Experience the American dream with today’s Patriots of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s January 3, 1777. I’m on horseback with Scottish-American Major General Arthur St. Clair at the Battle of Princeton.
JG: “General St. Clair, look out! The British cavalry is attacking.”
ASC: “Don’t worry, Johnny, we will prevail. My boys will hold the line and push the limeys back to bloody England.”
Prevail we did as General St. Clair’s leadership inspired and encouraged the Continental Army to beat the British at the Battle of Princeton.
In Ligonier, Pennsylvania, a stone marker at the Arthur St. Clair Grove reads, “‘No man has the right to withhold his services when his country needs them. Be the sacrifice ever so great, it must be yielded upon the alter of patriotism.’ These words of Arthur St. Clair reflect the sacrifices made of his own safety and financial security in the service of his country. He was an agent for William Penn, caretaker of Fort Ligonier, Major General in the Continental Army, President of Congress, and first governor of the Northwest Territory…”
John and Jan Gillespie are the founders of the Rawhide Boys’ Ranch; they have fostered 351 teenagers and wrote the book Our 351 Sons; they have also assisted numerous churches in developing youth programs and expanding their total church ministries. After running for U.S. Senate, John founded 1776 American Dream, which exists to demonstrate the vision of our founding fathers and help our generation of youth passionately embrace those values.
