Little Known Heros of the Revolution

The Boston Massacre

March 5th 1770.  The Boston Massacre....Crispus Attucks was not only the First  American Martyr of the Revolution, he was also the Organizer and leader of the Crowd that confronted the British Soldiers at Boston that day.    He was also the Formost in Resisting the British Soldiers and as a result the First one Killed.   

In 1851 there was a Petition presented to the Massachusetts Legislature for the appropriation of Funds to build a Monument to the First American Martyr of the Revolution, Crispus Attucks.  The Petition was denied.

On the 5th of March, 1776, Washington repaired to the intrenchments. "Remember," said he, "it is the 5th of March, and avenge the death of your brethren!"

The Battle of Bunker Hill

June 17th 1775, The Battle of Bunker Hill.   Patriots after surronding the City of Boston, took up postions on the Charlestown Peninsula on top of Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill North of town across the Bay.   During this battle between 1,500 American Patriots and 2,400 British Soliders took part.  While the British did take both Hills they suffered Heavy losses.  British casualties were about 1,150 killed and wounded, while the Patriots suffered 450 Killed and wounded.  

But out of those who died 2 famous People were Killed in the Fighting.  A Patriot named General Warren and a British Major of Marines Pitcarin.  The Little known Hero is the Man who Killed Major Pitcarin was named Henry Hill.   After the Battle he was was presented to General Washington for his heroic Fighting and the killing of the Major.   In Pictures made of the Battle he was at First a Prominent Figure, but over time he has been forgotten and ingloriously left out.

Henry Hill also fought in the battles of Lexington, Brandywine, Monmouth, Princeton, and Yorktown. He died in Chilicothe, on the 12th of August, 1833, aged eighty years. He was buried with the honors of war and eventually forgotten to History.

Dorchester Heights

On March 4th, 1776 Boston.  Washington received 59 Cannon from the Captured British fort of Ticondaroga.  Overnight the Patriots Constructed Fortifications and installed the Cannon on the Heights overlooking British occupied Boston.   This move eventually led to the British evacutaion of Boston on March 17th, 1776.  March 17 is celebrated as Evacuation Day in some Massachusetts communities.

But one Little known Hero is James Easton.   James Easton, of Bridgewater, was one who participated in the erection of the fortifications on Dorchester Heights, under command of Washington.  His talents were invaluable in the Construciton of the fortifications.

 Mr. Easton was a manufacturing blacksmith, and his forge and nail factory, where were he also made edge tools and anchors, was extensively known, for its superiority of workmanship. Much of the iron work for the Tremont Theatre and Boston Marine Railway was executed under his supervision. Mr. Easton was self-educated. When a young man, stipulating for work, he always provided for chances of evening study. He was welcome to the business circles of Boston as a man of strict integrity, and the many who resorted to him for advice in complicated matters styled him "the Lawyer." His sons, Caleb, Joshua, Sylvanus, and Hosea, inherited his mechanical genius and mental ability.

Crossing of the Delaware

December 25th, 1776 Trenton.  In a daring tactic, General Washington in the Dead of Winter decide to attack the town of Trenton.  In the middle of the night and during a snow storm the Patriots crossed the Delaware River and then attacked the Hessian Mercenaries and British Troops occuping the Town.  It was an absolute and complete Victory.

A Little known Hero was Oliver Cromwell.   He enlisted in company commanded by Capt. Lowery, attached to the Second New Jersey Regiment, under the command of Col. Israel Shreve. He was at the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Monmouth, and Yorktown.   Cromwell was brought up a farmer, having served his time with Thomas Hutchins, Esq., his maternal uncle. He was, for six years and nine months, under the immediate command of Washington, whom he loved affectionately. "His discharge "at the close of the war, was in Washington's own hand-writing, of which he was very proud, often speaking of it. He received, annually, ninety-six dollars pension. He lived a long and honorable life.  He lost three sons and three daughters; had fourteen children who reached the age of maturity--seven sons and seven daughters. He saw his grand-children to the third generation. He was a man of strong natural powers--never chewed tobacco nor drank a glass of ardent spirit. He died, in the town of his birth, January 24th, 1853.

There is another little known Hero at the Crossing.  Prince Whipple was a Body Guard to General Whipple of New Hampshire, who was an Aid to General Washington.  In the Engraving done of the Night of December 25th 1776, Prince Whipple can be seen Proudly riding Horseback, next to General Washington and General Whipple.   More Modern Artist's failed to add him to other renditions of that Glorious Night. 

Prince was beloved by all who knew him. He was the "Caleb Quotem" of Portsmouth, where, he died at the age of thirty-two, leaving a widow and children.

The Spy of Lafayette

One Little known hero is James Armistead Lafayette.   James was a man who Volunteered his service to General Lafayette of the Continential Army.  So impressed with this Man General Lafayette asked  him to be a Spy.   Upon agreeing to this task, he was able to get himself employed by the British General Cornwallis.    Cornwallis was also so impressed  by him that he in turn, asked him to spy for the British Army.  So James Armistead started Feeding the British false information till the Surrender of General Cornwallis.  So perfect was the Acting of James that not until Cornwallis met James in the Headquarters tent of General Lafayette, did his true identity and mission become known to him.   James was so fond of General Lafayette that he took his last name as a sign of his loyalty and appreciation.   The Service provided by James and the success of his mission was immeasurable to the success over Cornwallis.

Americans All..

What some of you may have already figured out is that not only are these American Heros.   But they are American Heros that happen to be African American.   The reason for not including this earlier, is because it matters little what the Color of their skin was.  All that matters is that they are Heros, American Heros that fought for not only Our Liberty and Freedom, but their Liberty and the Freedom of Future Generations.

The Continential Army was so integrated by the end of the Revolutionary War, 1/4th of it was made up of African Americans.   The United States would not see this kind of integration again for another 200 years.  

These are not all of the Hero's of the American Revolution, there are many more of many different Races and Sexes.   But the Fact that they Fought and many died for all of us.....is what matters.

They Were...........We Are..............Americans All...

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spri

If it's not Good for our Kids, then Why is it good for our Country?  

Why do we Teach our kids that in order to succeed they need to be Self-Sufficient?  

Why do we teach them how to be Independent and then vote for Politicians or Laws that take Independence away?

If we know that it's not a Formula for Success to keep Bailing our Kids out every time they screw up, then why do we encourage our Government to do so?

Why do we tell them they need to learn to do it themselves but then we turn to the Government to do things for us?

Why do we Believe in Tough Love for our Children...because we Love them..but then we bend like wet paper to the Will of Big Government?

Why do we not want our Kids to live at home when they are 40 but want the Government to "take care' of them for the rest of their lives?

Are we Good Parents and Lousy Citizens or Lousy Parents but Good Citizens?

If we want Success, Independence and Happiness for our Kids.....

Then why do we keep Encouraging Failure, Dependency and Misery in the Direction of our Government?

Do We Not Love Our Country As Much As We Love Our Children?

I Hope So......

 Because Our Children Are the Future of this Country....... 

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spf

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."  George Washington

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves."  William Pitt in the House of Commons November 18, 1783

"We must all hang together, or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately."  Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicity.  Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address.

"We, the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution."  Abraham Lincoln

"The Constitution of most of our states (and of the United States) assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed and that they are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property, and freedom of press."  Thomas Jefferson

"Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the world that a free man, contending for his liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth."  George Washington, July 2, 1776

"A generous parent would have said, 'if there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."  Thomas Paine, Common Sense

"Posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it."  John Adams

"The way to have safe government is not to trust it all to the one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to everyone exactly the functions in which he is competent....To let the National Government be entrusted with the defense of the nation, and it's foreign and federal relations.....  The State Governments with the Civil Rights, Laws, Police and administration of what concerns the State generally. The Counties with the local concerns, and each ward direct the interests within itself. It is by dividing and subdividing these Republics from the great national one down through all it's subordinations until it ends in the administration of everyman's farm by himself, by placing under everyone what his own eye may superintend, that all will be done for the best."  Thomas Jefferson

The Government is Growing at an enormous rate, much larger than the Founding Fathers ever intended.   Individual Liberties and Freedoms have been under repeated attacks from the very Government sworn to protect them.  The politicians in Office appear to only take turns playing "King" in the White House while Ignoring the Outcries of their Bosses, we Citizens.

Is it time to Elect Delegations from the States to Discuss how to Return this Great Country to the Path of the Constitution?

So that this Great Nation of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

I am a child of Watergate.   My first knowledge of our political system was that Presidents lie and sometimes commit crimes.   I learned that once upon a time, there was a man named Bobby Kennedy, whom everyone said would have changed the world.   Instead of a changed world I learned that some Presidents fall down a lot, and others give away the Panama Canal.   Then came Reagan...the first candidate I ever campaigned for...much to the dismay of my college friends.   I ended up not voting for him, more out of peer pressure than conviction.    Then I found out that ketchup was a vegetable & that increases in military spending means cuts in veterens funding.   The cynic that was born during Watergate became an adult that laughed at the whole process.

During the 90's, I voted for Clinton and began to lose a touch of my cynical edge.   Then I was taught the true meaning of "is" and found out that you paid for that education with last minute pardons sold to the highest bidder during your last few hours of office.   I promised never to lose my cynical nature again.

Now we have reached a point where nothing gets done, because of a political process that emphasizes divisions and makes us remember how different the "other guy" is.    A world that is very much in line with my cynical view.  

Unfortunately, this year the Senator from Illinois decided to run.   I have listened to his inspiring speeches, watched in wonder at the crowds that gather, read his books and studied his positions.    I find myself wondering if maybe I shouldn't try "believing" one last time as an adult.   In 40 years of watching the political process, I've never seen a Kennedy compare anyone to Bobby Kennedy.    

When Eisenhower won the presidency, it was because Americans crossed party lines to vote for him.   The same thing happened in 1980 & 1984 for Ronald Reagan.     Perhaps this is the year that Republicans & Independants ask for a Democratic ballot in the primary.     The choice is simple, you can offer Senator Obama a few more hours on the national stage and a little more time to get to know him before November.    Or you can listen to the same old political lines for the next 10 months by allowing Democrats to nominate Hillary Clinton.  

DO WE WANT A REASONED DEBATE BETWEEN SEN. OBAMA AND THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE OR DO WE WANT TO LISTEN TO 10 MONTHS OF "HILLARY SPEAK"?

If you are a dissatisified Republican or an Independent wondering what to do.....please consider becoming one of the many OBAMICANS.   REMEMBER....ONLY YOU CAN SAVE OUR EARDRUMS.

But in the unlikely story that is America...

there has never been anything false about HOPE!