| Show a T AloT Clergyman Who Raised a Jj v v T Regiment from His Frontier Congregation Congre Congregation 4 gation and Rose to Be Se Major General and United States Senator One of the Noblest I I i Members of a Really Great 2 ir k j s ican ican Family I I rr w 0 aI ANCIENT lUTHERAN CHURCH AT TRAPPE I IRE CRADLE OF i f I A A 11 l D c r TIlE THE FAMILY Melchior Muhlenberg patriarch patriarchs of the Lutheran church churchIn In ht America pioneer and patriot born Hanover Septem September her ber C G 1711 died Trappe Pa Oc Ocr r tobel 7 i SECOND GENERATION John Peter Petel Gabriel Gabrie American soldier and statesman pastor Woodstock Va born October 1 I 1746 at Trappe died October 1 I 1807 In Philadelphia Frederick Frederic Augustus Au ustus American statesman Lutheran clergyman first speaker of 01 Congress Confess Con ress born January 1 I 1750 at Trappe died die June 4 THIRD GENERATION Peter American soldier Francis American statesman FOURTH GENERATION William Augustus P E clergy clergyman clergyman man founder St 81 Lukes Hospital New York noet musician hymn writer organizer of the first Prot Pot Protestant Protestant Episcopal Sisterhood born Philadelphia September 10 16 1790 1796 died New ew York April S 8 1577 ROi f mountain cabin and valley alloy valle FROM F farm there thel gathered In the rude rudely rudely rudely ly built little church at Wood Woodstock Woodstock stock In the Ridge country of Virginia ono one Sunday Sundar In ht January 1776 such a L multitude as tho the house of worship never nover had hold before For 60 50 miles or more about the parishioners had assembled so o that when the ship herd of tho lock flock ascended tho the pulpit tho the benches were filled the aisles crowded and the doors and windows window choked with people The pastor was only 29 tall athletic He Ko had none of the orators gifts girts except fervor and simplicity of oC statement It was his farewell sermon ho was to preach and after ater a prayer ho plunged Into his subject He told his congre coll congregation re gation gatlon their own story how they ther bad left Germany years before to seek seck a A A IN larger larser measure of or freedom religious and political In the New World and how they the had gone gono into the wilderness to get It He told of oC his father the patriarch of oC the church In America Am rica and of his work Ho He told of 01 his own career of d f his trip to Germany as a n boy bo of 01 his attendance at the tho University of or Halle Halie of oC running away awa after aCter striking a LL brutal Instructor of oC enlisting In a regiment of dragoons of oC returning to America and completing his education loll under his fathers direction and o of oC his admission into the thu ministry And then he ho took up tho wrongs of or orthe the colonists In a 11 clear plain way he lie sketched the attitude of oC England to toward toward toward ward the American subjects the harsh unbending unsympathetic character of oC the king the insistence of the ministry in imposing whatever In the tho way of taxation It saw fit to visit upon the tho colonists the denial of oC tho the right to tho the colonists of having any an voice or any representation In the matter of or taxation taxa taxation tion enforcement by b military power of 01 the tho orders of the crown when these or orders orders orders ders conflicted with tho the legal rights of ot the people and of a multitude of other acts that had embittered tho the people He traced step by stop the aggressions of ot the tho government and named one by b one on i tho the privileges that had been withdrawn from the people With every eely withdraw withdrawal al of oC privilege the freedom of oC the tho peo people people people had been restricted moro more and more Absurd laws had been boen brought Into use us the only purpose of ot which seemed to be beto beto beto to harass embarrass and madden the people In his own case for example how ridiculous It was to compels compel comp lj him to go to London and go through the form torm of being admitted to tp the Church of oC England ministry before he ho would be permitted to become pastor of tin the Lutheran church at Woodstock He told of the efforts made by br the colonists to protect prot t themselves first by b appeals to the governments sense of oC justice then by b blunt refusal reCusa to submit to acts act that Invaded their legal rights and then thenh by h threats of armed resistance In words that aroused amused the coldest he lie told his parishioners that although the thu brunt of the contest was being borne by b the English speaking colonists the thc German colonists of oC tho the Blue RIg Ridge valley valle and the tho German colonists throughout the tho New World orld were no nu noless noless less concerned A struggle for freedom was one of oC sacred character Invasion of the tho rights of the tho people was the concern of all Ho lIo feared and ho be believed there was no withdrawal from the stand taken either by the crown or by tile the I colonists colonist Each had gone too loo far to ac acc accept anything except complete completo sur r T II tf l Ji I Irro 1 5 render by b the other Surrender by b the colonists meant a condition little short of or slavery In the tho language of holy writ said he there thero is a time for all things a time to preach and a a time to pray pra but those times are arc passed away Thoro Is Isa Isn isa a n time too in which man must fight and that time now has come Then he pronounced the tho benediction THE CALL For 30 seconds or more moro there was vas 11 a stillness such as ns tho the little church never had known before In times when the congregation were present Then slow slowly slowly ly I and reverently tho the pastor took off ore his priestly robes and stood before the tho congregation in the uniform of a Continental Con Continental Continental colonel Laying his clerical dress on the pulpit rail and drawing his sword sord he descended from the tho pulpit Beat Bea tho the drums Beat Bent the tho drums for recruits he called to boys he had stationed sta stationed at the church door As tho the sound of or the drumbeats was vas heard there was a scene in that rude little church at Woodstock such as the American Revolution rich as It is in inglorious InglorIous inglorious glorious examples s of patriotic devotion of the tho people affords no parallel Thrilled to tho the highest degree by b the impassioned words of the young oung clergy clergyman clergyman clergyman man men struggled through the tho thor r r leJ or f climbed over tho the benches In their eagerness to shake his hand and to bo ho ranked among his fol followers followers followers lowers Old men brought forward their sons wives their husbands and wid widowed widowed owed mothers their boys boS to place them under tho pastors parental caro taro to fight the battles of their thel adopted country Wonderful indeed was tho the record made mado that day da in that frontier church Nearly earl men of that congregation en enlisted enlisted enlisted listed that Sunday under the banner of John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg and the tho gown tho the young oung clergyman laid on the pulpit rail never was worn again A fine American was wag Peter Muhlenberg Muhlenberg berg ho lie dropped the John and Gabriel from his name after nIter leaving the minis ministry try 11 From out of tho Blue Ridge valley val valloy nI nIlo loy ley lo he lie got nearly every ever man manto manto manto to Derv l before the tho war was over and he himself was In n tho the strife from first to last His appointment as colonel coonel had been made on the recommendation of George Washington and Patrick Henry Hem and ho lie had his regiment In tho the field so 50 early earl that It took part In tho tiro Iff first battle of Charleston when Corn Cornwallis Cornwallis wallis tried to take tako that city elt and was repulsed Gen Cen Charles Lee In his re report report report port of oC the engagement praised the German regiment think It Jus Justice justice tice he tie says as to publish tho the merits of oC Colonel and his bravo brave garri garrison son and I know not which corps I havo ha hatho tho the greatest reason to bo be pleased with Virginians or 01 the North Carolina troops They ThC were equally equall alert zealous and spirited Considering tho the fact that Lee what whatever whatever whatever ever his faults may ma be bo had hind been a gen general genora oral eral ora In the army of England and the thc army arm of Poland and wid was considered ono one of the tho highest military authorities of oC that day da this was quito quite for raw recruits But Dut regiment had other claims for fOl recognition tion It was the first ono one that was com complete completo completo pleto for Cor Immediate Immediato service senico and It was tho the best armed best clothed and best equipped In the Continental army Throughout 1776 Muhlenberg served in tho the south In February 1777 he was promoted to bo be brigadier general rank ranking rankInG ranking ing In the army arm list Immediately after Anthony Wayne ayne He took command of oC his hl brigade in May ta and had It In a high state slate of discipline at tho the time of oC tho battle of oC Brandywine If it had not been so tho the Continental army might havo have been destroyed In that battle for forit forIt forIt it was vas this brigade that checked Corn Cornwallis Cornwallis wallis after his lordship had turned flank Ono One of or the tho English generals general In his report of tho the battle said this of and brigades They The exhibited a degree of firmness order and resolution and pre pro preserved preserved served such a countenance In extreme extremely ly h sharp harp service senico as would not havo have discredited veterans STURDY AND TRUE These Thee two reports that of Lee at Charleston and the English general at Brandywine afford an excellent lino IIno on men as they tho were throughout the war They The were good fighters very veI hard to dislodge once they the took a position They The were not brilliant but they the always ahas could be relied upon And the tho general was a good deal like them No ono ever credited him with being a military gen genius genIus genius ius but ho lie knew how to put his own good lighting fighting spirit Into his men taco and he kept up a higher degree of oC discipline than perhaps any other othel general in the tho I I continental service except c Wayne ayne It H is not to bo be supposed that he was lacking In ability In the tho battle of Ger Germantown ho did exactly what Wash Washington WashIngton ash ashIngton ington assigned him to do and was tho the only general to carry carr out his orders to tho letter If rr the others had done dono as ho did the tho whole British force would have been captured but uhlenberg Muhlenberg carried curried out his orders so well that ho he penetrated ed to the point of concentration only to be there without support and to have havo to fight tight his way wa out Ho lost one regiment before he lie could extricate himself but the wonder Is that he was not crushed Throughout tho the winter at Valley Valle Forge Muhlenberg had charge of oC the outer semicircle and In the tho battle of his brigade formed the tho right wing of General Greenes division Greene Greeno received high praise for the conduct of his division so it can bo be accepted as a fact that tho the berg brigade did pretty well In the grueling light fight that followed tho rout of or Leos Lees force It was not until the magnificent af affair affair fair Call of or Stony Point that Muhlenberg came prominently into notice again While Wayne Va no made his dashing assault Muhlenberg with picked men of oC his brigade covered and supported tho the at attack attach tack tach The Tho glory of the assault belongs to Floury Fleury but the fact that In this haz hazardous hazardous hazardous undertaking Washington should have havo selected Muhlenberg as second in command Is evidence enco of oC how highly the tho considered the tho pastor of or Woodstock REAL HEAL WORK WORE In 1779 Washington sent Muhlenberg back to Virginia The British had hud met much resistance and their victories in the north had been barren but In the south It had been different The south while tho the richest part of the young republic re republic republic public was wall the weakest largo sec of Georgia Geor la and the Carolinas being disaffected di and Sir Henry HenrS Clin ton had taken tal en advantage of this con to send various expeditions to the tho south Ono One of oC these expeditions had ravaged plundered and burned tho the Virginia Vir Virginia Virginia ginia seaboard without opposition Much as Washington would have liked to defend his own state he lie could not He did not dare daro withdraw raw his threaten ed cd attack upon Ullon New York and ho he had hind urgent need of every regiment In his hl command Something had to bo be done however for tor the protection not only of Virginia but for 01 tho the support of an army that would keep the British busy in the Carolinas and Georgia So lie Jie sent to Virginia but kept brigade on tho the Hudson Tho Thu parson not only had to raise and drill a LL new naw force but sty see to tho the equipment of or tho the regiments How successful ho tie was In carrying out desires is shown by tho the largo body of oC troops under his Ills and Lafa Laa command whicH penned Cornwallis up in Yorktown and started the light that ended en ed the war Probably throughout the whole whale Revo Rove struggle General berg belg did no better hatter service for tor tho the coun try than In Jn this period of oC recruiting an army His great popularity among tho the Germans ho he used to the utmost do de gree gre and anti then ho used tho thin fine ex ample set by the Germans to Influence I 71 kies 4 4 h UHL y J others to enlist And when voluntary enlistment had about reached its limit ho he was not averse aveno to resorting to con conscription conscrIption conscription He was In Virginia to raise an army arm and he raised one What hat he had to contend with may ma bo be appreciated appreciated appreciated when a letter ho sent to Washing Washington ton in response to one tho the commander had written to him hint begging him to hurry forward recruits to General Gen General General eral Gates who had taken command I In Georgia Is read I They would have gone go no on before this time wrote but there Is Isa Isa isa a total want of everything necessary to fit them for the tho field There Thero are neither teams tents nor blankets and it is but a few rew days das since wo we were able ablo to procure arms fit for service BENEDICT ARNOLD While still engaged In filling the thin gaps In n army arm Muhlenberg had something new to worry worn him A Brit British BrItIsh British ish fleet of CO 60 sail entered the thin James river and began disembarking men Hurriedly collecting his recruits Muhlenberg marched with men to meet tho the Invaders leaving General Weedon behind In Richmond to collect troops to reinforce him Before Defore he left Richmond however ho rushed a dispatch bearer hearer to General Washing Washington ton with a n message melage explaining the po position position of the British recommending that the French fleet be sent to blockade the tho fleet and promising to toI keep I eop the land force busy bus and get it Into a net If Ir the French checked escape by sea sen uhlenberg Muhlenberg got goot reinforcements so rapidly that he advanced on Ports Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth mouth drove In the pickets and kept kent General Leslie confined to his Int There was no overrunning the country and there was no escape for f r Leslie if the French hoot appeared But the thin French did not arrive Washington either cither had other ideas or the tho French had other othor Ideas At any rate Leslie was able to board ship and sail away his ex expedition expedition x a fiasco but tho the Americans |
