Experience the American dream with today’s Patriots of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s August 16, 1777. I’m in Vermont with Colonel Seth Warner at the Battle of Bennington.
JG: “Colonel Warner, the German mercenary Commander, Colonel Baum, is using Germans, Indians, and British troops in an attempt to destroy your Green Mountain Boys.”
SW: “Bring ’em on, Johnny! My boys are the finest fightin’ soldiers in America. We will teach that tyrannical King George that you don’t mess with our families and freedom.”
The British regretted messing with the Green Mountain Boys that day as Colonel Baum was mortally wounded and they surrendered over seven hundred troops.
In North Hoosick, New York, the Battle of Bennington Second Engagement historical marker reads, “Battle of Bennington, Second Engagement, August 16, 1777. At this point occurred the defeat of Colonel Breyman who commanded a force of six hundred men sent by General Burgoyne to reinforce Colonel Baum. Seth Warner and his regiment of Vermont rangers, ‘Green Mountain Boys,’ distinguished themselves in this action.”
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.
