The year was 1862. The bloody seven-day battle at Harrison Landing, also called the Peninsular Campaign in Virginia, had just concluded. General Daniel Butterfield had lost 600 men and was wounded himself. He thought that the traditional bugle call to mark the end of the day, known as “Lights Out,” was too formal and not…
Battles inspire us when we rehearse the ideas worthing dying for. Texas was initially owned by Spain, but as George McAlister writes, “Three major independent factors changed the destiny of Texas.” They were U.S. independence from Britain in 1781, U.S. acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, and the independence of Mexico from…
On January 10, 1920, the League of Nations was founded by the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. The initial covenant of the League was signed on June 28, 1919 as a part of the Treaty of Versailles. One of the chief architects of both the Treaty and the League, and the…
On December 2, 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was proclaimed by President Monroe. It was the culmination of key ideas drawn from the Bible and articulated in the Reformation. Three words came to define the foreign policy of America and the application of the Monroe Doctrine: independence (rejecting interdependence), neutrality (rejecting intermeddling), and interposition (rejecting interventionism.)…
On October 21, 1797, the USS Constitution was launched in Boston Harbor after two previous failed attempts. The Naval Armament Act, signed by George Washington on March 27, 1794, authorized six frigates. She was the third to be completed, preceded by United States and Constellation. The other three were Congress, Chesapeake, and President. Essentially this…
Patriots’ Day commemorates the Battle of Lexington that took place early on the morning of April 19, 1775. The day was first dubbed “Patriots’ Day” in 1894 to commemorate the battle. The Town of Lexington was established by the Parish of Cambridge Farms in 1713. However, the historic origin of what became known as Patriots’…
Thomas Weston financially backed the Pilgrims and their voyage to the shores of New England. He was attracted to the Pilgrims because they came as families under a church covenant. This, he believed, would prove to be the best atmosphere for an investment that was risky, especially since many plantations did not have an outcome…
On December 19, 1777, General Washington led 12,000 soldiers and 400 women and children to Valley Forge, about 25 miles outside of Philadelphia. Once the 1,500 huts were built, it became the fourth largest city in the colonies, with a very diverse population of free and enslaved African-American soldiers, civilians, wealthy officers, impoverished men, immigrants,…
155 years ago, on November 19, 1863, Lincoln delivered what has become his most famous address. He was not the main speaker and his remarks lasted all but two minutes. However, what he said captured the hearts and minds of Americans then, as well as serving as a reminder for us today. To understand its…
In Tennessee there is a place called Pall Mall in Fentress County. The valley below is called the Valley of the Three Forks in the Wolf (the Wolf river forks into three branches at that point). This place is literally in the middle of nowhere. Like the Bible hero David who slew lions and bears…
Some military historians declare that the Battle of Midway “was the greatest naval battle ever fought.” Providentially, it was the turning point of World War II in our contest with Japan, and our victory was nothing less than miraculous and unexpected.
The most iconic image of World War II is the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima Island in the Pacific Ocean by six soldiers on the morning of February 23, 1945, though the battle for the island did not end until March 26, however. 80,000 Marines would be deployed – more than any other…
On January 3, 1777, the battle of Princeton took place that helped turn the tide of the Revolution. However, setting the stage for this battle, early in the morning December 25, 1776, Washington secretly crossed the Delaware River to conduct a surprise attack on Trenton, New Jersey. The painting by Emanuel Leutze depicting Washington Crossing…
When Americans think of our War for Independence, it is common for us to say that the first blood shed was at Lexington Green in April of 1775. However, a little known confrontation between Colonial Militia and British soldiers took place several weeks earlier in Salem, Massachusetts where blood was shed. If it had not…