Experience the American dream with today’s Patriots of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s September 11, 1777. I’m with a close friend of General Washington, nineteen-year-old Marquis de Lafayette. The Battle of Brandywine is about to begin.
JG: “Monsieur Lafayette, why, as a Frenchman, are you fighting for the American cause?”
ML: “That is easy, Monsieur Gillespie, the spear of freedom for one man is the spirit of freedom for all and the King of England is denying your freedom; thus, I fight for the freedom of all men.”
Marquis de Lafayette was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine while trying to rally retreating American troops.
In Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania, the Battle of Brandywine historical marker reads, “On Sept. 11, 1777, an American force of about 11,000 men, commanded by Washington, attempted to halt a British advance into Pennsylvania. The Americans were defeated near Chadds Ford on Brandywine Creek by approximately 18,000 British and Hessian troops under Howe.”
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.
