[2ndDivisionVet]

Interesting.

[madison10]

I had no idea! Why did I think they were all over 45? They were young upstarts. :) Brave, young upstarts.

[Bryan24]

We need more Samuel Whittemores.....

[Tupelo]

An amazing group of men & women. Giants among pygmies.

However I can guarantee that “Hamilton, Lafayette, and Burr were perhaps the Gates, Jobs, and Zuckerberg of the War” was not written by any right winger. Or even someone center right.

[TigersEye]

They were quite highly educated for such young ages.

[UnwashedPeasant]

Fascinating, Thanks!

[call meVeronica]

Bump for the kids to read

[Verginius Rufus]

Franklin was the oldest of the Signers, but Stephen Hopkins, aged 69, was only one year younger. About 5 other Signers were in their 60s.

Some of the Patriots listed were too young to be delegates to Congress in 1776 (the two youngest, both from South Carolina, were 26).

My grandfather's grandfather was 3 years old when the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783. Not only did he do nothing to aid the Revolution, he never even left Europe.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Jefferson would have been too young to be President when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Wow.

[Migraine]

Thanks for this post, 2nd Div. It takes some of us a while to catch on. I did not know of Whittemore. Should have, being a keen observer of US History and all. But now I’ve got him in my top 5 All-American Badasses along with the likes of Audie Murphy, Sgt York, Ernest Evans and Arthur MacArthur.

[Thorliveshere]

Whitmore is frickin’ AWESOME!!

God bless him! Like another poster said-—we need men like him today!

Never again will I ever think I’m “too old” to take on the likes of the scum that are tearing our country down today.

Inspired!

[a fool in paradise]

[Nifster]

The desire for freedom knows no age. Hamilton was a federalist through and through and should the stupidity of youth

[Moonman62]

This shows how accomplished people can be without television.

[sten]

today, people are still considered ‘children’ until they are 26

[Vendome]

Frickin Americans.

Take a lickin and keep on tickin....

[Bigg Red]

mark

[SampleMan]

It’s not that they were so young, but rather that 20 year olds used to be grown ups.

[Pajamajan]

I’ve always assumed they much older.

[Disambiguator]

Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief brigade under Earl Percy, sent to assist the retreat. Whittemore loaded his musket and ambushed the British from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols and killed a grenadier and mortally wounded a second. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked. He was shot in the face, bayoneted thirteen times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found alive, trying to load his musket to fight again. He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of 98.

If you are looking for a description of a badass, this is it.

[wagglebee]

Gilbert Stuart was one of the best known painters of Washington and others; however, he wasn't a Founding Father and actually went to England before the Revolution and didn't return until Washington was in his second term as president.