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"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven," preached Rev. John Peter Muhlenberg, from the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1. He closed his message by saying: "In the language of the Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight. And now is the time to fight." John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg was a 30 year old member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, who was also a pastor. At the end of his sermon, January 21, 1776, John Peter Muhlenberg threw off his clerical...

Today is the 247th anniversary of the mysterious, Providential fog that covered the evacuation of the Continental Army from Long Island to Manhattan in 1776. The term Providence was very common in this era. The president of Princeton College, John Witherspoon, defined Providence as the operation of God’s presence. After the evacuation on August 29, 1776, one soldier sent a report to a Boston newspaper that said: “Providence favored us. The night was remarkably still. The water as smooth as glass, so that our boats got all over. At sunrise a great fog came up. The enemy did not discover...

Yale President Ezra Stiles addressed Connecticut's General Assembly, May 8, 1783, regarding General George Washington being chosen to command the Continental Army: "The memorable battle of Bunker Hill. (June 17, 1775) ... convinced us ... that Americans both would and could fight with great effect. ... Whereupon Congress put at the head of this spirited army, the only man (George Washington), on whom the eyes of all Israel were placed ... This American JOSHUA was raised up by God, and divinely formed by a peculiar influence of the Sovereign of the Universe, for the great work of leading the armies...

Full title: Revolutionary War diary sheds light on Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as a man to join the Continental Army A remarkable Revolutionary War diary written by a Massachusetts corporal sheds light on Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as a man to join the Continental Army. The diary, which features daily entries from March 28, 1781 to Aug. 16, 1782, was written by Abner Weston, detailing his experiences between campaigns, drilling and training. The entry for Jan. 23 1782 also describes Sampson’s first documented attempt to join George Washington’s Army. Sampson famously went on to fight in the Continental Army...

On June 25, 1775, William Tryon — the governor of the British colony of New York and a fierce loyalist to the crown — returned to New York City after a yearlong trip overseas. As such, he fully expected to be greeted by a public procession on Broadway. Tryon disembarked from his boat and was indeed met with a parade, but there was just one problem: It wasn’t for him. That same day, the new Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, George Washington, had arrived in the city and was met with a hero’s welcome. Adding insult to injury,...

Reflections on the anniversary of General Washington’s arrival at Cambridge, July, 1775, a year before the Declaration of Independence... Having been unanimously selected by his fellow delegates in the Continental Congress as Commander-in-Chief, on June 15, 1775, George Washington of Virginia was commissioned a General on June 19 and sent off to assume command of the newly created Continental Army… which was then little more than a fiction, as those awaiting him outside Boston really belonged to their localities and their states. When General Washington arrived at Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 3, 1775, he took command of a collection of...

snip... Washington’s Immortals tells the story of a heroic regiment that saved the Continental Army from destruction at the Battle of Brooklyn by holding the British at bay. Despite the pivotal importance of their sacrifice, the regimental dead are buried in a mass grave with only the most minimal markings, their story largely unknown to the modern public. “About 2010, I was in New York City, and the regimental commander I was with in the Battle of Fallujah, Colonel Willie Buell, is assigned there. He’s part of the Council on Foreign Relations. He just called me up and he said,...

John Adams stood before Congress in Philadelphia on this day in 1775 and proposed the formation of a Continental Army, utilizing the men laying seige to British-occupied Boston. A few days later, Adams would formally nominate George Washington to lead this new army.

On this day in 1776, the Siege of Boston ended following the withdrawal of British troops by sea. The Continental Army had surrounded Boston to prevent the British from advancing for almost a year. Finally, Henry Knox's "Noble Train of Artillery" arrived with cannon captured from Fort Ticonderoga in early 1776. After Washington's army fortified Dorchester Heights with the cannon, the British realized their ships were threatened, finally withdrawing after failed attempts to destroy or capture the Continental position.

Today marks a turning point in the Revolutionary War with General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River in 1776 and engaging a Hessian garrison in the Battle of Trenton, where the Continental Army pulled off a major victory, capturing nearly the entire garrison while suffering few losses. This victory lifted the morale of soldiers and colonists alike and gave patriots new hope for the Revolution's chances in the long road to victory and freedom.

Today is Christmas Day, celebrated around the world. It also marks the day of planning and preparation on the part of George Washington and the Continental Army as they prepared to board boats to cross the Delaware River...

On this day in 1777, General George Washington led his Continental Army into Valley Forge for what would be a brutal winter encampment where approxomately 2,500 soldiers would eventually perish due to exposure, disease and starvation. However, the remaining men in the Army would eventually leave Valley Forge a better army, due in part to increased and unified training during the winter, along with the knowledge that France had joined the American effort to defeat the British. In their honor, we raise the Betsy Ross flag along with our own modern Stars and Stripes, which would have been impossible today...

RIVER VALE — At the 234th commemoration on Monday of the Baylor Massacre, it was easy to see how New Jersey earned the nickname Crossroads of the Revolution. River Vale Historian Ed Moderacki wears a British infantry uniform as he helps Lincoln Schefter of Hackensack hold a musket at the site of the Baylor Massacre. The site, along the banks of the Hackensack River near Red Oak Drive, played host to a skirmish that took place in the middle of the night on Sept. 28, 1778, in which 54 soldiers from the rag-tag Continental Army were killed, captured or wounded,...

Day camp affords kids a look at 18th-century life . Each summer, youngsters ages 9 to 12 have the opportunity to spend a week in the ranks of Gen. George Washington's army. History becomes a personal experience for those who take part in the Old Barracks Summer Day Camp at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton. Children at the day camp participate in indoor and outdoor activities that re-create life in the 18th century. Campers muster into Gen. George Washington's Continental Army on the Old Barracks parade grounds, used more than 200 years ago by British, Hessian and Continental soldiers,...

BOSTON --Thousands of black men fought for American independence during the Revolutionary War, yet their contributions to the nation's freedom are for the most part unrecognized and rarely appear in modern history books. Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the Sons of the American Revolution are hoping to change that by undertaking an ambitious project to identify those soldiers, and then find their descendants. "My first goal with this project is to enhance the awareness of the American public of the role of African-Americans in the struggle for freedom in this country," said Gates, director of the W.E.B....

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... . U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. . . Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family...

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." For over 200 years there has been debate on what this first flag design looked like and where it was originally flown. Unfortunately, fact mixed with legend has clouded the issue and even at the present day, there is no definitive answer. Recently, historians have generally conceded that credit for the design proposal of the first...