Happy Rebel Scum Day!
Kudos to a bunch of plucky little rebels who would not bend a knee to a tyrant elected by no one, and managed to defeat and eject a major military world power from our shores. My favorite revolutionary story is from the Battle of Yorktown, where the American and French Allied Forces proceeded to badly defeat British General Cornwallis in a strategic trap, and end the war for all intents and purposes.
One of my two favorite American founding fathers is Thomas Nelson. The story goes that, at Yorktown, Nelson, promoted to Brigadier General, urged General Washington to shell Nelson’s very own mansion in Yorktown, after it had been taken over by the British and employed as the headquarters for General Cornwallis. According to the legend, Nelson offered five guineas to the first man to hit his house.
My other favorite was Charles Carroll, a lesser known signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He signed the Declaration as “Charles Carroll of Carrollton”. The story goes that he initially signed it as “Charles Carroll”. After returning to his seat someone commented that Charles Carroll was a common name, and that he might be saved by such ambiguity if and when the King ordered the execution of the signatories. Upon hearing that, Carroll arose from his seat and added “of Carrollton” to his signature.
With that, I cite the final sentence of the Declaration of Independence:
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
All gave some. Some gave all. What they did must never be forgotten.
