Experience the American dream with today’s Patriot of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s June 28, 1778. I’m at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey. The Continental Army is in a terrible fight. A cannoneer no more than 10 feet from me has just been shot, and his wife, Mary, is continuing to load and fire her dead husband’s cannon.
JG: “Mary, look out! A cannonball has just ripped your skirt! Get out of there!”
MP: “No! I am resolved that my husband’s blood shall not have been shed in vain. We must all fight for freedom.”
Many women like Mary Pitcher Hays fought side by side with their husbands to free America, and many died to give us the freedom we enjoy today.
Read more about Mary Ludwig Hays, aka “Molly Pitcher” Hays.
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.
