General John Glover delivered a priceless gift to the nation. He saved the cause of American independence on Christmas Day in 1776.
Glover was a Marblehead, Massachusetts, mariner-turned-Revolutionary War hero who led a rugged regiment of calloused New England fishermen.
This famed Marblehead militia ferried George Washington and 2,400 troops in row boats across the ice-choked Delaware River on the night of Dec. 25 with the American rebellion on the brink of collapse.
The daring assault overwhelmed a garrison of 1,400 Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey, who were fighting on behalf of the British crown.
It was a stunning victory that reversed the course of the American Revolution and, ultimately, reshaped world history.
“This was a major military crossing under extraordinarily difficult circumstances,” American Battlefield Trust historian Kristopher White told Fox News Digital.
“More than just men, there were horses, provisions and artillery. Washington came armed for a fight.” . . .
. . . . Officially known as the 14th Continental Regiment, the Marblehead militia was an extraordinary fighting force.
It was a fully integrated unit of Latin, White, Black and Native American troops, and at least one Jewish member, who worked together on the high seas before battling the Brits. About 20 percent of the unit was non-White, according to regimental rolls.
Three races of Glover’s unit are represented in the oarsmen in Leutze’s painting: a Black man by Washington’s knee, rowing on the starboard side; several White militiamen; and a Native American in moccasins and bead-pattern pouch steering the boat in the back. . . . (read more on Fox News)
John Glover and the Marblehead Men of Massachusetts (American Battlefield Trust)
See STARRS Board of Directors Brig. General Chris Petty (US Army ret) Battle Digests HERE
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