#72: Birth of An Army

IDENTITY POLITICS | Mark Boonstra: Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable...

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The stars and stripes of the American flag can serve as a powerful reminder of biblical truths. The stars, shining brightly against the deep blue, reflect the heavens that declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1), reminding us that His sovereignty reigns over all nations. The stripes, bold and unwavering, can symbolize the sacrifice and endurance required to uphold righteousness, much like the stripes Christ bore for our healing (Isaiah 53:5). As believers, we are called to live not just under a national banner but under the banner of Christ’s love (Song of Solomon 2:4), walking in faith, justice, and the indwelling truth of Yeshua. May the flag inspire us to seek God’s wisdom in all things, knowing that true freedom is found in Him alone (John 8:36). -Stephen Phinney

The Birth of the Continental Army

When musket-fire rang out at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, it presaged the eventual birth of a new nation. But those initial skirmishes between British regulars and Massachusetts militiamen were only the beginning of an extended military conflict, a conflict that would test the mettle and resolve of the American rebels.

Before they could “hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” America’s renegades first had to fight to secure them.

So, to properly lay the groundwork for celebrating America’s 250^th birthday on July 4, 2026, let’s first celebrate the semiquincentennial of another landmark date in American history, one that made it all possible.

June 14, 1775

On that date, the Continental Congress officially formed the Continental Army, resolving:

That six companies of expert riflemen, be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia; that each company consist of a captain, three lieutenants, four serjeants, four corporals, a drummer or trumpeter, and sixty-eight privates.

Just days later, on June 19, 1775, the Congress officially commissioned George Washington “to be General and Commander in chief of the army of the United Colonies and of all the forces raised or to be raised by them and of all others who shall voluntarily offer their service and join the said army for the defence of American Liberty and for repelling every hostile invasion thereof.”

Thus was born the fighting force—and defender of liberty—known today as the United States Army.

Since then, the Army has earned an honorable and storied history. It fought to preserve American unity during the Civil War, and it helped liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny in World War II. Just for starters.

But the Army has also been victimized by secular forces in modern times. In 2019, for example, the Army capitulated to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and ended a 20-year tradition of allowing soldiers to wear dog tags bearing Bible verses. And in 2016, Fort Riley, home to the Army’s 1^st Infantry Division, was forced to cancel a prayer breakfast featuring remarks from three-star Lieutenant General (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, whom the secularists attacked as a “fundamentalist Christian extremist.” According to General Boykin, the sordid affair demonstrated “how difficult it is for Christians, and especially chaplains, to live their faith in our military.”

As envisioned and established by our Founding Fathers, the Continental Army would have never countenanced these modern-day permutations.

Upon his commissioning as commander of the Army in June of 1775, the first order given by General George Washington included a directive to his troops that they punctually attend divine services and implore the blessing of heaven. Washington’s July 9, 1776 General Order further commanded:

The Honorable Continental Congress having been pleased to allow a Chaplain to each Regiment . . . The Colonels or commanding officers of each regiment are directed to procure Chaplains accordingly; persons of good Characters and exemplary lives—To see that all inferior officers and soldiers pay them a suitable respect and attend carefully upon religious exercises: The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger—The General hopes and trusts, that every officer, and man, will endeavour so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country.

One of those chaplains was Abraham Baldwin, who trained at Yale College as a Congregational minister and later signed the United States Constitution on behalf of the state of Georgia.

During the ensuing years, while commanding patriot forces through the highs and lows of the war for independence, General Washington attended religious services—of various denominations—at every opportunity. He continued to expect and require the same of his troops. And he was known to solemnly and privately pray for divine protection and intervention—as Quaker Isaac Potts silently observed from afar during the depths of Washington’s wintry travails at Valley Forge in December of 1777.

On September 8, 1776, John Hancock, then the president of the Congress, wrote to General Washington:

My most ardent and incessant wishes attend you, that you may still rise superiour to every difficulty, and that your great and virtuous exertions on behalf of your country may be crowned with that success which, from the Supreme Being’s love of justice, and the righteousness of our cause, in conjunction with our own endeavours, it is not irrational to expect.

On May 3, 1778, two signers of the Articles of Confederation, Thomas Adams and John Banister, along with other Virginia delegates, wrote to Virginia Governor Patrick Henry:

But with a strong Army, we shall, under God, be perfectly secure, and it will probably compel [Great Britain] to a speedy recognition of our Independence, and thus secure the peace of Europe, with the peace, happiness, and glory of America.

Gouverneur Morris—who became known as the “Penman of the Constitution,” enlisted in the militia and spent the winter of 1777-1778 with General Washington at Valley Forge. On May 21, 1778, he wrote to General Anthony Wayne:

Your good Morals in the Army give me sincere Pleasure as it hath long been my fixed Opinion that Virtue and Religion are the great sources of human Happiness. More especially is it necessary in your Profession firmly to rely upon the God of Battles, for his Guardianship and Protection in the dreadful Hour of Trial.

On October 8, 1778, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia—who would later author the resolution of independence—wrote to General Washington:

God grant our successes at Boston and in Canada may disappoint and thereby ruin these fatal foes to the liberty and happiness of the British empire. . . . May heaven preserve you, and give your Army success in the most glorious cause that was ever contended for by human nature.

Other devout Founding Fathers, such as Robert Morris, Philip Livingston, George Clymer, George Taylor, John Harvie, John Mathews, and John Penn, helped finance the army during the war or worked to ensure that it was adequately supplied.

Alexander Hamilton was one of several Founding Fathers (others including Robert Morris, Joseph Reed, Gunning Bedford, Jr., James McHenry, and Thomas Mifflin) who served as aide-de-camp to General Washington. Hamilton later served as commanding general of the Army during the presidency of John Adams, during which time he again asked Congress to hire a chaplain for each brigade to enable them to worship. McHenry—a military surgeon for whom Fort McHenry was named—once declared that “the Old and New Testaments . . . contain a perfect law for our government.”

The military contributions of other Founding Fathers are too numerous to properly catalogue. Those achieving the rank of General included Oliver Wolcott, Reed, Mifflin, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney—a two-time Federalist Party nominee for president—John Dickinson, Button Gwinnett, Pierce Butler, Caesar Rodney, William Whipple, Lewis Morris, James Smith, William Livingston—who as governor of New York evaded capture by the British and used his own home, Liberty Hall, to give refuge to the Continental Army as it retreated from its defeat in the Battle of Brooklyn Heights—Daniel Roberdeau, and Thomas Nelson.

Jacob Broom served the Army as a surveyor. David Brearley as a judge advocate. Benjamin Rush as surgeon general.

Many of our Founding Fathers saw their property plundered or confiscated. Many also were taken prisoner. These included Thomas Heyward, Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge, who were imprisoned at Castle St. Mark, a British fort in St. Augustine, Florida. On July 4, 1781, they and their fellow prisoners celebrated the new nation’s independence by implanting a tiny flag bearing thirteen stars and stripes upon their dinner serving of English plum pudding, and by together singing—to the tune of God Save the King—an anthem penned by Heyward, God save the thirteen States, Thirteen United States, God save them all.

After the war, Mifflin, while serving as president of the Congress on December 23, 1783, responded to General Washington’s relinquishment of his command:

We join you in commending the interests of our dearest country to the protection of Almighty God, beseeching him to dispose the hearts and minds of its citizens, to improve the opportunity afforded them, of becoming a happy and respectable nation. And for you we address to him our earnest prayers, that a life so beloved may be fostered with all his care; that your days may be happy as they have been illustrious; and that he will finally give you that reward which this world cannot give.

After later serving his country as the first President of the United States, Washington delivered his farewell address in 1796, reminding the citizenry:

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. . .. And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion.

God Save the United States Army, as we celebrate its 250^th birthday.

Listen to the reading of the United States Constitution:

Identity Politics, with Mark Boonstra & Dr. Stephen Phinney, is an extension of IOM America’s IM Christian Writers Association. The mission of the authors is to restore faith in God & country.

-Mark | Mark’s Substack | Visit Mark’s Website