Battle of Brooklyn Heights

This allowed Washington and his army to retreat across the river to Manhattan under cover of darkness on the night of August 29th. Eye-witness accounts record how the army silently retreated that night in the storm. The British were camped only a few hundreds yards away. All through the night, American soldiers retreated from one entrenchment after another in the order they were assigned.

Slowly they made their way down to the waters edge and filed aboard small boats. They were so careful not to make noise that the sailors tied their shirts around the oars to muffle their sound in the water.

The situation was hazardous in the extreme. Washington rode all night among the troops on his white mule Magnolia, telling them to “keep quiet and keep moving.” As the sun came up on August 29th , the last of the men were just leaving. The storm has stopped, and a dense fog rolled in, which completely obscured the action on the waterfront. The British line were so close they could hear the British sentries from the ferry dock. As the fog burned off in the morning sun, a young officer named Ben Tallmadge looked back across the river from Manhattan. Loading onto the last boat

Through the mists, he saw a tall figure in a long black cloak with a three cornered hat. George Washington, the commander-in-chief, was the last man to cross the river.

Two days earlier the Maryland 400, the "Flying Geese", lost 250 out of 400 men defending Washington's abandonment of Long Island to go to Manhattan with the Revolutionary Army.

Worth reading about.

One reference said "Washington recognized the gallant performance and included the men from Maryland in his rear guard to cover the remarkable evacuation of the American force back to Manhattan on the night of the 29th."

Through the rest of the war Washington included men from this unit in his closest personal guard.

This period included the first big engagements of the American Revolution. It was saved through the immense personal bravery of ordinary Americans serving as militiamen, regular members of Washington's Army, and just plain old pick-up volunteers ~ the people's militia!

King David, anointed by the Prophet Samuel to be King of all Israel, was pursued by King Saul, who wanted to exterminate him. He went on the run and built up a following, while staying one jump ahead of his enemies. Quitter? Nope — servant of God, following God’s promptings and living to rule another day.
Later, the same King David was opposed by a faction headed by his own son, Absalom. He left town (cities are death traps when someone wants to kill you), gathered his loyal mighty men, and fought off the insurgency in the wilderness. Quitter? Nope — the rightful King, following good counsel and living to rule another day.

George Washington left New York under cover of darkness, rather than submit to the withering fire of a superior British force. Quitter? Nope — a strategic retreat for the purpose of regrouping, and, by the guidance of the Hand of God, the eventual defeat of the British in Virginia.

Gen. Douglas Macarthur, about to be pinned down inextricably by the impending Japanese invasion, left the Philippines with the promise, “I shall return.” Quitter? Nope. He did return, and saw to the utter decimation of the armies of the Empire of Japan and the liberation of the Philippines, and the whole Pacific region, from its tyranny.

Because of the risk of confusing it with these other righteous causes, I hesitate to mention Mao’s strategic retreat into the mountains of China until times and circumstances were more propitious — so I won’t. But the principle is the same: strategic retreat and fighting another day.

Sarah Palin, pinned down by withering fire from a volley of frivolous lawsuits, left her position in Alaska. She couldn’t make the meritless lawsuits go away; but she had to defend on each one. Quitter? Nope, strategic retreat so as to 1) frustrate her pursuers, and 2) come back and fight another day.
Please don’t ever sit still while some nitwit calls Sarah Palin a quitter. She is a leader, and a survivor. And she will soon have brocko surrounded.

Thanks for that post. I had started to do some research along those lines but didn’t get very far. You put it so much better than I could have too!!

Although I did come up with one quote. From a Marine in Korea IIRC: “Retreat hell! We’re attacking from a different direction!”

And I pray that God will guide our future like He did with King David and Washington.

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