Washington’s Foxhole Religion
On July 3, 1775, Washington took command of the colonial troops at Cambridge. They had the British hemmed in at Boston. On the second day of his command the general issued an order forbidding cursing, swearing, and drunkenness. He also required all officers and soldiers not on active duty to be punctual in "attendance on Divine service, to implore the blessing of Heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense." The men were required to meet twice daily on a grassy plot called the Common. There Rev. Emerson, the army chaplain, led in prayer every morning and evening.
It is hard to understand how Washington survived the first nine months of his command. Everything seemed against him. The obstacles to overcome were staggering. Disease – In late autumn smallpox swept the camp. Colonial poverty – The troops were supplied by occasional skirmishes and surprise assaults against the British. They also depended on charity from anyone who cared to help. Congress was impotent and bickering. Criticisms were launched against him by those who felt he should be more aggressive and launch an attack. Jealousy was rampant among his officers.
His worst problem was a lack of powder. Washington prayed that the British would not attack. He had no other recourse but to God, and sent this memorandum to a friend in Congress: "Few people know the predicament we are in . . . . If I shall be able to rise superior to these and many other difficulties, I shall most religiously believe that the finger of Providence is in it, to blind the eyes of our enemies; for surely if we get well through it this month, it must be for want of their knowing the disadvantage we labor under."
And God did exactly that. Hearing the prayers of Washington and his men, God blinded the eyes of the British. They never did attack.