Dear Family:

This morning, I got my first taste of battle against the British and their Hessian allies. It was around 9 o’clock on September 3. I was in the woods near Cooch’s Bridge peering out from behind a tree. We believe that the British and Hessians are planning to attack our nation’s capital of Philadelphia. Our orders were to hold them off as long as possible while the rest of the Continental Army defended the Red Clay Creek and the city of Wilmington. If we failed, the British and Hessians could be one step closer to taking Philadelphia and ending the war.

As I looked out I saw a group of Hessian soldiers heading up the road toward Cooch’s Bridge. Gripping the barrel of my flintlock musket, I took aim at the unsuspecting Hessian captain. With eyes fixed and heart pounding, I pulled back the trigger and “bang”! The musket ball hit its mark. But, not the one I had intended to hit. The soldier next to him fell down on the ground lying there still.

Surprised, the Hessian soldiers began looking around frantically to see where the shot had come from. Then from the woods came shouts followed by a volley of musket fire. With that, more Hessian troops fell as the rest retreated down the road in utter shock. No doubt they 

were heading to warn the Redcoats of our presence. While they ran back, I took the time to reload my musket and prepared for the battle yet to come.

A few minutes later, I saw golden hats moving from tree to tree.“More Hessians", I shouted "Fire!” and with that we let out another torrent of fire. Spotting the smoke, the Hessians quickly returned a volley of their own. I ducked in the nick of time as one of the musket balls splintered the tree bark above my head. I sat there breathing heavily and thanking God for protecting me. And as I pondered this, I heard the distinct sounds of British drummers and fifers appearing from the trees. Their fifers played their melodious tunes as their drummers kept the beat. They marched through the forest and began to push us out into the open field. 

Slowly we retreated up the hill. Smoke filled the air as bodies laid motionless on the ground. Suddenly, a musket ball struck my friend Samuel who was standing a few feet away from me. “Samuel!”, I cried as I ran over to him. When I flipped over his body, I saw that a musket ball had gone straight into his chest. I checked for any signs of him breathing or a pulse, but found none. As tears filled my eyes, I prayed over him and moved on.

As we continued to run up the hill, our men took refuge behind a nearby stone wall. We gathered along the wall in a large line, preparing for a final volley. One of our officers cried out “Make ready!”. As he did, the Hessians began to charge at us with their Redcoat allies following. There was an anger in their eye as they yelled and ran with their bayonets fixed on their muskets. The officer then said “Take aim”! Fear started to creep over me as the charging Hessians got closer. “God, help me!”, I said. As the words left my mouth, I felt a hand laid on me. But when I turned around I saw no one. No officers or soldiers had come by to touch me. Everyone was focused on the enemy. Then I felt a peace surround me. It began to calm me, so I took a deep breath, exhaled, and my fear began to disappear. Then, finally the officer gave the command we’d all been waiting for. “Fire!”, and suddenly the sound of musket fire roared throughout the field. As I watched, about a dozen Hessian troops fell either killed or wounded by the volley.

Though stunned and a little bit shaken, the enemy continued to advance. Then our men began to panic and retreated toward the top of the hill. Seeing this, I ran to them and began to tell them, “God is with us! Stay calm!”. When they heard this, some of the men found the courage to turn around and cover the retreat of the other men. By this time, the Redcoats and Hessians had reached the wall. But thanks to God, we all made it safely to the top of the hill and headed back to Wilmington to prepare for our next engagement.

Now, I am sitting near a campfire trying to stay warm, wondering what the next day will bring. Poking the fire with a stick, I dream of you, my darling and my two sweet little ones. But not only that, thoughts of my beloved friend Samuel surround my mind as well. I miss him terribly. But I know where he is, and I know I shall see him again. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. I know that God has promised in His word that he will be with us. But, I sense the real battle is about to begin. Write to me as soon as you can and I shall hopefully see you in the spring. May God bless you, and be with you!

Yours Truly,

Andrew T.