Posted on 11/01/2008 7:53:39 AM PDT by Semper
The ashamed part comes at the end of this video by "a long time freeper": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAb5lMeSIIs
If the majority of voters in our country make such a monumental mistake, or if the majority of citizens in this country allow an unqualified, corrupt politician to illegally obtain executive power, I can't help but be ashamed.
America is the best place on earth and even if obama is elected I will not be ashamed of her.
If Obama obtains executive power, with the help of democrat majorities in congress, this country just may not be the best place on earth. They will overturn the principles contained in our Constitution and CHANGE our country forever. The country you wish not to be associated with shame just may be disappearing. I hope to God that is not true.
In this case, I was not ashamed - I was greatly disappointed but I understood that incumbancy is very powerful and Clinton (as is Obama) was more clever and devious than most weasel politicans.
I worry for my sons future.
I can certainly empathize with that - I fear for my children and grandchildren - the potential damage will last for generations - if it is ever corrected.
BTTT
A cogent and well-presented lecture. Thank you.
Thank you for your comments and support.
I keep attempting to bump this thread to the top. Your video deserves more exposure. Here goes.
Thank you for your support.
I like this poster! It’s a bit small though and I can’t read the bottom. Will you tell me what it says?
Gen. George Washington’s call-to-arms (National Archives / )
In the summer of 1775, with the news of Lexington and Concord fresh in their memories, the aroused American colonies stood on the threshold of revolution. Those who chose to fight in the new Continental Army stepped forward, one by one.
And so, a 17-year-old apprentice rope maker from Sag Harbor went to war.
I Christopher Vail of Saggharbour, Suffolk County and State of New York enlisted as a soldier in Capt. John Hulberts company . . . July 5, 1775.
This is one man’s Revolutionary War story, an extraordinary seven-year odyssey told in an unpublished, 18,000-word account titled ``Christopher Vail’s Journal 1775-1782,’’ a copy of which is owned by the Library of Congress.
Vail is everyman. And he seems to be everywhere. His is a Long Island story and more. He joins a militia troop in Bridgehampton. He marches to Ticonderoga, N.Y. He guards cattle at Montauk. He misses the Battle of Long Island by hours. He joins in whaleboat raids on a Long Island occupied by British troops. He sails on privateers that prey on British shipping, and is captured and imprisoned in Antigua. He’s taken to London, and escapes. He goes to the Mediterranean, is captured and escapes again. He hides out in Portugal, crosses over into Spain and makes his way back to Salem, Mass. He’s in New London, Conn., when the traitor Benedict Arnold torches the city. He once more goes to sea and is captured again and put aboard the notorious prison ship Jersey, where thousands die.
Vail was 17 when he enlisted for six months in Capt. Hulbert’s company. First taking a boat to New York, the company marched north of Albany to Fort Ticonderoga, which had been taken from the British in the spring of 1775. They stayed a month. Vail’s quiet first enlistment ended as his troop escorted British prisoners south, and he headed home to Sag Harbor, arriving Jan. 15, 1776.
I enlisted again in a few weeks as a private in Capt. John Davis’ company, and Wm. Havens 1st Lieut., in the continental service for twelve months, and was stationed at Montaug Point in order to guard a large quantity of cattle which was kept there belonging to several towns.
At that time there were about 1,000 cattle and about 2,500 sheep pastured on common land at Montauk Point. British warships were threatening Gardiner’s Island as well as the mainland, where they would occasionally land to try to steal cattle to feed their troops.
But in that summer of 1776, the Royal Navy was concentrated in New York Bay, where the British were making plans to attack Brooklyn. The onslaught - known as the Battle of Long Island - began and ended on Aug. 27.
Nothing extraordinary happened until 27th of August 1776 when we were informed that the British had landed on the west end of the Island. We had our orders to march up the Island to reinforce our troops, and began our march immediately, and after marching 40 miles distance we were informed that the Island was captured after a hard battle was fought, and a great loss on our side. We immediately began our retreat to Southold where we obtained vessels and carried our company over the Sound.
Sometime that fall, Vail got his first taste of ``whaleboat warfare,’’ which would become common throughout the war. Whaleboats, loaded with Patriot soldiers, would be rowed, and sometimes sailed, across the Sound from Connecticut to attack British-held positions on Long Island. Some were minor skirmishes, others all-out battles, and there was plenty of bloodshed.
We at this time had information of a company of Tories that was stationed at Sautucut [Setauket] L. Island. We collected about 60 whale boats and manned them and cros’d over the Sound in a heavy blow from N. West in the night in company with the armed schooner Spy of 10 guns, Capt. Niles and arrived at the Island about 11 P.M. and divided our force so as to take their whole force by surrounding their guardhouse and head quarters at the same time. On our arrival at the guard house numbers fled to head quarters where the whole was taken. We killed 13 of the enemy and brought off 40 prisoners, and made prizes of two sloops - we had one man killed, none wounded, and the day following we returned to New Haven.
In May, 1777, Vail participated in one of the best-known raids on British encampments on Long Island. This was the brilliant attack on Sag Harbor, led by Lt. Col. Return Jonathan Meigs. With 234 men in 13 whaleboats, the raiders crossed over to Southold, carried their boats overland to Peconic Bay and then rowed to Sag Harbor. Six British were killed and 90 prisoners taken; Meigs did not lose a man.
We landed on the west of the port about half a mile and surrounded the village at once and proceeded down to their quarters where we completely succeeded in capturing the whole force except one man. We burnt all the coasting vessels which was all loaded and laid along side the wharf and a store that was 60 feet long that stood on the wharf.
Vail said that the British soldiers had just gotten their pay, and many had been eating and drinking heavily.
They remained went to drinking &c. [etc.] and all got pretty well boozey. When we arrived we took ninety nine Tories. Some had nothing but his shirt on, some a pair of trowsers others perhaps 1 stocking and one shoe and in fact they were carried off in their situation to New Haven.
A few days after the raid, Vail was discharged. But he kept coming back for more. For the next few months he joined in other whaleboat raids. A number of times they would sneak over late at night and board enemy sloops and take them back across the Sound as prizes of war. One of these raids, probably in 1778, was typical:
The next day went with our boats across the Sound, and landed at the Canoe place on L. Island and hauled the boats up in the bushes and marched up the Island about 20 miles to a place called Speonk where we took possession of 8 or 10 whale boats, and brought them off to New London.
A few days after the raid, Vail was discharged. But he kept coming back for more. For the next few months he joined in other whaleboat raids. A number of times they would sneak over late at night and board enemy sloops and take them back across the Sound as prizes of war. One of these raids, probably in 1778, was typical:
The next day went with our boats across the Sound, and landed at the Canoe place on L. Island and hauled the boats up in the bushes and marched up the Island about 20 miles to a place called Speonk where we took possession of 8 or 10 whale boats, and brought them off to New London.
Though there is no reason to question the truth of this account, it boggles the mind to imagine getting eight or 10 whaleboats from Speonk in southwestern Southampton to New London. They possibly headed south to the ocean, then east around Montauk Point.
That summer, 1778, Vail entered a new phase of his military service. He would for the next four years work as a seaman on armed ships searching for ``prizes,’’ that is, British or Loyalist vessels that were themselves on plundering missions. These were privateers, private vessels sailing under a ``letter of marque’’ from the American officials, allowing them to capture or destroy any enemy shipping they encountered.
In July, 1778, Vail signed on with the Warren, a 32-gun frigate. On Sept. 2 they ran into a hurricane while in the Gulf Stream, and the ship was upset, lying with keel out until she righted again. Men were blown off the topsail and drowned, and the Warren was battered.
I got me a copy paste cramp, please click on the link if you want to read it in its entirety, and no I don’t know what was printed at the bottom, I will look though.
... The Encouragement at this time to enlist is truly liberal and gracious, namely, a bounty of TWELVE dollars, an annual and fully sufficient supply of good and handsome clothing, a daily allowance of a large and ample ration of [?] , together with [?] dollars a year in gold and silver money on account of [?] the whole of which the soldier may lay up for himself and friends as all articles proper for his sustainance and comfort are provided by law without any expense to him.Recruiters... still much the same. ;-)Those who may favour this recruiting party with their attendance as above, will have opportunity of bearing and beeing in a more particular manner, the great advantages which their [?] will have, who shall embrace this opportunity of spending a few happy years in viewing the different parts of this beautiful continent in the honourable and truly respectable character of a soldie, after which, he may, if he pleases return home to his friends, with his pockets full of money and his head covered with laurels. GOD SAVE THE UNITED STATES
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