Christmas Day 1776:
My brave fellows. On our recent march through Jersey from New York, one of our own, Thomas Paine, aide-de-camp to Gen’l Greene, penned by firelight a tract which captures the essence of our present situation. Permit me to share with you a few lines…
The person acting in the role of General Washington for 2007 and 2008 is Ronald Rinaldi III.
These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot, will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country, but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
What we obtain too cheap we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.
You, the officers and men of this American Army must remember that you are free men fighting for the blessings of liberty.
At this fateful hour the eyes of all our countrymen are now upon us. The eyes of the world are watching. Let us show them all that a freeman contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.
And when the hour is upon us fight for all that you are worth and all that you cherish and love. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct that you show.
Witnessing the annual Crossing is a great Christmas pastime in this corner of America. Listening the Washington’s inspirational speech to his fellow soldiers is especially poignant this year. Thomas Payne warned of the danger of what we obtain cheaply, I wonder what his opinion would be regarding the incoming administration?
Wonderful to see this post first thing this morning. Paine’s words are as valuable and timely today as they were then.
This is the first I’ve ever heard of this particular reenactment. I would love to see it.
But I’m afraid that for many people, all we learn from history is that we never learn from history.
Somewhere I have pictures of that when I took my kids to see it (used to live about 15 minute drive away). Great show, some even camping out there in tents, mock battles, really wonderful to see.
It was still cheating, attacking during Christmas break was sneaky.
Please produce the standard that was violated by Washington.
Cheating allowing unverified donations to campaign, having staffers vote illegally in battleground states.
What struck me was how we have changed since Washington boldly crossed the Delaware on Christmas Day.
The river was somewhat calm, I’ve seen it churned up and this was downright peaceful for the Delaware. The wind was not gale force, it was a perfect day for a crossing.
Talking to one of the colonial re-enactors, the older gentleman in the officer’s outfit, who mentioned that the reconstructed Durham boats were quite pricey – upwards to $100,000 a boat. They did not want to risk losing control of the boat and smashing it against the pylons of the bridge.
December, 1776 Washington instructed the colonial army to confiscate “Boats and Crafts, particularly Durham boats” prior to the march on Trenton. These boats were the lifeblood of many families on the Delaware. Yet the continental army took them. The struggle for freedom and self-determination was far more highly valued than the intrinsic worth of those Durham boats in 1776.
In 2008, we don’t cross the Delaware if there is any possibility of damaging these boats.
Prior to that fateful crossing, Washington quoted Thomas Paine “What we obtain too cheap we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.”
Do we as Americans value freedom any more? If so, how would the antithesis of what Washington and his troops struggled for on Christmas Day in 1776 become president in 2009?
Thomas Paine is rolling in his grave.
If Code Pink had been around back then they would have raced ahead of Washington to warn the Hessians. But the Hessians would probabaly have mistaken the Pinkos for a band of disease ravaged freaks and shot them on sight.
If Obama were in charge, he would have declared the mission a failure before it began, started discussions with the Hessian’s with no preconditions, and pledged to Mother England that all colonial forces will be out of the colonies within 16 months.