Bulletproof??
During our country’s Colonial Era, the current land of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was a disputed area. The American Colonies of Pennsylvania and Virginia wrestled over ownership of this land. It was prized real estate due to its strategic location at the confluence of three major rivers. It was also an area of rich natural resources. Not only did the individual British colonies compete for this land, but the French and English empires fought a war over this area. The French and Indian War was the result of failed diplomacy between France and England. These two countries were not able to resolve their claims of ownership regarding the area around the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
On July 9, 1775, just seven miles from Fort Duquesne (the current area of Pittsburgh, PA today), a battle took place that would shape the young American Colonies. This battle was called the Battle of Fort Duquesne, and it was part of the larger French and Indian War. As a result of diplomatic negotiations failing over disputed territory, Great Britain sent 2,300 hand-picked British troops to America. The agenda was to destroy and expel the French. These troops arrived in Virginia, where a 23-year-old George Washington gave them help and assistance. While young Washington was not part of the British army, he was a valued aide. George had been part of the principal group that surveyed and mapped the area in dispute; he knew the region very well. Young Washington was also a Colonel in the Virginia Militia. He would lead 100 of the Virginia Militia into battle against the French.
While the primary fighters in the “French and Indian War” were the British and French armies, there were additional combatants as well. The American colonies sided with the British, and the local Indian tribes supported the French. After arriving, the British divided their forces into several groups. The largest British group numbered 1,300 soldiers. George Washington rode with this group. These troops marched north to Fort Duquesne with the hopes of destroying the bulk of the French resistance. Seven miles from the Fort, the British marched through a wooded ravine into a French and Indian ambush. There were 600 Indians and French hidden in the woods, and the British were fired on from both sides. The British soldiers had been trained to fight in the wide-open areas of Europe, not the wooded territory of the Americas, and the result was a bloody defeat for the British. This is where I want to draw your attention.
At the end of two hours, the Battle of Fort Duquesne saw 714 of the 1,300 British soldiers wounded or killed. The Indians had been instructed to shoot all the officers first. All of the officers rode on horseback, so they were easy targets for the crack-shot French and Indian shooters. At the beginning of the battle, there were 86 British and American officers. By the end of the battle, only George Washington was left on horseback. Following this resounding defeat, Washington gathered the remaining troops and retreated to nearby Fort Cumberland.
The next day, George Washington wrote a letter to his family explaining the outcome of the battle. George’s letter delivered this message: “By the All-powerful dispensations of providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot out from under me; yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!” George had every right to feel that God was protecting him. But there is more than George Washington’s side of this story. Sixteen years later, long after the French and Indian War was over, George and an exploring group were mapping another area along the Ohio River. Local Indians heard that Washington had returned. The Indians invited George and his party to their camp to meet their chief. Amazingly, their chief had been at the Battle of Fort Duquesne. The Indian Chief fought on the side of the French, and he said that he had seen Washington in the battle. He shared that he had ordered his warriors to shoot Washington. The chief described his warriors this way: “My warriors did not know how to miss; their aim was true and sure, yet their bullets did not hit Washington.” The chief said to Washington, “I told my people, 'A power far mightier than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle. The Great Spirit protects that man and guides his destinies. He will become chief of nations. A people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a mighty nation.'”
What an incredible story! Historians of yesteryear swore to the reliability and accuracy of this story, yet historians today choose to ignore it or deny its historicity. I firmly believe that God had a hand in the founding of our great country, yet people today want to deny that God is at work in our world. Our all-powerful and providential God works in many ways. His guiding hand has been seen since the dawn of creation. George Washington was a godly man who believed that God protected him, and that belief allowed him to have the courage to attempt and accomplish many great things in his life. What about you and me? Do we have faith that God is with us? Do we have confidence in the promises and goodness of God? I’m not saying that George was “bulletproof,” but I do believe that God blesses and leads those who have faith in Him and seek His will. Keep looking up!