II - 14 Address To His Troops

Address  To  His  Troops

The  time  is  now  near  at  hand  which  must  probably  determine  whether
 
Americans  are  to  be  freemen  or  slaves;  whether  they  are  to  have  any
 
property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms  are  to
 
be  pillaged  and  destroyed,  and  themselves  consigned  to  a  state  of
 
wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of
 
unborn  millions  will  now  depend,  under  God,  on  the  courage  and  conduct

of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the  choice
 
of a brave resistance or the most abject submission. We have, therefore,
 
to  resolve  to  conquer  or  to  die.
 
Our  own,  our  country's  honour,  calls  upon  us  for  a  vigorous  and  manly
 
exertion; and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the
 
whole  world.  Let  us  then  rely  on  the  goodness  of  our  cause,  and  the  aid
 
of the Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage
 
us to great and noble actions. The eyes of all our countrymen are now upon
 
us, and we shall have their blessings and praises, if happily we are the
 
instruments of saving them from the tyranny meditated against them. Let
 
us animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a free
 
man contending for liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish
 
mercenary  on  earth.
 
Liberty, property, life, and honour are all at stake, upon your courage
 
and conduct rest the hopes of our bleeding and insulted country; our wives,
 
children,  and  parents  expect  safety  from  us,  only;  and  they  have  every
 
reason to believe that Heaven will crown with success so just a cause(2).
 
The  enemy  will  endeavour  to  intimidate  by  show  and  appearance(3);  but,
 
remember,  they  have  been  repulsed  on  various  occasions  by  a  few  brave
 
Americans. Their cause is bad--their men are conscious of it; and if op-
 
posed with firmness and coolness on their first onset, with our advantage
 
of works, and knowledge of tile ground(4), the victory is most assuredly
 
ours. Every good soldier will be silent and attentive- wait for orders,
 
and  reserve  his  fire  until  he  is  sure  of  doing  execution(5).