Liberty's Kids 110 - Washington Takes Command

that's where it goes never give up you represent america how can i see it any other way today in the children of freedom

washington

he is the only hero we have the only man the whole country will support otherwise the revolution will still be war again england you signed this army with for six months service yet the enemy is still behind his barricade he's not going home but neither did many of your friends die in that fight on bunker hill standing up for an idea that idea is freedom july from 1775 dear mother this has been the hardest hottest bumpy ride i have ever made thank god its almost over we are 10 days away from leaving philadelphia and should be in boston any minute general

washington

will take Continental Army Command and Dr.

Franklin has assigned James and me to report. James is embarking on a great experiment, how do you know where these birds will go? They are homing pigeons. The Gazette will receive news of the war before any other newspaper. they here we are i can't wait to see the army i can't wait to eat this is an army general washington

takes

command

of the colonial forces in boston the general has begun to impose discipline on the group of anxious and patriotic but disorganized soldiers who are face off against general howe's formidable british regulars i don't know how general washington will turn this rabble into an army a most sloppy bull headed disrespectful bunch this journalist has never seen but dr franklin this is supposed to be james report since the front what you read is nothing like what he said in his office editors privilege plus if the military is going to become a real army they will need congressional money and congress won't give it if they think the military doesn't have remedy it was a brave thing to let the

kids

go but i can't help but worry about them they'll be fine moses james has the stuff of a good reporter and sarah well if any of those

kids

cross the line sarah will put them in order very soon. did you see any of james's pigeons i've still seen a lot of pigeons but none of them look like a war correspondent i told him the distance might be too great as well as he uses the army gallops as a precaution general washington has his job cut out because he has to strengthen the area around the whole city and somehow flog this bunch of farmers and slackers into an army um prison arms would you say the rations here are low i'd say the rations here are nonexistent we round up whatever we can find I heard the rations Things will change now that General Washington is in charge.

I heard there's an island in the south where dogs can talk and wear hats. Do you really work for a newspaper? this of them dr. franklin says that all the colonies have a common interest in this war that is very good i am only interested in yours truly and in your part of this war that will end in 52 days 52 how can you be so sure ? that's when my enlistment ends is when most of these men will be on their way home what if the british are still in boston? you're welcome as far as i'm concerned look lady i'm a store keeper dry goods mostly some fribbles for the ladies and such i can't afford to let my business go it alone and there's jeremiah breddick he's a farmer he's going to bring his hay and sweet corn if he's stuck down here parading for mr washington what what are these kids doing here take it easy striker they're doing no harm he says he writes for a real paper and you sprout what are you supposed to What are you? i'm not supposed to be anything i'm unrealistically surprised maurice to twilight right?

Hey guys, this tadpole has everything without clothes as a name, can't you read, of course, is there something you'd like me to read for you? A little rascal, uh, look at the big Virginia hog farmer. from the store i hope you are as good at fighting redcoats as you are at chasing children dear mother james spends more and more time each day with general washington's aides trying to find out and inform dr franklin about the army's plans, but only while the los naval guns in the harbor remain silent. I'm afraid we still don't know if the pigeons are passing.

I thought Philadelphia was that way. Are you sure these are not British pigeons? and back at school and you know he himself is not well were these men wounded in the battle on bunker hill yes but most are ill it is the fever that drives them most of us have no ice i wonder what devotion to duty or devotion Country would put men through something like this, we're fighting for our freedom, young lady, simple as that, yes these New Englanders don't know how to drill, but they certainly know how to dig, these bountiful settlers know more about building than fighting, they have never had an army but have forged a nation in a desert no one knows how long the british will wait before attacking or indeed why they are waiting we can only be grateful for the time to prepare this army december 1775 .dear mother we have been in this camp for almost five months a beautiful autumn has come and gone like all the leaves on the trees henry stays out most of the day and arrives with a bag full of junk he has collected The battlefield insists there will be a great market for memorabilia from the great battle of Boston and now, as if he didn't have enough on his shoulders, General Washington has a new concern: the enlistment of half the men here is over. and many of them are going home in this freezing cold general washington's army is melting in the face of a dangerous enemy man from new hampshire you signed on with this army for six months service that enlistment is now over and you want to go home no i can blame you for that and i can't stop you from leaving i'm here to ask you to stay six months ago you and your neighbors stood on that bunker hill and fought heroically against a superior force the enemy is still behind their barricades and they won't leave Until we do it, do it.

He's not going home, but not many of your friends and neighbors died in that fight on the hill, defending his honor, defending an idea, that idea is freedom, before you go, I ask you to think about the men you met and Did you love that I will always man your post on that hill so this is colonel henry knox colonel of artillery there are 56 british guns waiting for us at fort ticonderoga captured this past may knox need men to move those guns here to boston to meet the enemy we need artillery to expel the British from this city.

Who will go? The time is past when we consider ourselves New Hampshiremen or Virginians. We are Americans and we have to stay as one. Are you with me? Colonel Knox and the promise of his cannon seems to have convinced at least some of the men to stay now all they have to do is move them 500 miles over winter mountains somehow since I was there when they captured the cannons I'll be back see how he does if the pigeons will come here or go to philadelphia philadelphia i hope i'm safe i'm going to visit some of the new recruits from maine i want to go with you no i have an assignment of my own so promise you'll introduce me to dr franklin when i got to philadelphia it's a promise i read every edition of this poor richard zolomon i really used to own a bookstore in boston ah here's poor richard's almanac he never failed to find anything useful in these pages listen to this if you won't forget him as soon as he's dead and rotten write things worth reading or do things worth writing okay then colonel you do and i'll do the writing okay okay that's enough this is terrible this show opens saturday night and you guys will never be get ready general howe himself will be here and he has issued a special invitation to general washington himself to come and bring his own rope take it from the reggie choir reggie from above and for god's sake you two decide who is where in the suit of cow yankee doodle came to boston he thought he'd beat the tommies he took one look at the guns in the cage and ran straight home to mom yankee doodle went to war yankee doodle dandy thought the british would run but he found us at the two.

Do you want to come back here? Who goes there? oh jump james you say you plan this entertainment for saturday night yes sir and you were expressly invited to attend well that's a tempting invitation isn't it? an invitation for us to launch an attack this is just a quick raid gentlemen we don't have enough men for a full attack bring what you can carry especially gunpowder let's get out a scribble yankee came to Boston sorry to interrupt the entertainment but It seems that General Washington has launched an attack on Bunker Hill. General Washington captured much-needed supplies in his raid and let the General know that the Americans will attack without warning.

All of James' doves have come here instead of flying to Philadelphia. and i can't get them to let james he's been gone with colonel knox for over a month now i'm starting to worry about them every day more new recruits are coming in and this army is getting stronger every day what the general has done washington is nothing short of a miracle that he doesn't say much, but he inspires confidence and obedience by the sheer force of his presence. What's that? Those weren't there last night. The British leave Boston. The victorious Continental Army in the siege operation.

It's a great victory, Dr. Franklin. Yes, and we needed one. they're already halfway home i guess they're halfway to new york this war is far from over but i guess we should celebrate at least boston is free looks like one of james's doves here you go june 28th we arrive in newark and we should be in new york by tomorrow morning that office is months old where the hell have you been bird wherever he's been he's probably ready for a nap dr franklin says we should get back to philadelphia asap what's going on here we'll keep a garrison here but most of the army and the new troops from the southern colonies will assemble in new york how long do you think the war will last colonel knox i don't know sarah but we have to be ready while it lasts the new flag and a new army a worthy army a army we can be proud of i am looking for