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September 1776: When Washington's Army Nearly Broke · Live to Shoot - Defending our 2nd Amendment Rights

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  podcast.
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  My name is Jeff Dowdle.
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  I've been a licensed fire In this podcast, I talk about all things related to the Second Amendment, a sports story, anything else I might find interesting, or anything else going on in the world.
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  So welcome, welcome, welcome.
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  So as you've, if you've been listening to this podcast this year, you know we have been celebrating America's 250th anniversary, which actually officially occurred on July 4th, 2026.
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  And we've been celebrating it by looking back 250 years to the, to the month of what was going on in the Revolution at that time in, in 1776, and we are now at September of 1776.
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  So last month, we talked about how August 1776 was brutal for the Continental Army.
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  The Battle of Long Island happened.
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  Washington's forces got outmaneuvered and nearly destroyed, and the whole cause of American independence was hanging by a thread.
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  The Declaration had, had been signed just weeks earlier, and already the British were making the Americans pay for it.
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  So what happens in September?
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  Let me be straight with you.
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  September 1776 is one of the darkest and most dramatic months of the entire Revolution.
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  It's a month of retreat, disaster, and one act of courage that Americans have remembered for 250 years.
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  So let's set the scene.
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  After the disaster at Long Island in late August, Washington managed to pull off a miraculous nighttime evacuation across the East River to Manhattan.
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  His army escaped under the cover of fog and darkness.
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  It was incredible.
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  But now they're in Manhattan, and the British aren't far behind.
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  Washington has to figure out what to do to try and hold New York City, or do, does he just abandon it?
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  Now, there was a big debate among the generals.
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  Some wanted to burn the city to the ground so the British couldn't use it.
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  Congress actually said,"No, don't destroy it." Washington ultimately decided to pull his forces northward and abandon Lower Manhattan, and that turned out to be the right call because on September 15th, the British launched an amphibious assault at Kips Bay on the east side of Manhattan.
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  And here's where it gets interesting, and not in a good way.
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  The Connecticut militia stationed at Kips Bay broke and ran.
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  They just panicked under the British naval bombardment and fled.
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  Washington himself rode to the scene and was so furious that he, furious, he reportedly threw his hat on the ground and shouted something about the line of,"Are these the men with which I am to defend America?" Some accounts say he had to physically be pulled away from the advancing British because he was so disgusted, and he almost didn't care about his own safety.
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  Now, think about that.
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  The commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, watching his own men run, wondering if this was, the whole experiment in liberty was already over.
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  That's how dark 1770-- September 1776 was.
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  But here's the thing.
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  The very next day, September 16th, there was a skirmish called the Battle of Harlem Heights, and at this time, the Americans fought back.
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  It was a relatively small engagement, but the Continental troops held their ground, pushed the British back, and for the first time in weeks, American soldiers felt like they could actually stand up to the Redcoats.
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  It was a small victory, but psychologically, it was enormous.
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  It reminded these men that they could fight.
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  Now, the other major event of September'76, and this one still gives me chills.
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  It's the story of Nathan Hale.
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  Nathan Hale was a young captain in the Continental Army.
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  He was just 21 years old.
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  He volunteered for a spy mission behind British lines on Long Island to gather intelligence about British troop movements.
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  He was captured on September 21st.
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  The British found documents on him, and there was no trial, no rule due process.
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  The British commander general, Howe, ordered him hanged the very next day, September 22nd, 1776.
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  And before he was executed, Nathan Hale reportedly said,"I only regret that I have o- but one life to lose for my country." Now, whether those were his exact words or a paraphrase, the sentiment is real.
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  A 21-year-old kid giving everything, everything for the idea of a free nation that didn't even fully exist yet.
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  So also happening in September on the political side, Congress formally changed the name from the United State, United Colonies to the United States.
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  S- significant shift.
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  They also appointed a, appointed a committee to draft a model treaty for foreign alliances because they knew they couldn't beat British, Britain alone.
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  They needed help, and they were starting to lay that groundwork.
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  The idea of a nation was tak- formal shape, even as the army defending it was barely holding on.
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  So what's all that mean for us today?
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  Here's the bottom line: September'76 teaches us something every Second Amendment supporter needs to understand.
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  Freedom's not won in a straight line.
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  There are setbacks.
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  There are moments of panic.
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  There are times when the people fighting for liberty look around and wonder if it's even possible.
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  Washington watched his militia run at Kip's Bay.
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  He nearly lost everything, but he didn't quit, and the men who stood and fought at Harlem Heights the very next day didn't quit either.
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  And Nathan Hale, a 21-year-old, who gave his life on a spy mission, he understood something that we need to carry with us.
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  The cost of freedom is real.
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  It's not theoretical.
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  It's not just words on a document.
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  People bled for it, people died for it, and the freedoms we have today, including the Second Amendment, exist because ordinary people decided they would rather risk everything than live under tyranny.
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  This isn't just about history.
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  It's about the principle that an armed free citizenry, citizenry is the foundation of the republic.
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  The men at Kip's Bay who ran, they were militia.
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  The men at Harlem Heights that, who fought and, stood and fought, they were also militia.
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  Same type of people, same weapons, but one group found their courage.
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  That's what the Second Amendment is really about.
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  It's about the people who have a- the means and the will to defend their own liberty.
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  And 250 years later, that hasn't changed.
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  The tools have changed, the threats look different, but the core truth remains: freedom must be actively defended.
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  Nobody's gonna hand it to you.
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  Nobody's gonna preserve it for you.
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  That's us.
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  So if you found this interesting, subscribe, share it, send it off to people, give it five stars, do all those things, e- that you can to get the word out.
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  We've got the elections coming up, and this type of resiliency and fight is gonna be important because we have got to continue to fight for this republic that we so love.
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  So I'm Jeff Dowdle.
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  It's the"Lib to Sheep" podcast.
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  Stay informed, stay armed, and never forget what it costs.
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  I'll talk to you next week.