[00:00.65]Passage 57 Washington’s Address to His Troops

[00:05.57]The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen of slaves;

[00:14.10]whether they are to have any property they can call their own;

[00:18.70]whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed,

[00:23.73]and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them.

[00:31.39]The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God,

[00:36.42]on the courage and conduct of this army.

[00:39.60]Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of a brave resistance

[00:46.49]or the most abject submission.

[00:49.22]We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or to die.

[00:54.48]Our own, our country’s honor, calls upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion;

[01:02.03]and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world.

[01:08.37]Let us then rely on the goodness of our cause, and the aid of the Supreme Being,

[01:14.06]in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble actions.

[01:21.93]The eyes of all our countrymen are now upon us,

[01:25.77]and we shall have their blessings and praises,

[01:28.72]if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the tyranny meditated against them.

[01:35.18]Let us animate and encourage each other,

[01:39.11]and show the whole world that a free man contending for liberty on his own ground

[01:46.01]is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.

[01:50.49]Liberty, property, life, and honor are all at stake;

[01:56.29]upon your courage and conduct rest the hopes of our bleeding and insulted country;

[02:03.29]our wives, children, and parents expect safety from us, only;

[02:10.29]and they have every reason to believe that Heaven will crown with success so just a cause.

[02:17.51]The enemy will endeavor to intimidate by show and appearance;

[02:23.21]but remember, they have been repulsed on various occasions by a few brave Americans.

[02:31.42]Their cause is bad — their men are conscious of it;

[02:36.67]and if opposed with firmness and coolness on their first onset,

[02:42.14]with our advantage of works, and knowledge of the ground,

[02:46.84]the victory is most assuredly ours.

[02:50.23]Every good soldier will be silent and attentive—wait for orders,

[02:56.47]and reserve his fire until he is sure of doing execution.