Our
rifles were leveled, rifles which, but for him, knew not how to miss. Twas all
in vain; a power far mightier than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in
battle. The Great Spirit protects that man, and guides his destinies. He will
become chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a
mighty nation.
These were the words of a Native
American chief as he reminisced with George Washington and others about a
battle fifteen years previous when they were on opposite sides during the French
and Indian Wars. It was the Battle of Fort Duquesne in July 1755 when 1,459
British soldiers were ambushed by a large contingent of Native American
warriors who had joined the French in their fight with the British for control
of the North American continent. It proved to be one of the bloodiest days in Anglo
American history with 977 British soldiers killed or wounded. It was a day,
however, when Washington’s reputation for bravery began to spread throughout the
land.
Washington, in his early twenties, had
been recruited by the British because of his knowledge of the ways of the
wilderness and the American Indians. He had acquired this knowledge in his work
as a surveyor of wilderness territory. Assigned to travel with the British General
Braddock to take Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburgh), Washington found his
advice for traveling through the wilderness and dealing with the Indians
ignored by Braddock who considered him a young upstart colonialist.
But when the ambush occurred and
Braddock himself was wounded, Washington took charge and organized an orderly
retreat while at the same time putting his own life at risk, rescuing the
wounded and placing them in wagons. During this time two horses were shot out
from under him and his clothes were shredded with bullets. He emerged unscathed
and gave glory to God, saying, “I was saved by the miraculous care of
Providence that saved me beyond human expectation.” His reputation for bravery
spread among both the English and the Native Americans.
Years later, according to historian
George Bancroft, Washington and a friend were exploring an area along the Ohio River
when they encountered a group of Native Americans. Recognizing Washington, the
natives invited the men back to their camp to meet with their chief, whom it
turned out had fought on the side of the French in the Battle of Duquesne. They
had a cordial visit and then the old chief, pointing to Washington, said something
amazing.
I am chief and ruler over all my tribes.
My influence extends to the waters of the Great Lakes, and to the far blue
mountains. I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young
warrior of the great battle. It was on the day when the white man’s blood mixed
with the streams of our forest that I first beheld this chief. I called to my
young men and said, “Mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the redcoat
tribe—he hath an Indian’s wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do—himself alone
is exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies.” Our rifles were
leveled, rifles which, but for him, knew not how to miss. Twas all in vain; a
power far mightier than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle. The
Great Spirit protects that man, and guides his destinies. He will become chief
of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a mighty
nation (Benjamin Hart, Faith &
Freedom, 234).
Washington, of course, was later appointed
commander-in-chief of the colonial army, and at great sacrifice, led his outnumbered, outgunned troops to an amazing victory over the British through numerous providential events. He then presided over the Continental
Congress and was later unanimously elected the first president of the United
States of America. "First in war. first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," was a common adage ascribed to Washington by his generation.
As we remember George Washington today on
his birthday, let us not forget that we, as a nation, owe our very existence to
the providential mercies of Almighty God. And let us not suppose that we can continue
as a nation without His providential care. Let us therefore beseech Him to have
mercy upon us as a nation and visit us again with His mercy and power. As David
prayed in Psalm 85:6-7, Will you not
revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in you? Show us Your mercy LORD,
and grant us Your salvation.
Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian and Bible teacher. He is the founder of "The Revive America Project" that is dedicated to laying the Biblical and historical foundations for another Great Awakening in our land. His books on Spiritual awakening and American and church history can be found on Amazon and at his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.
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