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October 1776: Losing Battles But Saving the Revolution · Live to Shoot - Defending our 2nd Amendment Rights

• 0:16
  Welcome to the Live to Shoot podcast.
• 0:17
  My name is Jeff Dowdle, and I've been a licensed firearm dealer for the last 19 years.
• 0:21
  In this podcast, we talk about all things related to the Second Amendment, a sports story, or anything else going on in the world.
• 0:27
  Uh, well, welcome, welcome, welcome.
• 0:29
  So if you've been listening to this podcast at all this year, you know that, uh, this being the 250th anniversary of the birth of this great country, uh, we have been going month by month and looking back 250 years to see what was happening during the American Revolution a- during that time period.
• 0:46
  And now we're turning the calendar to October of 1776.
• 0:51
  Now, last month we talked about September and how things were looking pretty grim for the Continental Army.
• 0:57
  Washington had been pushed off Long Island, New York City had fallen to the British, and Nathan Hale was captured and executed as spy.
• 1:04
  The cause of independence was very much alive in spirit, but on the battlefield, it was getting beaten up pretty badly.
• 1:10
  So what happened in October 1776?
• 1:12
  Well, let's be straight with you.
• 1:14
  October was another tough month.
• 1:16
  It was a month that showed the world something important, though.
• 1:19
  It showed that the American fight for independence was not going to just collapse, even when the odds were stacked high against it.
• 1:25
  So let's set the scene.
• 1:27
  After taking New York in September, the British commander, General, uh, William Howe, was pressing Washington hard.
• 1:33
  Washington pulled his forces north to Harlem Heights and then further up to White Plains in Westchester County, New York.
• 1:40
  He was trying to regroup, trying to find defensible ground, and honestly, trying to keep his army from falling apart.
• 1:45
  On October 28th, the Battle of White Plains took place.
• 1:48
  House forces attacked Washington's position and particularly targeted a key piece of high ground called Chaterton Hill.
• 1:55
  The Americans fought hard, and I mean hard.
• 1:57
  They were eventually forced to retreat.
• 2:00
  It wasn't a total disaster, but it was another loss.
• 2:03
  Washington pulled his army back again further north and eventually across the Hudson into New Jersey.
• 2:08
  Now, here's where things get interesting.
• 2:10
  While things were rough for Washington around New York, something very different was happening even further north.
• 2:15
  On October 11th, there was a naval battle on Lake Champlain called the Battle of Valcour Island, and that one matters more than most people realize.
• 2:23
  Benedict Arnold, and yes, that Benedict Arnold, uh, before he became the most famous traitor, was commanding a small, hastily built American fleet on Lake Champlain.
• 2:32
  The British had a much larger, more powerful fleet, and they were pushing south from Canada with the goal of splitting the colonies in two.
• 2:40
  Arnold knew he couldn't win a straight-up naval fight, but he positioned his fleet behind Valcour Island and forced the British to come to him on his terms.
• 2:48
  The battle was fierce.
• 2:49
  Arnold's fleet was badly damaged.
• 2:51
  Most of his ships were destroyed or had to be scuttled.
• 2:54
  By any traditional measure, he lost the battle.
• 2:57
  But here's the thing.
• 2:58
  He delayed the British advance long enough that they decided it was too late in the season to continue their campaign south.
• 3:04
  They turned around and went back to Canada to wait for spring.
• 3:07
  Now think about that.
• 3:08
  Arnold lost, Arnold lost the battle, but won the strategic objective.
• 3:12
  That delay meant the British wouldn't attempt their invasion again until seventeen seventy-seven, which ultimately led to their defeat at Saratoga, one of the most important turning points of the entire war.
• 3:23
  Sometimes holding the line, even at great cost, is what matters.
• 3:26
  Now, on the political side, October 1776 was also significant.
• 3:31
  The Continental Congress was working hard to secure foreign alliances.
• 3:35
  Remember, the Dec- Dr- Declaration of Independence had just been signed a few months earlier.
• 3:40
  Congress was sending diplomats to France and other European powers trying to convince them that America was a legitimate nation worth supporting.
• 3:48
  Benjamin Franklin would soon head to Paris.
• 3:50
  The political groundwork being laid in the fall of 1776 would eventually bring France into the war on our side, which is absolutely critical to winning independence.
• 3:59
  So what does all this mean for us today?
• 4:01
  Well, I think October 1776 means a, a few things that tie directly back to the Second Amendment and our rights as armed citizens.
• 4:09
  First, there's the lesson of perseverance.
• 4:11
  Washington's army lost at White Plains.
• 4:13
  Arnold lost his fleet at Valcour Island.
• 4:16
  The easy thing to do would have been to quit.
• 4:18
  A lot of people thought the revolution was over, but they kept going.
• 4:21
  They kept fighting, and that's what we have to do when it comes to defending the Second Amendment.
• 4:27
  We're going to have setbacks.
• 4:28
  We're going to lose battles in courts, in legislatures, in public opinion, but you don't give up because, uh, you've lost some ground.
• 4:36
  Second There, there's the lesson of the armed citizen.
• 4:40
  The men fighting in October of 1776, as we've talked about, were not soldiers.
• 4:44
  Many of them were farmers, tradespeople, ordinary people who picked up arms because they believed in something bigger than themselves.
• 4:50
  They believed in liberty, and that's the foundation of the Second Amendment.
• 4:54
  Third, there's the lesson of strategic patience.
• 4:57
  Arnold didn't beat the British fleet.
• 4:59
  He just delayed them.
• 5:00
  Sometimes the fight isn't about the knockout blow.
• 5:02
  It's about buying time, holding ground, making sure the other side knows you're not going away.
• 5:06
  That applies to every legal challenge, every political fight, every conversation we have about gun rights.
• 5:12
  You don't have to win every argument.
• 5:14
  You just have to stay in the fight.
• 5:15
  So here's the bottom line: October 1776 was dark.
• 5:19
  The Continental Army was getting pushed around.
• 5:21
  The future of independence was genuinely uncertain.
• 5:23
  But the men who fought that month didn't have the luxury of knowing how the story ended.
• 5:28
  They just knew the cause was worth fighting for, and they were right.
• 5:32
  Freedom has to be actively defended.
• 5:34
  It was true 250 years ago.
• 5:35
  It's true right now.
• 5:37
  Nobody's going to hand it to you.
• 5:38
  Nobody's going to protect your rights.
• 5:40
  That's on us.
• 5:41
  So if you found this interesting, subscribe, share it, give it five stars, do all those social media things.
• 5:48
  Um, these stories from our founding matter because they remind us what's at stake and what it costs to keep it, and I appreciate it.
• 5:55
  So I'm Jeff Dowdle with the Live to Shoot podcast.
• 5:58
  You know, stay informed, stay armed, and keep fighting, and we'll talk next week.