The Miracle Rain the Saved Fort McHenry

In 1814, Great Britain was again at war with America.  Although the United States had won their independence 29 years earlier, Great Britain was enraged at America’s demands for an independent Canada, as well as America’s friendship and free trade with France.  “There is no public feeling in this country stronger than that of indignation against the Americans,” declared the London Times on April 15, 1814.  Conflict between the two nations had erupted into full-scale war.  The defeat of Napoleon’s “Grand Army” had freed an additional 14,000 veteran British soldiers to join in the battle against America.  By April, Great Britain was well entrenched in America and was winning the war. 

The newly arriving soldiers pillaged the East coast of the United States, burning ships at anchor, razing manufacturing plants, torching private homes, and taking what property they could carry away.   On August 24th, after a short battle, British forces set fire to Washington D.C., plundered the city and burned the White House, most of the public buildings, and many private homes. The British next set their sights on Baltimore, some 30 miles northeast of the nation’s capital. 

Baltimore is situated on a beautiful natural harbor on the Patapsco River, which flows into Chesapeake Bay.  Because of its location, Baltimore was a major port city which carried on extensive trade with France.  This was an additional reason why the British particularly disliked the people of Baltimore.  The rag-tag American militia, shopkeepers and farmers built trenches and defended the city from a land invasion.  Fort McHenry guarded the city from a waterborne attack. Flying above the fort was a huge American Flag.  The flag was 30 feet tall, 42 feet long, and made of 400 yards of cloth. The 2 foot tall stars were “spangled” (off-set at different angles so they would appear to twinkle when the flag was blown).   It had been specially made, “so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance.”

On Sunday, September 11^th, the first ship in the British fleet arrived at the mouth of the Patapsco River as the people of Baltimore were attending church.  On hearing that the British had arrived, church services adjourned all over the city.  The Reverend John Gruber concluded his services with the prayer, “May the Lord bless King George, convert him and take him to heaven, as we want no more of him.”

At 5:46 AM on September 13^th, most of the fleet of 50 British ships opened fire on Fort McHenry and bombarded the fort continuously for 25 hours.  Their long-range cannons could fire 400 pound cannon balls a distance of 2½ miles with accuracy.  But because the cannons from the fort drove the fleet back to a 4-mile circumference, their cannons were less than accurate.  British gunners hoped to make each shrapnel-filled bomb explode shortly before impact by correctly trimming the length of each fuse.  British cannons shot over 3,000 cannon balls towards Fort McHenry throughout the day, and continued until they ran out of ammunition.  Many bombs exploded in midair, far from the fort, a few continued burning after impact and were doused with water to keep them from exploding. 

Through much of the assault, heavy fog made it impossible for British gunners to see their target.  Many, if not most of the high-trajectory exploding bombs never exploded; their burning wicks extinguished by the extremely heavy rains that persisted throughout the assault.  Pouring rain also kept British ground troops from advancing around the city.  Miraculously, by the end of the battle, only four Americans had been killed; Baltimore had been saved; the turning point in the war had passed.  The providential weather, proved to be America’s friend! 

From the deck of the Minden, Francis Scott Key watched the bombardment of Fort McHenry.  As a young attorney, he was aboard to negotiate the release of prisoners.  From his vantage point, the morning silence was worse than the bombardment.  The city of Baltimore, as well as the British fleet waited through the long night to see whose flag would be flying.  Finally, as the early morning mist and smoke began to clear, Key saw through the distance the stars and stripes still flying over the fort and the British rowboats in retreat.  Now confident of a complete American victory, Key took an old letter from his pocket and began to write on the back of the words of The Star-Spangled Banner. 

“Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light; What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight; O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air; Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.  Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave; O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

In 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a bill declaring this as our national anthem.  Long let it wave!

Learn more at www.TheGloriousCauseOfAmerica.org

Morning Prayers During the Constitutional Convention

The Revolutionary War had been won. The British surrendered to General George Washington on October 19, 1781 and by 1783, the King of England had acknowledged the independence of the United States and a formal peace treaty had been signed. America was free.

The first hurdle was behind the new country, but a new challenge was beginning to form. The United States did not act very united. Individual states feared losing their power and began to act like separate countries. They issued their own currency and taxed other states' goods. Signs of internal revolt were becoming more prevalent as inflation, depressions, taxes and riots increased.

George Washington lamented the condition of the "dis-united" states. In a letter to James Madison, he expressed "no day was ever more clouded than the present . . . We are fast verging to anarchy and confusion." He sent a letter to the men who could shape opinion in the new country. "Something must be done," he wrote. "The very fabric of our nation is being torn apart. We must work together. . . if we don't we'll lose the freedoms we just fought and died for. Something must be done."

That "something" turned out to be the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787. It was held in Independence Hall. After much debate, the delegates decided to write a Constitution for the new country. For the first time in history, men had the opportunity to assemble voluntarily to deliberate and decide upon a system of government for themselves and their posterity.

The delegates chose George Washington to chair the convention. The dignity of his presence and leadership were central to the success of the meetings. The convention started out as the stormiest one ever held on American soil. At times, tempers flared as the delegates argued about the issues. But Washington remained neutral. He shared his beliefs only between sessions. Many Americans saw Washington as a symbol of the spirit of unity.

Argument regarding the powers in a central government and the power of the states continued to intensify. The debate was dead-locked and bitterness was escalating with each passing day. The convention was on the verge of falling apart until Benjamin Franklin stood up. The elder statesman proclaimed, "At the beginning of the war, we prayed for divine protection and our prayers were graciously answered. . . I have lived a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?"

Franklin wiped his glasses and continued talking." We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that 'except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it.'" The old man implored the delegates to see that America's house would only be built with God's help. He concluded, "I therefore move that hereafter prayers, imploring the assistance of Heaven, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business."

The speech marked the turning point. Nearly all of the delegates were Christians of one kind or another. Franklin's words forced them to set their priorities right. The delegates moved forward with his advice and succeeded in crafting a new constitution.

On Monday, September 17th, 1787, 41 of the original 55 delegates solemnly met in the east room of Independence Hall for the signing. James Madison carefully watched each of them. When Franklin signed, Madison wrote: The old man wept."

The Founders of this nation accomplished something extraordinary. They created a unique political success formula that included a national government and separate state governments. They established three branches within the national system: the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The United States Constitution is one of the most astounding documents ever written by man. For two hundred years it has withstood the test of time. 

As we look back in history during the first century following the ratification of the Constitution, we can see that by applying the principles of this new Constitutional government a small segment of the human family, became the richest industrial nation on earth. It allowed them to originate more than half of the world's total production and enjoy the highest standard of living in the history of the world.

Learn more at www.TheGloriousCauseOfAmerica.org

The Forgotten POWs of the Revolutionary War

Much has been written about the glorious battles of the Revolutionary War: the Battle of Bunker Hill, Washington’s crossing of the Delaware, Lexington and Concord, Paul Revere’s famous ride, and the surrender at Yorktown.  They are tremendous stories that deserve to be taught again and again, tales of heroism and courage, accounts of divine providence, faith, inspiration, and sometimes dumb luck.  This is our proud history, our quest for freedom and struggle for independence.  But often overlooked in the telling of these stories, is the silent courage that took place in the hellish dungeons which housed American prisoners of war. 

It is estimated that, while 4,300 American soldiers lost their lives in battle, over 20,000 died in British prisons; more than four times as many died of disease and starvation than actually died from bullets and cannonballs.  One third of the prisoners were civilians, mostly citizens accused and imprisoned without due process.  Modern standards for caring for captive prisoners simply did not exist at the time.

In some cities, churches and warehouses were used as prisons.  In Manhattan, Sugar Houses were used to hold American prisoners.  Prior to the war, these buildings had been designed with strong stone structures for refining and storing Caribbean sugar and molasses.  According to Revolutionary War veteran Levi Hanford, who was captured in March 1777 and imprisoned in the Livingston Sugar House, the cramped conditions initially housed 40 to 50 prisoners.  The population soon swelled to between 400 and 500.  Few were acquitted, rescued, or escaped; death was their only release.  Rations of pork and sea biscuits were often so moldy and infested with worms they were only eaten by the starving prisoners after placing them in a kettle of water and skimming off the parasites. Food, clothing, and supplies for the prisoners were provided by local churches, prisoner’s families, and the fledgling American government. The British provided nothing. 

More commonly, the British used decommissioned war ships as floating prison fortresses.  Conditions were appalling.  In the summertime, prisoners suffocated in air so foul that at times lamps could not be kept burning; in the winter they froze or died of pneumonia. With little food and scanty water, healthy prisoners were soon left with no resistance to dysentery, cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, smallpox, and frostbite. Untreated sores would gangrene.  The HMS Jersey, was the most notorious of the death-trap prison ships where over 10,500 POWs perished under the command of William Cunningham. 

Twenty one year old Nathan Hale, the most famous of Cunningham’s prisoners was permitted to write brief letters to his betrothed and to his mother just before his execution.  As he ascended the ladder, he turned to the hangman and said, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."  He went on to say that if he had ten thousand lives; he would lay them all down, in defense of his injured, bleeding country.  Upon reading Hale’s letters, Cunningham destroyed them and exclaimed, "The damned rebels shall never know they had a man who could die so bravely."

On January 18, 1777, General Washington wrote to Lord Richard Howe complaining of the conditions of his prisoners, “You may call us Rebels, and say we deserve no better treatment, but remember, my Lord, that we still have feelings as keen and sensible as Loyalists and will, if forced to, most assuredly retaliate upon those upon whom we look as the unjust invaders of our rights, liberties and properties.”  Howe’s response was ambiguous and a general denial of the charges. 

By contrast, during the World War II, it is estimated that 15% of British and French soldiers died in German prison camps.  During the Civil War, fatality rates in the worst prisons climbed to 33%.  But in on the Jersey, estimated death rate was 85%.  Prisoners rotted away, murdered by neglect in the miserable hulks.  

But more notable than the horrid conditions of the prisons was the intense patriotism of the prisoners.   British captors constantly offered freedom to almost anyone who would abandon the cause of liberty.  For a free pardon, prisoners simply had to sign a document of allegiance and enlist in the British military.  Very few did!  Those who remained became the best examples of those who “gave their lives that the nation might live”. 

Hamilton Fish wrote of these prisoners, “If we were to single out any group of Americans for outstanding patriotism, it would be the prisoners in the British prison hulks and in the jails.  These Patriot prisoners should be placed at the top of the list of sublime courage and sacrifice in support of independence and freedom.”  These too, are the patriots of the American Revolution; the unassuming, forgotten heroes.  

Learn more at www.TheGloriousCauseOfAmerica.org

The Miracle Storm at Trenton

The first 18 months of the Revolutionary War did not go well for the American army.  Washington had assumed command of the Continental forces outside Boston on July 3, 1775.  They had surrendered the city of Manhattan, been defeated in multiple battles across New York and had retreated all the way across New Jersey into Pennsylvania. 

By December of 1776, Washington had reassembled most of his troops on the banks of the Delaware River, but they were outnumbered, sick, starving, and freezing in their light summer clothing.  Few had shoes and warm blankets; there was almost no ammunition.  They had not been paid in weeks; they were beaten and discouraged.  Almost every man had signed an enlistment that expired at midnight, December 31^st.  An intervening, bickering congress demanded results but had exhibited little power to recruit and supply the army.  Washington, with no recent successes and no available funds, knew he had no ability to recruit another army.  It appeared to everyone (including the British) that the war would soon be over.

On December 23^rd, Thomas Paine, in the misery of the camp, with light snow falling, sat before a fire and with a drum head for a desk, penned the following words, “These are the times that try men’s souls.  The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.  Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”  The words inspired even Washington who had the essay printed and circulated among the troops as he completed his plan to attack Trenton.  

Washington had received word on the conditions of the British & Hessian Troops in Trenton from John Honeyman, an American spy who posed as a British loyalist throughout the war.  Honeyman had mapped out the headquarters of Colonel Johann Rall (the post commander at Trenton), the troop barracks, fortifications and cannon placements.  He estimated 1,550 troops in the city.  He gave exacting details of their ammunition stores, cannons, gunpowder, cattle, horse, saddles, muskets, food, and clothing.  He also related their plans to take the day off on Christmas and be supplied with German rum to celebrate the holiday.

Washington’s strategy was fourfold: General Ewing was to cross the river just below Trenton; Colonel Cadwallader was to attack from the south; General Putnam would come in from Philadelphia; and General Washington was to cross the river at McConkey’s ferry, then proceed nine miles to Trenton.  The idea that starving American troops could prevail against entrenched, well-trained, highly-feared Hessian soldier-mercenaries was bold and desperate….but they were desperate times.  The attack required absolute secrecy and precise coordination.

At 4:00 PM on Christmas day, a violent wind-driven snowstorm swept down the Delaware River Valley.  After darkness fell, and despite the weather, local fishermen began loading their 32-foot long freight boats for the crossing.  A few days of milder weather had opened the ice and large chucks of floating ice threatened to capsize each of the heavy-laden boats.  The Delaware native, Thomas Rodney wrote, “As severe a night as I ever saw.  The frost was sharp, the current difficult to stem, the ice increasing, the wind high and at eleven it began again to snow.”  The landing of the artillery was not completed until 3:00 AM, yet they did lose a man, cannon, or horse in the crossing.  By 4:00 AM on the 26th, the army began its nine-mile march to Trenton, four hours behind schedule. 

Expecting supporting troops to arrive, Washington proceeded with the plan, yet the auxiliary troops never came.  American commanders Ewing, Cadwallader, and Putnam all stayed in their shelters, certain that the attack would be cancelled due to the severity of the storm leaving Washington’s company alone to execute the attack.  About five miles from the city it was reported that their gunpowder was too wet to ignite.  Committed and determined, Washington commanded “to use the bayonet and penetrate into the town.  The town must be taken.” 

At eight o’clock on the morning of December 26^th, the Americans hit Trenton and caught the Hessians completely unprepared, many still asleep and inebriated from their Christmas celebration.  The battle lasted about an hour.  Four hundred Hessians were killed in the heavy hand-to-hand street fight and nearly nine hundred prisoners were taken.  Washington’s losses included two killed in battle, two severely frozen, and three wounded.  In military terms, the US/Hessian kill/loss ratio was a staggering 100/1.  Trophies of war included six bronze cannons, over a thousand rifles, ammunition, plus blankets, clothing and food for an entire army! 

Many Americans considered the battle to be a miracle, and truly it was.  As the storm intensified, the already over-confident Hessian commander relaxed in the comfort of his cozy, confiscated home.  Floating ice kept ferrymen and passengers alert to avoid careless mistakes.  Blizzard conditions drove Hessians spies and outpost guards into shelters.  Deafening wind muffled sounds of troop movement.  Frozen ground allowed heavy carts and cannons to travel quickly and prevented deep wagon tracks.  Snow and sleet immediately covered soldier’s bloodstained tracks. The entire army had advanced into battle position completely undetected!

Perhaps the greatest result of the battle was the morale boost it gave the Americans.  The Hessian prisoners were paraded through the streets of Philadelphia to prove that the dreaded European mercenaries were not invincible.  The effect upon the country was electric; the American cause revived.  Most of the soldiers re-enlisted long enough for a new army to be recruited.  Washington’s foresight and tenacity, his army’s sacrifice, Honeyman’s information, and the providential weather all came together into masterful orchestration.  Paine’s ageless words were confirmed, “These are the times that try men’s souls…The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph!”

Learn more at www.TheGloriousCauseOfAmerica.org

Washington’s Prayers at Valley Forge

Note: The Continental Army arrived at Valley Forge on December 19, 1777.  That winter, because of lack of supplies, more than 2,000 soldiers of the Continental Army died from starvation and exposure; many of the men less than 40 miles from their homes. Washington’s prayers appear to have been for the survival of his men and that they would remain until French assistance arrived.  The first account of prayer immediately followed a camp inspection with the army surgeon to discuss which limbs, fingers and toes would be amputated that day, and whether to use a saw or a hatchet. Later he would write to Congress, "To see the men without clothes to cover their nakedness, without blankets to lie upon, without shoes...without a house or hut to cover them until those could be built, and submitting without a murmur, is a proof of patience and obedience which, in my opinion, can scarcely be paralleled."

George Washington’s most famous prayer at Valley Forge was recorded by Reverend Nathaniel Randolph Snowden (1770-1851), an ordained Presbyterian minister and a graduate of Princeton University.  In his Diary and Remembrances, he gives an account of traveling with Senator Isaac Potts, a 26 year old resident of Valley Forge and a devout Quaker.  Like most Quakers at the time, Potts was opposed to the war until he heard George Washington praying for his men.  Here is the account of Reverend Snowden: 

“I was riding with him [Mr. Isaac Potts] in Montgomery County, Penn’a near to the Valley Forge, where the army lay during the war of ye Revolution. Mr. Potts was a Senator in our state & a Whig.  I told him I was agreeably surprised to find him a friend to his county as the Quakers were mostly Tories.” 

“He said, ‘It was so and I was a rank Tory once, for I never believed that America [could] proceed against Great Britain whose fleets and armies covered the land and ocean, but something very extraordinary converted me to the Good Faith!’”

“‘What was that,’ I inquired?”

“‘Do you see that woods, & that plain?’  It was about a quarter of a mile off from the place we were riding, as it happened.  ‘There,’ said he, ‘laid the army of Washington.  It was a most distressing time of ye war, and all were for giving up the Ship but that great and good man.  In that woods pointing to a close in view, I heard a plaintive sound as, of a man at prayer.  I tied my horse to a sapling & went quietly into the woods & to my astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other.  He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis, & the cause of the country, of humanity & of the world.’”

“‘Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man.  I left he alone praying.  I went home & told my wife, I saw a sight and heard today what I never saw or heard before, and just related to her what I had seen & heard & observed. We never thought a man [could] be a soldier & a Christian, but if there is one in the world, it is Washington.  She also was astonished.  We thought it was the cause of God, & America could prevail.’”

       

In a separate account of General Washington praying, General Marquis de Lafayette and General Peter Muhlenberg, were traveling through Valley Forge.  The conversation turned to a beautiful new horse General Washington had recently acquired.  As they would pass by the barn where the horse was stabled, Lafayette invited General Muhlenberg to see the animal.  Conversation between the companions dropped as they came near the door of the barn.  Lafeyette opened the door which made no noise; the winter sunlight streamed full into the lean-to connected with the stable, and for one notable moment revealed George Washington, kneeling on some of the hay thrown down from the loft for the horses.  Washington’s cloak was cast back and his hat was lying beside him, his eyes were closed, his hands were clasped and raised to Heaven.  His face appeared to be “grandly sad and sorrowful” as he prayed, uninterrupted by his visitors.  

After both men had time to carefully observe the scene, Lafayette quietly closed the door and the two men reverently retraced their steps to the road.  “He is a wonderful man — the commander,” exclaimed Lafayette.  "The spectacle is a sublime one; it fills me with shame while it inspires me with new faith and hope!" replied Muhlenberg.  Lafayette would later say of the incident, “I trust the Commander did not see or hear us — that we did not disturb him. . . . What I have seen I shall never forget, and I would not forget it if I could."

Learn more at www.TheGloriousCauseOfAmerica.org

How King George’s Statue Helped the American Revolution

On July 9, 1776, the long-awaited Declaration of Independence was read to the public of New York City.  The event took place at a park in Lower Manhattan near the waterfront.  It was here, six years earlier that the British government had erected a pretentious statue of King George III, astride a prancing horse and wearing a Roman toga.  The statue had been cast in London, painted with gold, and shipped to America.  The 4,000 pound statue rested on a huge marble base and was protected by a cast iron fence in a courtyard of cobblestones.  It had become so unpopular with the citizens of New York that an anti-graffiti, anti-desecration law was enacted in 1773 to discourage its vandalism.  The statue was made of pure lead; unluckily for George (and his statue), much needed musket balls to fight the American Revolution were also made of lead.

It was late afternoon when Washington’s troops, sailors, and local citizens first heard the famous words: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Some accounts suggest that when the reader finished the last line, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor,” the crowd erupted into a burst of cheering, clapping, and dancing.

Within minutes, men had thrown ropes around the statue toppling and shattering it on the cobblestone ground.  George’s head was reportedly paraded about the town, but later recovered by Tories and shipped back to England. 

One account tells of seven women who quickly gathered all the lead pieces they could find and transported them three days journey to a smelter in Litchfield Connecticut.  There the precious lead was melted down and recast.  When the ladies asked the owner, General Oliver Wolcott what they owed, Wolcott simply replied, “You owe me nothing.  It is we who owe you.  Ma’am, you have 42,038 musket balls in that wagon, 60 caliber, all to be shot back at King George’s red-coated troops.  I doubt King George would much approve of what you did with his statue, but America will not soon forget you have done for freedom.  God speed you on your way.”

Two centuries later, those lead musket balls have been lost or fired, but stories of the revolt remain.  So many versions; in fact, it’s difficult to determine with certainty the actual events; yet overwhelming evidence exists to support the general account.  The fence which surrounded the statue still stands; pieces of the statue are preserved in libraries, museums, and historical societies.  Artists have romanticized the revolt in their paintings.  Though exact details may be obscured, of this we are certain: on July 9, 1796, American patriots had had enough of tyranny and oppression.  That day, they also pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.  That day, citizens of New York stood up for freedom, resourcefully recasting their emblem of despotism into tools for liberty.  

Learn more at www.TheGloriousCauseOfAmerica.org

The Miraculous Iron Ore & The Great Chain

One of the keys to winning the Revolutionary War was controlling the Hudson River.  If the British could have gained possession of the river throughout the war, they would have effectively cut the American colonies in half.  During the winter of 1777-78, a plan was devised to forge an iron chain that would keep the British from coming up river by ship.  The most strategic point to install the chain was 50 miles upriver from New York City. 

                At West Point, New York, the river narrowed and two sharp curves created a hazardous “S” curve.  The curve caused ships traveling up river to slow down, reset their sails, travel a little further and re-tack again.  With high hills on either side, a strong river current, and frequent unfavorable winds, West Point was deemed the perfect location to set up the chain.  Forts and artillery batteries could be placed on both sides and reign down cannon balls on ships attempting to navigate the river.

From his tent in Valley Forge, General Washington issued the order to manufacture and install a chain across the river.  Late on Saturday, February 2, 1778, a government contract was executed to forge the chain; by daylight the next morning, forges were in operation.  In an engineering feat that would be difficult to duplicate even today, the chain was manufactured from start to finish in just six weeks.  Creation of the chain was so important that the government’s contract specified that workmen were exempted from military duty throughout the period of its construction. Seven forges and ten welding fires were kept in operation around the clock.  The chain was affixed across the river on April 30, 1778. 

The chain was approximately 600 yards in length, composed of two foot long, 2.25" thick iron links, each of which weighed 114 pounds. The entire chain weighed 65 tons and required 40 men to install. The chain floated on rafts assembled from four 16' sharpened, waterproofed logs, anchored between Constitution Island and West Point.  An elaborate system of pulleys allowed the chain’s tension to be adjusted to overcome the changing tide and current. 

While the importance of the Great Chain is often remembered, the Lord’s hand in the construction of the chain is often overlooked.  By clear act of providence, one of the largest and richest iron deposits in the world is located in Warwick, NY, just a few miles from West Point. 

The Sterling Iron Works were widely recognized as producing some of the highest grade iron in the world.  “The rich, black magnetite ore at Sterling was 60 to 70 percent pure, which meant that it was easily broken into chunks sufficiently pure to bypass customary and time-consuming 18^th century washing and drying procedures, enabling the chain to be completed in record time.”  “The famously cold winter of 1777-78 that severely tested soldiers at Valley Forge [some 140 miles to the south] proved to be a blessing at the Sterling Forge, where it alleviated the intense heat of the forges.”^[1]

During the remainder of the war, the chain was removed every autumn and reinstalled every spring to avoid destruction by ice.  The chain proved to be a brilliant success; the British never attempted to run the chain.  Washington’s troops controlled the Hudson throughout the remainder of the war which significantly contributed to the American victory.  In fact, many historians consider the great chain at West Point as the “Key to the Continent”.

Before the formation of the world, the Great Creator knew that a chain, strategically placed along the Hudson, would someday be helpful in freeing the early colonists.  The Great Orchestrator of the Universe provided marvelously rich iron deposits, high hills, a narrow river, the sharp “S” curve, strong winds and current.  The “best spirits the God of Heaven could find on the face of the earth”^[2] were then assembled to lead the cause.  Inspiration was given to men who would listen and act, and the perfect weather for forging a chain was provided.  Everything came together at the needed time, not by chance, but by providence.

An ancient American prophecy concerning the revolutionary War was thus fulfilled: “And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered against them to battle.  And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations”.^[3]  A new nation, conceived in Liberty was born, where the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness could spread throughout the world. 

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[1] Kenneth L. Alford, “‘Delivered by the Power of God’: Nephi’s Vision of America’s Birth,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (BYU Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book, 2011), 273-275

[2] Wilford Woodruff, LDS Conference Report, April 1898

[3]The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Christ; 1 Ne. 13:18-19

Learn more at www.TheGloriousCauseOfAmerica.org

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[1] Kenneth L. Alford, “‘Delivered by the Power of God’: Nephi’s Vision of America’s Birth,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (BYU Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book, 2011), 273-275

[2] Wilford Woodruff, LDS Conference Report, April 1898

[3]The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Christ; 1 Ne. 13:18-19