something that weve seen in iraq and afghanistan. Yeah, that was in the book that you it as a Forward Operating base more you know some sort of permanent i mean although it you know its what Something Like the fourth largest city in north america when washington marches in with it with the main army. How large was this that he took in there . Oh, gosh, its about 12,000. Why did he go there . Its because of compromise. And like all compromises, nobodys. And so its military needs. It keeps the british on notice. The Continental Armys not about to surrender. This valuable state of pennsylvania right to challenge for it. Its also political and political and military are always together. They say, good. So all right, lets hold that and go back again to there you are leading a staff pride about the the the campaign youre trying to figure out how to make it dynamic. You get to this place called forge with i mean i think if you ask you know an informed american citizen valley forge they think about well where the army starved and somehow got through the winter. Yeah, its a static story. It is. Theyre there. They survive. Its the winner. Sure. And whats the point of the staff right there we go. There, this is a culminating point, if you will, for this day event. Well, how do we how do we interject some movement and it came through the armys need to sustain itself. We know that the army. Was suffering through the winter, although it wasnt worst winter. Morristown was far worse. You say that previous year, afterwards. But this is still a miserable place to be. The people are living in the of the little ice age. And so that means severe climactic change, Severe Weather change. Youve freeze fall rain cycles you dont know what the weathers going to hold some some mornings are wonderful other mornings are miserable and you dont whether mother natures going to bring you so yeah the the winter not very pleasant how do we feed the army and this is something that had been haunting the army from day one when the continental the Continental Congress adopted the new england militiamen besieging boston on the 14th of june 1775, which, by the way, is the armys birthday. How do we sustain it . How do we feed it . How do we make sure that these soldiers can do what need to do . Because of the way that congress had constructed a system out of their fear of power, power vested the military. They built a system that actually hampered the running of it. And were other factors as well. So there was a lacuna there was the gap. How do i do this . After doing the research i recognize, well theres an article in this knocked an article on the big picture focusing mostly on nathaniel green, who commanded the initial column, and then Anthony Wayne, who commands the column, goes over in the new jersey. There was still enough material. You know what . Theres a theres room for another article. Then came one on henry lee and his part in the forging expedition, the grand forge of 1778. You how it goes. If youve got two chapters, youve got the beginnings of, a book. Yeah. So heres the book meaning Washingtons Army. Well, fantastic. So, all right, lets start from the basics then you have an 18th century army in north america. What do they eat. According to congresss regulations, right. Roughly a pound of meat, roughly a pound of bread, oh, an ounce of butter six ounce of peas or beans a pint of milk, a quart of beer daily and a few a, few other odds and ends. So theres a date time ration that is regulated by the Continental Congress. What the Continental Army should be eating for what every soldier should receive officers. However, because their rank, their station, because they often are expected to host junior officers. This is particularly so with the colonels and the generals. Thats part of the 18th century way of building the bonds. You and your subordinates, they get extra, but they also have servants are expected. Maintain them, but thats whats on paper. The reality markedly different. Right . So thats whats on paper. Thats what theyre theyre getting daily. How is this delivered in, you know, in a Perfect World on whats the plan, how does this stuff whos in charge of giving them in a Perfect World like the commissary general oversee the purchases and also the distribution of for the armies the commissary generals civilian or military figure is actually originally he is a military officer then a civilian and. So in their various appointees the office and that office gets split up the commissary general for purchase his and then the commissary general for many of these men have militia rank so theyre addressed out of courtesy by their ranks right which can sometimes confuse things. What about quartermaster . So dont they exist . What do they do . The quartermaster. Quartermaster in european functions, something akin to a modern day chief of staff. So he would oversee the functioning of the secretary but he would also go out or designate officers, go right ahead of the army, lay out the encampment, hence the quarters designate which brigades or regiments occupy, which quarters. And so theyre doing that. But theyre also in charge of the physical supply of the army. So things like the transportation oversee food. Thats usually not food, but clothing, uniform weapons. And there are subordinate quartermaster beneath the quartermaster general. Okay. So there is an apparatus theoretically in place washing, pattons army. What are they doing . 1777 before theyre going to have to enter quarters . Sure. Well, so where where are they . Whats been on . Sure. Lets lets lets back it up to back it up. Lets back it up to it. 1770. Whats going on 1776. Yes, i will never say. Yeah. Americas declaration of independence yes. Washington crossing the delaware wants them. Well, first, though, hes got it. Hes got to be chased across the jerseys got going all the way back to this year. It is it is. I mean the Continental Army. I know im not going back to when the earth cooled. So i believe the army has diminished. Theyve been chased out of new york. And so we get weve had to cross attempt the ten days first first and second trenton we get crossing the delaware woops the germans at trenton cause the biggest cross drawn them again goes around them and run around the tanks princeton then. Yeah then we get general howe talks to talking to his brother the british admiral. Yes, his plan. His Campaign Plan is to take the American Capital by threatening philadelphia. He hopes to bring washington to battle and win a decisive clash destroy the Continental Army, destroy the american push for independence. Its a good plan. I like it. It sounds good. Its uncoordinated, though, lord george germain, the colonial secretary in london. The distances preclude anything like, the sort of control thats needed. So we get John Burgoyne, who back on the 17 4th of october, 1777 at saratoga. Go upstate new york. Back it up to the august british army lands at head of el today, elkton, maryland, just south of it, soldiers need to recover washington meets them at first with the light infantry at the only battle that i know of in delaware at kochs bridge they fall back washington will then meet them on the 11th of september at brandywine and washingtons defeated as his washington is defending philadelphia. Hes defending philadelphia. I was marching to philadelphia. He has had some he had some there. He loses at brandywine. He does. But the amazing despite the loss there, these flashes of brilliance, nathaniel executes what we would call a giant lshaped ambush. So basically letter l and as british troops coming over the hill, he opens fire them with a full division. Two brigades of virginians, which draws forces the british backed the armies able to retire in pretty good order the soldiers are actually pretty proud of their performance. The problems are in the higher ranks of the officers theyre still learning their business they fall back. We get the battle of payola. Anthony wayne embarrassed there by charles gray no flint gray as he gets called later on. The battle of the clouds on todays Immaculata College reign out, the soldiers from sides staring at each other because theyve got powder. Do you want to charge downhill mud now . Do you want to charge uphill in . But now they stare at each other. They march no battle. Yeah. As four foot 10th. Excuse me, october of 1777. Washington ever aggressive. Ive got a chance going to attack how try and drive him out of philadelphia. The battle of germantown again problems with the senior commanders, but also washingtons penchant some complex plans. Still the army at the lower ranks from really the colonel on down acquit themselves. Well some of the generals do really well the army has learned how to fight it needs your bias of being at the general staff of command college. No no no the national war college. No no actually i dont know if i can say this on cspan. When i commented to my seminar about the and ghost seminar about the army in the war of 1812. It itself in turds it was such a poorly run all right okay so so so theres really leadership at the top and then there are but to murder anyone but they dont stop now from getting feel that they dont how holds philadelphia washington though in december the army still wants it he does and he sets up for another battle at whitemarsh fortifies this chain of hills and invites how come out how marches out looks them and how has flashbacks to bunker hill right i cant waste my soldiers lives. He realizes some skirmishing off on house left the american right and the british army retires to fill adelphia. Its there that