Experience the American dream with today’s Patriots of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s December 20, 1779. I’m in Morristown, Pennsylvania, in the platoon tent of teenage soldier Joseph Martin. Almost all the soldiers in Joseph’s platoon are teenagers and they long to be home for Christmas.
JG: “Joseph, how are you and the other Patriots doing?”
JM: “John, it’s so cold, we are so lonely, we miss our families, and it hurts, but, if we can last through the winter, I believe we can finally win our freedom.”
They did last through the horrible winter of 1779, and they did prevail to achieve liberty.
Read more about the brutal winter of 1779-1780 in Morristown.
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.
