Experience the American dream with today’s Patriots of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s October 4, 1777. I’m at the Battle of Germantown.
JG: “General Washington, sir, you have just lost the city of Philadelphia and the Battle of Brandywine and, yet, you plan to attack 9,000 British troops at Germantown?”
GW: “Mr. Gillespie, Congress still survives and, if our army and nation is to survive, we must attack without fear. We must let the enemy know we are determined to secure our freedom at all costs.”
The Battle of Germantown turned out to be a psychological victory for America. It impressed the French and convinced the British that we were determined to fight to the end for freedom.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Battle of Germantown historical marker reads, “The Battle of Germantown occurred at Cliveden, the country home of Pa. Chief Justice Benjamin Chew, on Oct. 4, 1777. A British regiment occupied Cliveden and defended it from full assault by the colonials. Over seventy soldiers died on these grounds. Although it was an American defeat, Washington’s bold strategy helped to win French aid for the cause of independence.”
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.
