CHASING AMERICAN LEGENDS

Ep1 Teaser

Episode 1 – Bulletproof President

 

Ep1 Behind the Scenes Bonus Specials

Extended Scene of Family Research

Extended Scene of Braddock Museum

 

 

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Bulletproof President?

It was more than a battle. More than a story from the history books. With its awe-inspiring example of courage and trust, the Battle of the Monongahela’s invigorating illustration of God’s power in the life of Washington immediately captured my admiration. I had never heard of this battle until a few days before my family visited Braddock’s Field, Penn.

But as soon as I did, I was super excited to bust out the historic books from The Vault with the rest of the family. We learned amazing truths about Washington, his perseverance, and his courage. Because some were a bit skeptical (UNCLE BRAD!!!), we eagerly decided to test a few theories after actually visiting the spot where the battle took place.

We gathered Trey and Rhett’s homemade and awesome paintball guns, I might add, and made some measurements in order to replicate the scene as accurately as we could. (We were a few Indians short, but we figured six of us would have to do). Loading up our guns, we opened fire, pelting poor Uncle Brad with colors of pink and blue. Our test proved that it shouldn’t have been possible for Washington to stay alive, seeing how badly Uncle Brad’s limp was after being shot with just balls of paint, instead of real musket balls. 🙂

There were only six of us. Six! More than 100x that, over 600 men, were trying to paint Washington with red (and that doesn’t include the French). Only by the great hand of God did he make it through the gunfire and the smoke, the screams, and the death. I’m more than grateful that my family had the opportunity to see and study where Washington made a critical mark in history on that summer day in 1755. It’s one I’ll never forget.

—Kamryn Green

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The Facts:
George Washington survived the Battle of Monongahela with four musket ball holes through his coat, two horses shot out from under him, and his tricorn hat shot from off his head. Out of the 80 officers that went into the battle, 63 were either killed or wounded, yet Washington survived the battle unscathed.

The Myth:
Was Washington protected by the powerful hand of Divine Providence? Or, were the French simply horrible at aiming and Washington insanely lucky?

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The investigation for this episode began with a visit from our good friend, comedian Brad Stine. Brad had been searching for some good stories to include in our Legends of Liberty book series and could not believe the story of George Washington’s heroic and miraculous survival at the  Battle of the Monongahela

(see if you can pronounce that any better than Brad!).

French and Indian War (1756-1763)
The French and Indian War was a series of military engagements between two coalition armies, one led by France and the other by Great Britain. It was actually a small part of a larger war that was occurring worldwide between many European nations, called the “Seven Years War.” In North America, the armies of both Great Britain and France were comprised of trained regulars, local militias, and local Indian tribes who chose sides in the fight.

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The Battle of the Monongahela (June 9th, 1755)
The Battle of the Monongahela, the turning point in young Colonel George Washington’s military career, was a major defeat for the British forces during the war. It occurred during the “Braddock Expedition,” led by esteemed British General Edward Braddock. Attempting to capture Fort Duquesne, the British were  ambushed by French troops within just 10 miles of the Fort. Being unfamiliar with the guerilla fighting style of the Indian tribes, who made up the majority of the French forces, the British forces were very quickly cut to ribbons by the concentrated fire on their position, which was a narrow road snaking its way through the forest.

Although he was said to have fought bravely, the leader of the British forces, General Braddock, fell wounded early in the battle and would die just days later. Colonel George Washington, although having no official place in the command structure (he was simply there to help guide and advise General Braddock), took command of the forward part of the army and successfully lead them

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in a retreat back to their reserve force. He did this by riding up and down the British line on horseback, making himself an easy target for the French and Indian snipers, yet also inspiring the British troops and showing them that he did not fear their enemy. Even though Washington had multiple examples of near mortal wounds: such as having two horses shot out from under him, his hat shot off of his head, and four musket ball holes through his coat, he left the battle completely unscathed.

Although they later recovered, the defeat at Monongahela ended the “Braddock Expedition,” an attempt at a major incursion into French territory. Yet, out of that defeat came some measure of victory, as the battle gave young Washington the chance to show his true colors and ability as a leader by saving the British army.

Some help from The Vault
As we began our research, we received an amazing treasure trove of original documents from our friends at The Vault (see Episode 5 for more about The Vault).

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What did eye witnesses say about Washington during the Battle of the Monongahela?
When investigating the myth of “Bulletproof George Washington,” some of the best sources are the eye-witness accounts of the individuals who were at the battle that day. One of which, is Washington himself! In a letter to his brother, John Augustine Washington, He said… 

“But by the All-powerful Dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation, for I had four Bullets through my Coat and two Horses shot out Under me; yet escaped unhurt, although Death was leveling my Companions on every side of me!”

—George Washington

So…Washington most definitely believed that Providence played a part in protecting him through the battle.

What about the enemy? What did they believe happened? Were they possibly just untrained? Did the smoke from the muskets create a fog so thick they just couldn’t see Washington? Neither of those would make sense or be consistent with the facts, since it is clear that the French forces quite easily

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fought off the British and took down almost every other single British officer other than Washington.

So what made Washington different?

There are multiple accounts from the Indian forces that shed light on their opinion of what happened that day. Red Hawk, an important Indian chief integral to the French’s victory at Monongahela, was well known for never missing a shot. He said he shot eleven different times at Washington that day without hitting him. Because he had never missed in battle before, Red Hawk stopped shooting, convinced that Washington was protected by the “Great Spirit.”

Another famous Indian sniper and leader in the ambush on the British forces was often heard testifying about his inability to hit Washington. He said…

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“Washington was never born to be killed by a bullet! I had seventeen fair fires
at him with my rifle, and after all could not bring him to the ground!”

—Indian sniper and leader

Fifteen years after the Battle of the Monongahela, Washington and his friend Dr. James Craik were traveling towards the western territories of North America to explore uninhabited regions. While camped, a group of Indians led by an older war chief approached Washington’s camp and requested to speak with him. Using an interpreter, that war chief spoke to Washington about the Battle of the Monongahela, where they were both present. Here is what he said to Washington…

“It was on the day when the white man’s blood mixed with the streams of our forest that I first beheld this chief [indicating Washington]. I called to my young men and said, “Mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the red-coat tribe – he hath an Indian’s wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do – himself is alone exposed. Quick! Let your aim be certain, and he dies.” Our rifles were leveled – rifles which, but for you, knew not how to miss. ‘Twas all in vain; a power mightier far than we shielded you. Seeing you were under the special guardian-ship of the Great Spirit, we immediately ceased to fire at you. I am old, and soon shall be gathered to the great council fire

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of my fathers in the land of shades; but ere I go, there is something bids me speak in the voice of prophecy. Listen! The Great Spirit protects that man [again indicating Washington], and guides his destinies–he will become the chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a mighty empire. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven and who can never die in battle.”

—Indian war chief

After reading the words of the Indians, it is difficult to doubt their sincerity in believing that an outside force protected Washington. Moreover, Washington himself couldn’t believe that he made it out of the battle by any other reason than the hand of God. Were they both correct? Or is there a chance that Washington was simply lucky?

The more that we began to research the battle, the more that I became convinced that God had his hand on Washington. After walking the actual road where Washington stood more than 260 years ago… and seeing just how close the French and Indian troops were to the British, I couldn’t find a logical explanation for how Washington possibly

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survived the slaughter that occurred there. The only viable answer was that Providence was at play. My brothers and Brad were still very skeptical though. Despite the overwhelming evidence, they still believed there was a chance that someone could be lucky and escape unharmed from the battle. For them, one final test remained… recreating the battle scene! After taking pictures and measurements of Braddock’s road, we made our way back to Texas to replicate the environment of the battle as best we could, in our own fun way! The first positive thing about our test was that unlike Pennsylvania in December, Texas wasn’t snowing! It never snows where we live… sad, I know, but the lack of snow actually made the scene more realistic, since the real battle took place in the heat of June. We measured off the same width as Braddock’s road had been in the battle, and got Brad a couple of “horses” to ride. Trey made everyone in the family a modified paintball gun that fired similar to muskets back in the 1700s. My brothers fired a few test shots and didn’t do very  well… I fired three shots and hit the target twice! Girl power! Ha! Take that boys. We got in position and Uncle Brad came out obviously enjoying his part as George Washington. We were ready to go!

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What I Learned:

I learned quite a few things while investigating the story of George Washington. After finishing our test with Brad, I was completely convinced that there is no reason, other than supernatural protection, that Washington should have survived the Battle of the Monongahela. My brothers were even finally convinced after they saw how easy it was to hit Brad with our musket style paintball guns! The only viable answer was that God had something special in mind for Washington and protected him through the battle because of it. I’d say that this myth is proven to be correct, at least as correct as we’ll ever know. Something was protecting Washington during the Battle of the Monongahela, and I think the facts prove that something was the Hand of Divine Providence.

—Kamryn Green

P.S. Here are a couple of things that I took away from this investigation!

1. God uses His Providence as a way of helping to guide mankind. God knew that America would need George Washington to lead us through our early years. If God had not protected Washington, where would our nation be today? There’s a good chance America might not even exist. Through all the chaos and fighting that surrounded the creation of our great nation, Washington was a steady hand and guiding voice to the American people.

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2. Myths can be easily investigated when you do the right research! It was so funny to see how easily the question was originally answered when we began looking at the eye witness accounts who saw Washington that day. Whenever someone makes a claim about history, or tries to debunk a myth, ask them if they have ever looked at original sources. Those sources will usually have the correct answers!

   

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Discussion Questions

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Essay Question

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Guest Profile: Brad Stine
The Greens refer to him as ‘Uncle Brad’, but Brad Stine is an award winning comic and pundit with an impressive theatrical career as well. He can make the most inane topics side-splittingly funny, but he has a commanding knowledge of practically everything. Recently Brad is on a personal journey to rediscover America’s lost legacies, and he will often times invite himself along on the Green family’s journeys to get a firsthand look at the past. But Brad has a twisted tendency to get into trouble, and is constantly getting into hijinks.

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Special Mention: Braddock’s Battlefield History Center
Braddock’s Battlefield History Center opened in August of 2012. It commemorates one of the most famous military engagements in the history of Colonial America, the Battle of the Monongahela. The founder and curator is Mr. Robert T. Messner, who was a wealth of information and excellent tour guide for the Green Family when it came to learning more about Washington and the famous battle. The Greens are very thankful for the work of Mr. Messner, who is preserving history for people like us to come and learn! Please visit the Center’s website at BraddocksBattlefield.com