A Christmas Miracle

Can a poor fisherman save the United States of America? You bet!

Jan 07, 2023

There is a man who fished for cod you should know about. He helped bring forth a Christmas miracle that changed the entire world forever.

And you most likely have never heard of him.

The Cod Fisher.

I could devolve this story down to numerous unintended consequences that put our man at exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

What if his father had not died when our cod fisher was 4 years old?
What if the family had not moved to Marblehead, Massachusetts shortly after?
What if he had chosen a path other than seaman?

I could, but the point of this tale is NOT to explore unintended consequences, but to pay tribute to a great hero who is rarely mentioned. I bring this up now because his most important contribution was arguably on Christmas 1776. ← Hint!

Our cod fisher came from humble beginnings, working his way up through the Codfish Aristocracy (did you know there was such a thing?), then building his reputation as a rum trader, a ship owner, and a merchant.

He was 5 foot 4 inches tall with red hair.
He wore pistols with silver handles.
He was one of our most important unsung heroes of the Revolutionary War.
He rowed a very special boat. ← Yet another Hint!

In fact, without him, we may very well have lost the war in 1776.

His name was John Glover (1732-1797). General John Glover was one of the rowers on George Washington’s trip across the Delaware River. (Yes, the Delaware River, NOT the Potomac River as some people think.) He is pictured as one of the rowers in the famous painting of Washington’s crossing.

As you can imagine, there is so much more to the story than a man rowing a boat.

Unsung Heroes.

Don’t feel bad if you are still in the dark. I have to admit that I don’t remember hearing of John Glover before a few months ago. I was doing some research on a different topic and ran across a short blurb about him that stated simply, “he was with Washington that night on the Delaware River.”

I thought, well, there has to be more than that to it if they are going to mention him in particular.

Lo and behold, there was so much more than I expected.

If John Glover had not had the exact experience he had and had not been exactly where he was at that moment, General George Washington likely would NOT have dared cross the Potomac.

If Washington had not crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack on the 1,400 Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton, New Jersey, we would likely have lost the Revolutionary War.

If George Washington had still attempted the crossing without John Glover, then Washington and most of his troops most likely would have died. With Washington and his troops gone, again, we would almost certainly have lost the Revolutionary War.

That is NOT an exaggeration in any way.

There is significant written history to go behind that statement, but I do not have the space to get into it here. Suffice it to say that, by all accounts, the war was all but lost at this point.

America would have remained under the rule of the British and the entirety of world history would likely be significantly different from what we have today.

Winter is a Harsh Mistress.

Glover rose from humble beginnings and built his own fleet of fishing schooners by the age of 31. His seamanship was tested in the harshest of conditions. He eventually joined the Continental Army and led the 14th Continental Regiment, which came to be called the “Marblehead Regiment” or the “Marblehead Militia”.

His regiment was comprised primarily of hardened Fishermen and Sailers of multiple races. Men who knew how to combat water as well as men.

After the British dealt a series of devastating blows to the Americans, nearly destroying Washington’s forces, Washington retreated through Pennsylvania to the side of the Delaware river.

The Americans were on the defensive. The British were advancing. Morale was crushingly low. And the winter was harsh for an ill-equipped army.

This opportunity for American independence was nearly over. The dream was on the brink of collapse.

Glover rejoined Washington on the banks of the Delaware and Washington decided that it was time to be bold and take the war back to the British. I have to wonder at this point if Washington felt this was a do or die moment. He never would have spoken of it out loud, but inside, did he feel the weight of the very existence of an entire nation resting on his decision? Was it a decision of extraordinary daring? Or one of extraordinary desperation?

Whatever he might have been thinking inside, he knew he needed to send a powerful message of hope to all the American troops that were left and to encourage more men to join the ranks of the Continentals. He needed to prove they could be victorious if he wanted more men to fight by his side.

Only one thing stood in his way… a treacherous crossing of the frozen Delaware River in the middle of a brutal winter with troops that were fatigued and freezing.

The Dark of Night.

Washington turned to General John Glover to find a way to take the garrison in Trenton. Glover was probably the only man in the Army with the knowledge and experience to understand the gravity of what was being asked of him. Fortunately, he had a regiment of battle- and water-hardened men at his side, and he was determined to beat the British at all costs.

Unfortunately, to do that he needed to ferry 2,400 troops, horses, artillery, wagons, and more across a raging, ice-clogged river under extreme weather conditions. He understood that traditional boats could never accomplish the mission and they would all likely end up freezing in the cold embrace of the river.

Being that this was Pennsylvania, General Glover went north and commandeered Durham boats for the crossing. These flat-bottomed boats were an American innovation designed to haul coal from the hills of Pennsylvania up and down the river to the port of Philadelphia.

They were perfect for carrying an assault force across an unforgiving and deadly river.

Washington and Glover loaded their massive assault force onto the boats and crossed the river on December 25th, 1776. The invasion force consisted of three fleets. Only Glover’s fleet managed the crossing. The others were forced to turn back.

The Turning Point.

The 36-hour invasion event was an amazing success. The Hessians were soundly defeated and 900 were taken prisoner. The only American blood marring the white blanket of snow was from the bloody feet of American troops who marched over the frozen earth barefoot.

When all was done, the Marblehead Militia rowed the entire invasion back across the Delaware River to their camp. Their flat-bottom boats also carried 900 new prisoners of war.

The Continental Army suffered only two deaths as a result of this battle. Both were men who froze to death in the biting cold of Christmas night. No men died in the two treacherous river crossings.

The tales of Washington’s amazing victory roared around the country. American soldiers found a new energy to take on the British. Many men rushed to join the Army. The British were pushed back. And the rest - as they say - is history.

America earned its independence on the bloody soles of amazing men who fought so courageously for us in the name of freedom. They earned the title of Patriot and should never be forgotten.

I do not intend to negate anyone’s contribution to America’s freedom, but from the viewpoint of our story today, we have a simple cod fisher to thank for the world we have today.

Pretty amazing consequence from the death of a 4-year-old’s father.

His sacrifice was not in vain.

David Nemzoff
Author and Consultant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nemzoff/

Coming soon, my latest book exploring the reformation of our K-12 Educational System.

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