The Painter of the Revolution

John Trumbull, self-portrait ca. 1802

Before a practical method of photography developed around the mid 1800s, the only way people had of “seeing” the past was through written descriptions and works of art. There’s much that can’t be conveyed in words, however, and we would have no idea of what the Founders of our Republic and the military leaders, battles, and landscapes of the Revolutionary War period actually looked like if it weren’t for contemporary sketches, drawings, paintings, and sculptures. In fact, one artist, a veteran of that war, became famous as the “Painter of the Revolution”. Today we’re greatly indebted to John Trumbull for his vivid and accurate depictions of the people, places, and events of a time so crucial to the existence of our nation.

Trumbull was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, in 1756, the youngest of six children of Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., and Faith Robinson Trumbull, both descendants of Puritans who were early settlers in the colony. His father was governor of Connecticut from 1769 to 1784. Although blinded in the left eye by a childhood accident, Trumbull entered the junior class at Harvard College in 1771 at the age of 15. During that period, he visited John Singleton Copley’s studio and was inspired to become a painter. After graduating in 1773, he taught school but joined the Continental Army when the colonies revolted against the British in 1775.

General George Washington at Trenton
by John Trumbull, 1792

While stationed at Boston, Trumbull provided sketches of both British and American lines and works and was a witness to the Battle of Bunker Hill. He served briefly as aide de camp to General George Washington, and in June 1776 was appointed deputy adjutant general to General Horatio Gates at the rank of colonel. In 1777 he resigned because of a dispute over the dating of his officer’s commission—a common cause of dissention among officers back then.

Deciding on a career in art, he traveled to London in 1780, where Benjamin Franklin introduced him to another American artist, Benjamin West. While studying under him, Trumbull openly supported the American cause, not a wise policy with the war still ongoing! The news of British agent Major John André’s capture and subsequent hanging as a spy by the Americans reached London, evoking public outrage and spurring the government to have him arrested in retaliation since he had been an officer in the Continental Army of similar rank to André. Trumbull was imprisoned for seven months, until West’s intervention secured his release.

Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull, 1819

Trumbull returned to the United States, but when the peace treaty was ratified in 1783, he returned to London to again study under West. Over the next few years he made portrait sketches of French officers in Paris for his painting Surrender of Lord Cornwallis. He also began the early composition of Declaration of Independence, painting small portraits of the signers and copying previous portraits for those who had died, which he later used to piece together the larger painting.

Trumbull was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1791 and served as its president. In 1794 he acted as John Jay’s secretary in London during negotiations for a treaty with Great Britain that settled America’s main boundary with Canada. A couple of years later he was appointed to a commission that mediated the claims of American and British merchants that remained from the war. He married Sarah Hope Harvey, an English amateur painter while there, but his attempts to make a living painting portraits in London had little success, and a studio in New York City met with similar results. Then in 1817 Congress commissioned him to paint four large pictures for the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where they hang today: General George Washington Resigning His Commission, Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, Surrender of General Burgoyne, and Declaration of Independence. He completed the series in 1824, basing it on the small originals of these scenes that he painted years earlier.

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis by John Trumbull, 1820

By far the largest single collection of Trumbull’s works is held by Yale University. The collection was originally housed in a neoclassical art gallery he designed on Yale’s Old Campus. Among his portraits are ones of General Washington, George Clinton, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Adams, and many others, some at full length. He also completed several self-portraits and was painted by Gilbert Stuart and other well-known artists.

Trumbull published his autobiography in 1841. He died 2 years later, on November 10, 1843, in New York City at the age of 87. He and his wife were interred beneath the Art Gallery at Yale University, which he had designed, but when the collection was moved to Street Hall in 1867, their remains were reinterred on those grounds.

I love to study the works of artists throughout the ages. In fact, I’d find it hard to write historical novels without having access to such works. How do images created by artists throughout history spark your imagination and enable you to understand and even identify with people, places, and events of previous times? Please share!

The Camp Followers' Lot

“I was obliged to give Provisions to the extra Women in these regiments, or lose by Desertion, perhaps to the enemy, some of the oldest and best Soldiers in the Service.” —George Washington to Robert Morris.

“The number of Women and Children in the New York Regiments of Infantry . . . obliged me . . . to allow them Provision or, by driving them from the Army, risk the loss of a number of Men, who very probably would have followed their wives.” —George Washington to Major General Henry Knox

“A woman whose husband belonged to the artillery and who was then attached to a piece in the engagement attended her husband at the piece the whole time. While in the act of reaching a cartridge and having one of her feet as far before the other as she could step, a cannon shot from the enemy passed directly between her legs without doing any other damage than carrying away all the lower part of her petticoat. Looking at it with apparent unconcern, she observed that it was lucky it did not pass a little higher, for in that case it might have carried away something else.” —At Monmouth, from Diary of Joseph Plumb Martin

Molly Pitcher at Battle of Monmouth
J. C. Armytage, c. 1859

During the American Revolution the majority of officers were not overjoyed to have women following the army. Their main objections were that they made the army look unprofessional, created disorder, interfered with military operations, and distracted the soldiers, even tempting them to desert. But blocking women from military camps resulted in the loss of many good soldiers whose families were in need or who simply missed their wives. Some asked for furloughs, and then deserted if denied. Others cut to the chase and simply deserted. It was a Catch-22. Although Washington, like many other officers, hated to admit it, the army needed women as much as the women we call “camp followers” needed the army.

Camp Follower Saluting General Washington

Today we lump all these women into one category, but technically, the term “camp follower”—never used in the 18th century—refers to women who performed paid services such as laundry and nursing, for which they usually received a half or quarter of a soldier’s pay and rations. They were required to obey applicable army regulations that, among other things, forbade riding on the baggage carts, gambling, and engaging in prostitution. Of course, human nature being what it is, not all of them refrained from doing so. Other women who traveled with or visited the army—officer’s wives, refugees, sutlers, and so on—didn’t fit into that category.

Women followed an army for a variety reasons: They wanted to stay with their husbands. They needed an income. They were forced to flee from their homes and had no other options. The army provided a measure of safety, shelter, food, and work. In return the women also endured plenty of discomfort, hardships, and danger. They worked as hard and endured the same suffering as the soldiers. Some even broke out of traditional roles by serving in the ranks alongside their husbands. But a women had to be married to a soldier in order to get one of the limited number of the army’s paying jobs. If he died, she would have to marry another soldier within a short period of time to hold onto her job.

Doing laundry in a British camp

Washington couldn’t afford to lose men because of their families, but he also couldn’t afford to feed every one of the hungry mouths applying for subsistence when the army could barely support its own troops. Women who worked for the army received anywhere from one-quarter to one full ration, depending on what duties they performed, so officers tried to keep a lid on the army’s dependents. “The multitude of women in particular, especially those who are pregnant, or have children, are a clog upon every movement,” Washington wrote in August 1777. “The Commander in Chief earnestly recommends it to the officers to use every reasonable method in their power to get rid of all such as are not absolutely necessary.” To that end commanders called for regular reports the women in their units and sent away those who weren’t married, didn’t perform necessary tasks, behaved badly, or were sick.

Many women earned their rations by washing and mending clothing. Not only could women draw provisions, but they could also charge by the piece. The army regulated prices, however, and overcharging was a serious offense. Women also worked as cooks, but mostly for officers and support personnel such as blacksmiths, wheelwrights, and farriers. Regular soldiers formed “messes” composed of six men who shared chores such as hauling water, chopping wood, and cooking.

Following the Army, Pamela Patrick White

Women also earned money and rations by nursing. Women traditionally served as nurses, and in the army they freed the men to fight. Throughout the war nurses were in short supply, therefore in constant demand. Nurses received regular pay for keeping the hospital and its patients clean and assisting the surgeons, the least desirable jobs in medical care that also exposed them to deadly diseases such as smallpox and all kinds of camp fevers. Officers went as far as promising full rations and an allowance to women who agreed to serve as nurses and threatening to withhold rations from those who refused.

Imagine being a camp follower in the 18th century. You’re lacking the comforts and conveniences of home, so daily chores are much harder and privacy virtually nonexistent. And you’re thrown into the company of women from a variety of social classes whose way of life and behavior are very different from yours. Plus you may often be on the road and in the midst of battle. What do you think would be your hardest challenges, especially if you also had children to care for?

~~~

J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers, a lifelong student of history, and an author, editor, and publisher. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. Book 6, Refiner’s Fire, releases in June 2019. Northkill, Book 1 of the Northkill Amish Series coauthored with Bob Hostetler, won Foreword Magazine’s 2014 Indie Book of the Year Bronze Award for historical fiction. Book 2, The Return, received the 2017 Interviews and Reviews Silver Award for Historical Fiction and was named one of Shelf Unbound’s 2018 Notable Indie Books. One Holy Night, a contemporary retelling of the Christmas story, was the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year and a finalist in the Carol Award.

The Uniform of an Expert Marksman

by Roseanna M. White

British lines during the Battle of Bunker Hill

To 18th century England, war was a civilized endeavor. It was a matter of politics, of wearing the uniform, of showing one's bravery to the nobility that came out to watch a battle. Guns weren't meant to be too accurate. Weaponry ought to be gleaming. The reasons for fighting...well, often only the king knew what they were.

When the Colonies went to war in 1775, they introduced England to a new kind of battle. The kind where men actually took aim at the opposing force--and aimed at the officers. The kind where each man was fighting to defend his home. The weapons were often dirty, they had no uniforms. But those weapons were more than shiny muskets that couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. They were rifled. They were accurate.

And the Americans knew how to use them.

More, their leader knew how to fight on more than one front. In 1775, a month after he took command, General Washington had an idea. Being well acquainted with how the British military thought, he called for an exhibition of marksmanship in Massachusetts. He urged the men--who still had no Continental uniforms, mind you--to wear their hunting shirts and breeches. These were often made of buckskin, with fringes. Almost every man had such an outfit, and they often wore them on campaign since they were the most practical clothing for long treks.

Concord Minute Man

So these men gathered, raised their rifles, and had some fun. Target practice, nothing more. But they actually hit the target. More, the bulls-eye. These men, with their guns that didn't look so dissimilar from the Brown Bess that the English soldier carries, appeared to be expert shots, every one of them.

The British were watching too. And what were they to assume but that General Washington had put together an entire company of the best marksmen in the world? And their uniform must be those fringed buckskin outfits--because no company could possibly be without a uniform, right?

The tales spread among the British. Fear spread with it. And any time a soldier (or hunter or farmer) was spotted in this attire, the British panicked. Which, as it happens, was often.

To make matters even worse for the British, one of these rifled men was taken prisoner and shipped to England, where they thought it would be great fun to show the English populace what their trophy could do. The American obliged them.

The result--suddenly no one wanted to enlist in the British military to fight against the Americans anymore. This is why King George had to resort to hiring Hessians!

All because George Washington took advantage of a preconceived notion about uniforms...and made use of a newfangled hunting rifle owned by many American farmers.

George Washington - A Man of Faith

Throughout history, people have honored the memory of our founding father, hero of the Revolutionary War, and first president of the United States. But even though everyone agrees that George Washington was a man of character, recently some have question whether he was a man of faith or just had a general belief in a distant God.

This change in people's opinions about George Washington's faith isn't because some new historical evidence has come to light but because some historians want to prove our founding fathers did not rely upon God. It has become politically incorrect to consider George Washington as any more than a deist, someone who believes in a distant God who doesn’t interfere with the plans of man.

This theory became popular in 1963, when Professor Paul Boller wrote a book, George Washington and Religion. Until then nobody questioned Washington's strong faith in God. Professor Boller wrote, “Broadly speaking, of course, Washington can be classified as a Deist.” But there wasn't any evidence to support that statement.

The truth is that the evidence to support the view that George Washington was indeed a man of faith is overwhelming. Peter A. Lillback wrote a biography documenting George Washington's faith based on fifteen years of research called George Washington’s Sacred Fire.

Here’s a few things that prove George Washington had a strong Christian faith in God.

• At age thirteen, Washington transcribed and memorized "110 Rules for Young Gentlemen," written by Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits in the 1590's. They teach that man is God's servant who lives not for self, but for others. They became part of his character.

• When Washington was twenty, he wrote prayers to say each morning and evening. Every Sunday morning, he prayed, "...pardon, I beseech Thee, my sins; remove them from Thy presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept me for the merits of Thy son, Jesus Christ..."

• Captain Washington, at the age of twenty-three, was caught in a surprise ambush by the French and Indians near what is now Pittsburgh. Every British and American officer was shot except for Washington. He rode through the battlefield numerous times without being hit. Later Indians who had been in the battle said they believed His God protected him because many of them aimed straight at him, but it was as if there was a shield around him. Washington later wrote to his brother, "By the all powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation, for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me."

• During the Revolutionary War, General Washington, Commander and Chief of the Continental Army, told his troops: "The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance or the most abject submission. We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die."

• As Commander and Chief, Washington pushed for army chaplains and required church attendance among the soldiers.

• At one point in the war, British General Howe had trapped Washington and his 8,000 troops on Brooklyn Heights, ready to crush them the next morning. Washington gathered every vessel from fishing to row boats and spent all night ferrying his army across the East River. By morning, many troops were still exposed to the British. This gave the British a chance to win the war. But the fog that almost always lifts from the river in the mornings, stayed thick and covered Washington’s retreat until the entire army escaped.

• In 1777 at Valley Forge, a dozen soldiers died a day in the freezing cold. They lacked supplies such as blankets or shoes. A Quaker named Isaac Potts reported seeing Washington on his knees in the snow praying aloud for his beloved country. He thanked God for exalting him to the head of a great nation which was fighting at fearful odds. Potts told his wife, "Till now I have thought that a Christian and a solider were characters incompatible, but if George Washington not be a man of God I am mistaken, and still more I shall be disappointed in God does not through him perform some great thing for this country."

• On May 5, 1778 Washington learned the French would join America as allies. The General told his troops, "It having pleased the Almighty Ruler of the universe to defend the cause of the United American States, and finally to raise up a powerful friend among the princes of the earth, to establish our liberty, and independence upon a lasting foundation, it becomes us to set apart a day for gratefully acknowledging the divine goodness..."

• While encamped on the banks of a river, Washington was approached by Delaware Indian chiefs who desired that their youth be trained in American schools. In Washington's response, he first told them that "Congress... will look on them as on their own children." That is, we would train their children as if they were our own. He then commended the chiefs for their decision: You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.

• In 1781, General Washington's southern army defeated a detachment of British troops. Lord Cornwallis was infuriated and began pursuing the outnumbered Americans. He waited the night at the Catawba River, which the U.S. troops had crossed just two hours earlier. Miraculously, a storm arose during the night causing the river to be uncrossable for five days. Cornwallis nearly overtook Americans at the Yadkin River, but another flood arose, allowing Americans to escape.

• The French navy seized control of the Chesapeake Aug. 30, 1781, driving out British ships. Washington rejoiced and besieged Cornwallis' stronghold at Yorktown. With no ships to escape upon, Cornwallis surrendered.

• Washington wrote Congress, "I take a particular pleasure in acknowledging that the interposing Hand of Heaven...has been most conspicuous and remarkable."

• During the oath of office, when Washington became president, he chose to take the oath with a Bible.

• President Washington often spoke on the importance of prayer and signed the first official Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in US history.

We can have confidence in the fact that faith in God was very important to President George Washington and that he was a strong Christian.

Calling All Revolutionary Spies!

Ever wonder how spies get their aliases? Well, I can't speak for modern-day ones, but I happen to know how George Washington and company came by the names for those in the Culper Ring, the first organized American spy ring. And as part of the launch for Ring of Secrets, I thought it would be fun to lay it all out so we can all come up with our own code names!

I'm Evelyn Pitt... Who are you?

How the Culpers came to be the Culpers

George Washington and his intelligencers, when looking to assign code names to their primary agent, started with the initials of the head of intelligence—Charles Scott, C.S. Then they reversed them—S.C. This would be the initials of the primary Culper officer. For the “C,” Washington chose a place he had fond memories of, Culpeper County, Virginia, where he worked as a lad. Then he shortened it to Culper. For the “S,” Tallmadge (the head officer of the ring) decided on “Samuel,” his younger brother’s name, and a good friend of the man who would be adopting the identity. So there we have it! Samuel Culper, the creation that became the bane of the British.

 

Let's Create Our Name!

  1. Start with a name of a teacher, parent, or boss  

I'm going to pick Patricia Egan, one of my favorite bosses from my college days

2. Take their initials and reverse 'em

So P.E. becomes E.P.

 

3. Think of a place important to you that starts with the second initial  

I'm going to pick Pittsburgh, because it's the closest major city whose sports teams we like

4. Shorten, lengthen, or otherwise alter the place name into a surname   

So Pittsburgh becomes Pitt. No relation to Brad, ahem. ;-)

5. Think of a family member or friend whose name begins with the first initial
(not the same one you got the name from!)

E, in my family, is for Evelyn.
My great-grandmother's name, and the middle name of my grandmother, mom, and daughter.

So there you have it! Who are you??

 

~*~

Roseanna M. White pens her novels under the Betsy Ross flag hanging above her desk, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When she isn’t writing fiction, she’s editing it for WhiteFire Publishing or reviewing it for the Christian Review of Books, both of which she co-founded with her husband.

The Soldier

"To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace." George Washington

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" I Peter 3:15

Patriots in the 18th century fought for freedom. At that time, freedom from the tyranny of a king across the ocean was utmost on the soldiers' minds. Many pastors ( like John Gano whose claim to fame was baptizing George Washington) or ministers joined the fight, both from the pulpit and on the field. These men fought for the freedom to preach the Gospel as they saw fit. Their Lord's passion for saving lost souls the captain of their zeal. The war these pastors fought both on and off the field still exists today.

 John Leland, Baptist preacher in Virginia during the War of Independence wrote:

"Souls appeared very precious to me, and my heart was drawn out in prayer for their salvation." The Writings of the Late Elder John Leland, L.F. Greene (p.20)

His heart so burdened, he fervently prayed that God might give him success. And God did:

"From November 1779, to July 1780, I baptized one hundred and thiry, the chiefest of whom professed to be the seals of my ministry...The chiefest of my success was in York, where Lord Cornwallis and the British army were made prisoners, in October 1781. Matthew Wood, Robert Stacy and Thomas Cheesman, (all preachers afterwards,) were the children of this revival." (p.21)

Even officers fought on both the spiritual front and the war front. Colonel Harwood entered one of John Leland's meetings with the intention of stopping him. However, John Leland stamped the floor and "made no more of me than if I had been a dog." The colonel left without stopping the preaching of the Gospel.

Captain Robert Howard determined to 'lash' John Leland out of York county, because the elder had baptized his wife. The captain lost the battle, and he became "serious, penitent, believing, and was baptized." Afterward he accompanied Elder Leland to meetings.

Those preachers who sought to win the souls of many lost before and during the revolutionary war stood with those soldiers who sought to win freedom. Against threats and persecutions, they spread the good news of the free salvation given by God to all men.

Today we celebrate the faithful service of those in the military. Without their great sacrifice our freedoms would be lost. They deserve our honor, our respect, and our gratefulness.

Let us also not forget the Soldier who took the hill at Calvary. He won the war for our souls by giving His own life. Let us stand along side His soldiers who fight in the spiritual fields of our lives, on their knees and with the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Let us join them as Captain Howard joined John Leland. Let us listen to them as George Washington listened to John Gano. Let us be willing to suffer as Christ, our great Captain of the Lord's Army and of our salvation, suffered on our behalf.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

"For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."
Hebrews 2:10

When Congress Fled

Today it’s hard for us to think of the possibility that our government might ever be forced to flee before an approaching enemy force. But this has, in fact, happened several times in our history, and the first was during the American Revolution.

Delegates to the Second Continental Congress—which after the passage of the Declaration of Independence became the Congress of the fledgling United States—met at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, now known as Independence Hall. In the fall of 1776, the British drove Washington’s battered army out of New York, all the way across New Jersey to Trenton, and finally, in early December, across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. Terrified that British General William Howe would pursue Washington across the Delaware and push all the way to Philadelphia, residents of the city began to flee in panic, and on December 12, Congress also evacuated.

On December 20, the delegates reconvened at the Henry Fite House in Baltimore, Maryland, where they remained until late February 1777. The largest building in Baltimore at the time, the Fite House was originally built as a tavern in 1770 and eventually burned down in 1904. During its brief use by Congress, it became known as Congress Hall and later as Old Congress Hall. Thus Baltimore became the nation’s capital for a two-month period. While meeting here on December 27, 1776, Congress conferred upon George Washington “extraordinary powers for the conduct of the Revolutionary War,” making him essentially a military dictator. Thankfully he proved to be worthy of their trust by always deferring to Congress’s control.

Instead of attacking Philadelphia, however, Howe settled into winter quarters, and Congress returned to the city on March 4, 1777. They continued to meet at the Pennsylvania State House until September 19, 1777, after Washington’s defeat at Brandywine Creek, which left Philadelphia once again vulnerable to British attack. In book 4 of my American Patriot Series, Crucible of War, I included the scenes of panic that took place while the American and British armies essentially played a chess match, while Howe progressively tightened the noose around Philadelphia. I was delighted to find a number of eyewitness accounts of those tense days to lend accuracy and vividness to my descriptions.

According to an account by loyalist resident Sarah Fisher, “ . . . two nights ago the city was alarmed about two o’clock with a great knocking at people’s doors & desiring them to get up, that the English had crossed the Swedes ford at 11 o’clock & would presently be in the city. . . . wagons rattling, horses galloping, women running, children crying, delegates flying, & altogether the greatest consternation, fright & terror that can be imagined. Some of our neighbors took their flight before day, & I believe all the Congress moved off before 5 o’clock, but behold when morning came, it proved a false alarm. The English had only made their appearance opposite the Swedes ford, & some of our people whose fears had magnified it into a reality that they had crossed brought the alarm to town, & terror & dismay spread itself amongst them. Thus the guilty fly when none pursue.”

On the patriot side, congressional delegate John Adams wrote that “At 3 this Morning [September 19] was waked by Mr. Lovell, and told that the Members of Congress were gone, some of them, a little after Midnight. That there was a letter from Mr. Hamilton Aid de Camp to the General, informing that the Enemy were in Poss[essio]n of the Ford and the Boats, and had it in their power to be in Philadelphia, before Morning, and that if Congress was not removed they had not a Moment to loose. Mr. Merchant and myself arose, sent for our Horses, and, after collecting our Things, rode off after the others.”

On September 27 Congress convened at the courthouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, then removed to York, Pennsylvania, where they held their first meeting at the courthouse on September 30. In November, Congress approved the Articles of Confederation at York and submitted them to the States for ratification. The Articles went into effect on March 1, at which time Congress became the Congress of the Confederation. After the British withdrew from Philadelphia in June 1778, Congress reconvened at College Hall in Philadelphia on July 2 before once more making their home at the State House.

Considering the internal strife taking place in so many countries today, the United States has experienced very few disruptions of our government due to war since our inception. We truly have been extraordinarily blessed to have God’s hand of protection over us, and I pray that this nation will never turn away from the One who has given us such favor.

Now, since I inadvertently posted a day late, I’m offering a surprise drawing for those who stop by to comment. I just received my first copies of Crucible of War a couple of days ago, and those who make a comment on this post will be entered in a drawing for a free copy! The ebook edition is already available, but the print edition doesn’t release until September 3. You have until Friday at midnight to leave a comment, and please specify whether you’d like the ebook edition (Kindle, Nook, or CBD) or the print edition.

God's Divine Favor on George Washington

By the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability and expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, altho' death was levelling my companions on every side. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter to John A. Washington, Jul. 18, 1755

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me." II Corinthians 12:9

To study George Washington's life is to study the testimony of God's grace upon a man chosen by God to lead a world into the era of democracy.

God's favor rested upon George Washington. This we can see in the above quote. God had a plan and General Washington found grace in God's sight.

Have you ever considered what is entailed in God's grace? The word 'grace' means favor or the manifestation of favor by a superior. Usually we limit it to "For by grace are ye saved..." (Ephesians 2:8a). In other words, God's favor upon us to save us from our sins. But when you study grace from Genesis to Revelation you get a greater sense of what the word really means. A greater sense that grace is the favor God gives a person to have God's continual presence, to become His chosen to serve Him and live for Him.

George Washington served God in the manner God had laid out for him. Moses also did.

The children of Israel sinned before God when they made a golden calf to go before them.

"Up, make us gods, which shall go before us;..." Exodus 32:1b

"...and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Exodus 32:4

How grave a sin to claim a created thing (or as is tossed about in today's vernacular, the Universe) does for us what God does for us.

Moses interceded on their behalf. No doubt Moses sorrowed greatly. God removed Himself from the Israelites, and Moses took the tabernacle and pitched it outside of the camp. Then he entered it, and communed with God.

I imagine Moses thought back to when God called to him from the burning bush. God called him by name. God had a purpose for Moses, and God laid it out to him.

"And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain." Exodus 3:12

 I imagine Moses contemplated these words when he said,

"...Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight:..." Exodus 33:12b-13a

Moses wanted God's reassurance in Moses' calling. But what was he counting as God's grace, i.e. God's favor? First, the calling of him by God to serve God in leading the Israelites. Second, the opportunity to follow God's leading, because by following, Moses would know God more. And by knowing God more, Moses would receive more of God's favor.

When a sovereign grants a person the privilege of approaching the throne, it is a favor. What more favor could a sovereign grant someone then for that person to become his close friend, ever by his side? Moses sought that ultimate favor with God.

"What shall we say then? shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" Romans 6:1-2

How dare we think that grace simply means our sins are forgiven and therefore we are free from the eternal consequences of sin. Grace is the favor God showed to us to become His children, His servants, His new creation. What great honor He bestows upon us--like He bestowed on Moses, like He bestowed on George Washington--that we might be considered worthy of His presence in our lives; that we might be considered worthy of serving Him in His presence, of being a part of His great plan.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."  Romans 12:1-3

 God gave Paul the grace to serve Him. The grace given to Paul was his commission to preach the Gospel among the Gentiles. The privilege of following God's leading into dangerous places where Paul would see God's mighty work. The favor God showed Paul by revealing to him God's power to save lives: to save body, soul, and spirit.  And each time a person received the grace of God unto salvation, Paul received a greater understanding of the mystery of grace and the greatness of God's love.

How about you? Are you limiting grace to merely God freeing you from sin's eternal consequences? Or are you willing to experience the fulness of God's grace by walking in the presence of God; by letting God reveal to you His way for you; thereby allowing you to know Him more, and then enabling you to know more of God's grace?

Are you willing to experience the fulness of God's grace when you walk in His ways?

Unexpected Revolutionary Hero

Posted by Elaine Marie Cooper

Sometimes heroes are not obvious. And certainly no one would envision a Quaker midwife taking on the role of military spy.

Yet that is exactly what Lydia Darragh did in 1777. Displaying admirable courage in a critical hour, she saved the day for General George Washington and his troops in December of that year. Her courageous action brought victory for the Continental forces, changing the tide for the American Army after several discouraging defeats. It was an unexpected change for Lydia, who was born into a Quaker pacifist family in Dublin, Ireland in 1728.

Mrs. William Darragh, who was born Lydia Barrington, emigrated to America with her husband in 1754. The couple made their home in Philadelphia. As members of the Quaker religion, they settled into the large community of fellow believers in that city.

As their faith taught, they preferred peacemaking when the American Revolution began, refusing to become involved in the fighting. The Darragh’s oldest son, Charles, however, left his religious teaching and joined with the Continental forces. When the British took over the city of Philadelphia in September of 1777, Lydia seemed to have a change of heart about remaining neutral as well.

Whether it was a mother’s heart with a son in the Army that piqued her concern or her worries in general about the American cause is unclear. But one thing is certain: Her involvement with a pacifist church made her appear to be harmless to the British cause. But nothing could have been further from the truth.

British General Sir William Howe made his headquarters in a confiscated house directly across the street from the Darragh home. Soon after, British Major John Andre pounded on Lydia’s door demanding that the family evacuate. Lydia, the mother of five, had already sent her youngest two children to stay with relatives for safety. She still had two children at home and begged the major to allow her to stay, as she had nowhere else to go. A distant cousin, who was a British officer, worked in the enemy headquarters across the street. He arranged for Lydia to stay in her home as long as the British could use one of the Darragh’s rooms for military meetings. Lydia agreed.

On the evening of December 2, several British officers, including Howe, arrived at her home and ordered the whole family to retire to bed early. But Lydia only pretended to sleep. While the others slumbered in their rooms, Lydia quietly hid in a closet adjacent to the room where the officers met. Her heart in her throat, she heard them planning a surprise attack on Washington and his soldiers at a place called Whitemarsh. That was where Lydia’s son was stationed with the Continental Army! As the meeting was wrapping up, she quietly snuck back to her room.

Major Andre came to her room and knocked on her door. She feigned being in a deep sleep and ignored the first two attempts by the major to awaken her. By the third knock, she managed to look rumpled and sleepy as she answered. Their meeting was over, the officer told her. She pretended to return to her slumber, but she did not sleep. Lydia lay awake in bed, planning how to get the word to Washington.

The next day, Lydia took an empty twenty-five-pound flour sack to the British headquarters to request a pass to leave the city. She needed flour, she said, and she wished to visit her two youngest children as well. Her cousin became the one who gladly signed a pass for his Quaker relative. I can just see her smiling gratefully for this opportunity to purchase much-needed food for her family.

But any smiling would be short-lived as time was becoming critical. The planned attack on the American troops would take place the next day.

Mrs. Darragh carried the flour sack but, more importantly, the critical message warning of the impending assault. She had tucked the handwritten message in a folder for her sewing needles. Trudging several miles through the snow, she located the Rising Sun Tavern, a known hang-out for Patriots.

An entry in a journal by Elias Boudinot, Commissary of Prisoners, who was dining at the tavern that night, relates this incident:

  “After dinner, a little poor-looking insignificant old woman came in and solicited leave to go into the country and buy some flour. While we were asking some questions, she walked up to me and put into my hands a dirty old needle book, with various small pockets in it.”

The woman left. When Boudinot opened the last pocket, he found a message: General Howe was coming out the next morning with 5,000 men and thirteen cannons.

The next day, the “surprise” British attack against the American forces was thwarted. All because Lydia made a decision to be brave and risk her own life for the lives of others. Although she was later questioned by Major Andre about her possible involvement in spying, Lydia managed to convince him that she had no idea what he was talking about. She had been in a deep sleep the night of the officer’s meeting, after all. He completely believed her tale.

Lydia Darragh’s wartime spying came to light in 1827 when her daughter, Ann, published her mother’s story. In 1877, some questioned the veracity of Ann’s written narrative—until Boudinot’s memoirs were published in 1909, lending credibility to the tale of the courageous Lydia Darragh. Her treasonous actions could have led to her execution. Instead, her mother’s heart led her to unexpected bravery.