Out of the hundreds of tales of Army courage over the years, here is one that illustrates the courage, loyalty, dedication, originality, and enthusiasm against mighty odds that have always characterized our armed forces. Now is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States Army.
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George Washington sat on horseback at the gate in Trenton, which the Hessians and the English fought against the Americans, as he was always the common who led from the front. ” Support the gate to the last extremities”! possessed the position of commander in chief. One officer responded,” To the last person, Excellency.” Following their brave and powerful shock attack on the Hessians in December 1776, the Americans were putting all their weight on a desperate battle. Luckily, two of the regiments guarding Washington at the critical gate were appropriately dubbed Indispensables and Immortals.
On the day of the Second Battle of Trenton, a secret said,” On one afternoon, yes, forty minutes, beginning at the moment when the British army first saw the gate and river before them, depended the crucial question: Should we be separate State, or have conquered insurgents?”
Happy 250th Birthday to the U.S. Army!
Using firsthand accounts, historian Patrick K.O’Donnell vividly describes the historical conflict. The incident was recalled by the private:
In a moment when everything is so crucial and crucial, the noble horse of Gen. Washington, with his breast pressed close against the west rail of the bridge, instilled confidence and assurance in the firm, composed, and majestic countenance of the General. I had the fortune to be next to the west rail during this passage across the bridge, and when I arrived at the end of the bridge rail, I was pressed against the General’s horse and in contact with the General’s boot. The horse appeared to be as perceptive as the rider that he was not to give up on his position and station.
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Thankfully, the best soldiers in the shrinking and volunteer army were just as determined as their commander. The Maryland and Delaware regiments, who had sacrificed many of their own men bravely to the British, who had allowed a previous American retreat, were the remains of the” Immortals.” The” Indispensables” from Marblehead, Massachusetts, had just established a name for themselves by moving the entire American army across the icy Delaware River. Both regiments had racial and financial diversity. The British army’s assault was awaited by black, white, and Native American Indian soldiers.
Washington simply had to persuade a large number of soldiers to reenlist on January 1st after their enlistments have ended. But the men were aware that his words, “your country is at stake, your wives, your homes, and all that you hold dear,” were accurate. They then fought it out on the bridge while troops from two nations who were notorious for systematically destroying everyone in their path.
The troops were greeted by a very wise officer who said,” You know the Old Boss has put us here, and by God it must be done, let what will come,” in a very practical and somewhat humorous instruction. I want to tell you one thing right away. You’re all in the habit of shooting too high, guys. You waste your lead and powder, and I have utterly cursed you for it. Now I’ll explain what it is: No time is wasted, every crack must count. For that reason, boys, whenever you see them fellows first begin putting their feet on this [bridge], do you, boys, Shine low?
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One man wounded in the leg is preferable to a dead one, for it takes two more to carry him off, and there are three gone, the officer said.” Bring down your pieces, fire at their legs,” he continued. Let’s go to them, dam’em, I say leg them.
FromO’Donnell:
Battle of Trenton took place as Hessian grenadiers ( Britain’s German allies ) made their first storming of the bridge in impressive columns. Many of the assault troops “legged,” slowing their advance, fighting halfway across with waning American musket fire. Scores of Hessians fell, enshp, and spouting blood and gore on the stone bridge. They reformed and charged once more, according to Unbroken, and dozens of people fell from the musket fire before breaking up before reaching the bridge’s center. The Americans resoundingly applauded the place after their victory. The Americans ‘ troops reformed and charged over the bodies of their dead comrades who “lay thicker and closer together for a space than I have ever seen sheaves of wheat lying in a field which the reapers had just passed.”
British troops were unable to cross the bridge for a third time, but British commander Cornwallis was aware of the possibility that the morning sunlight would encircle and destroy the American forces. ” The old fox is now safe,” the fox said. The benevolent aristocrat sneered of Washington and said,” We’ll go over and bag him in the morning.
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The “old fox” was gone, though, in the morning. He was marching toward Princeton and a second victory after dexterously withdrawing his troops at night. Cornwallis made a number of errors regarding the “old fox’s” intelligence or the American combativeness; Cornwallis would fly the flag of surrender at Yorktown a few years later.
And so the Indispensables and Immortals marched into history down the treacherous path. In fact, all the Revolutionaries and soldiers who have wore the Army uniform since can be aptly referred to as the” Immortals” for their bravery will never be forgotten.
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