Experience the American dream with today’s Patriot of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s August 23, 1779. I’m in New York in a British prison camp with Elizabeth Lewis. Her husband, Francis, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
JG: “Mrs. Lewis, why have you been put in here?”
EAL: “Mr. Gillespie, they’re trying to get to my patriotic husband through me. It won’t work, though. I told Francis to let me rot in this prison before we let tyranny control America!”
When General Washington heard of Mrs. Lewis’s plight, he had British General Kempe’s wife kidnapped and arranged a prisoner exchange.
Read more about Elizabeth Annesley Lewis.
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.
