A Voice of Sanity – RobertRinger.com

Reflections on a Revolution, Part I

By Robert Ringer

If you’ve ever wondered why that 555-foot monolith on the National Mall in D.C. is named after the first president of the United States, read a good book on George Washington. Let me tell you, the guy was one tough dude. I believe he honestly thought he was invincible … and he was, at least until the end. Ironically, it took what most historians believe was some sort of throat infection to bring him down in 1799.

They don’t make wars like the American War of Independence anymore. No antiseptic missile strikes that allow you to kill without having to see blood and guts flying in every direction. No way. The colonial patriots fought the English up close – real close … in freezing weather … sweltering hot weather … too little food … too few supplies … and a lack of manpower.

And, often, without pay. In fact, after the Battle of Trenton, Washington offered officers whose tour of duty was running out $10 to re-enlist. He was willing to do anything and everything to win – including sleeping on the ground right alongside his troops on more than one occasion. Had another general other than Washington led the revolutionary troops, I seriously doubt that the British would have been defeated.

Almost from the outset, most colonists were skeptical about Washington’s ability to triumph over the most powerful fighting force in the world – the British military. And for most of the eight-year war, it looked like they were right.

Keep in mind that throughout the long war there was a civilian battle of words going on between – you guessed it – the hawks (”patriots”) and the doves (”loyalists,” who stood with Great Britain). And, interestingly, a similar war of words was being fought among the populace in Great Britain. Many Brits did not feel that fighting a war 3,000 miles away – at a cost that was draining the economy – was worth it. Sound familiar? The more things change …

In fact, the British had their own version of 9/11 when John Paul Jones, a former British naval officer who became a colonial patriot, brought the revolution to Great Britain’s doorstep by raiding the west coast of England! Suddenly, what had been an unpopular foreign war was threatening to expand onto British soil. The anti-war crowd howled its disapproval of the American quagmire even more.

And when, in 1779, the British tried a last-ditch strategy to gain a foothold in the South by sending 1,000 ships to the Port of Charleston in South Carolina, all hell broke loose. I doubt many Americans today realize it, but it actually became the country’s first civil war, with family members in South Carolina often split between the loyalists and the patriots. The fighting between the two sides was vicious, and often vindictive.

But if Washington was anything, he was stubborn. Make that tough and stubborn. On one occasion, he handed down a sentence for two officers to face a firing squad for treason. Then, in a move that would have made Saddam proud, he ordered the firing squad to be composed of the twelve men who had been the two officers’ accomplices!

If George Washington had ordered me to eat bugs, I would have asked him how many and how fast. I wouldn’t have even had the nerve to ask him if I could wash them down with water.

Thousands of volumes have been written about the American Revolution, detailing every strategy, every battle, and every side plot. But when all is said and done, for me what stands out most was George Washington’s incredible toughness and tenacity.

He undoubtedly would have been appalled to see what wusses modern Americans have become. Can you imagine today’s presidential candidates – purveyors of never-ending entitlements for Americans addicted to the good life – facing off against Washington? He would have brought them to their knees with his Clint Eastwood stare.

The colonists’ victory over Great Britain – against unfathomable odds – had to be the greatest comeback in the annals of war. It’s enough to make one feel ashamed of himself for stewing over every little obstacle that crosses his path.

In the next article in this Fourth of July series … more reflections on the amazing American Revolution.

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ROBERT RINGER is a New York Times #1 bestselling author and host of the highly acclaimed Liberty Education Interview Series, which features interviews with top political, economic, and social leaders. Ringer has appeared on numerous national talk shows and has been the subject of feature articles in such major publications as Time, People, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Barron’s, and The New York Times. To sign up for his one-of-a-kind, pro-liberty e-letter, A Voice of Sanity in an Insane World, visit www.RobertRinger.com

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