“…a sudden rise of the waters…”

This July 4th, I’ll do as I always do on my birthday. Watch Mel Gibson’s movie, The Patriot. Somehow, I never tire of that film.

Gibson shows us a scene loosely based on the Battle of Cowpens, Jan. 17, 1781, where the American militia faces the advancing forces of British General Cornwallis—Dragoons, British Regulars, Highlanders, and loyalists.

When they are about to be overcome, the Americans retreat, drawing the British over a hill where the Continentals are hunkered down.

Waiting.

Led by American General Daniel Morgan, they fire at point-blank range, killing 110 British and capturing more than 500.

The Americans retreat quickly. They meet up with American General Nathaniel Greene, as Cornwallis follows in hot pursuit. The British general discards heavy equipment and supplies in order to catch the fleeing army.

Cornwallis arrives at the Catawba River two hours after the Americans cross. He’s greeted by a storm that swells the river, making it impossible for his army to pass. Pure luck or good fortune for the Americans?

Perhaps.

But soon enough, Cornwallis continues the chase. Then, about to catch Greene’s army at the Yadkin River, the British are slowed again. Rains flood the river, giving the Americans another head start.

Nature has intervened twice. Surely Greene’s luck couldn’t hold forever.

But as the retreat continues, both armies approach the Dan River. The Americans cross first. As the British approach the riverbank, another flash flood stops them in their tracks.

A third escape. What are the chances?

All of this leads to an amazing turn of events.

Cornwallis, having discarded his supplies during the chase, is eventually ordered into Virginia, where he establishes a fortified base at Yorktown to await support from the Royal Navy. But the French have finally arrived to help the American cause after years of unfulfilled promises. They drive off the British ships, leaving Cornwallis hemmed in and facing an army of 17,000 American and French troops.

Cornwallis is forced to surrender on Oct. 19, 1781.

The following day, General Washington writes:

To diffuse the general Joy through every breast the General orders…Divine Service to be performed tomorrow in the several Brigades…Troops not on duty should universally attend with that gratitude of heart which the recognition of such astonishing Interposition of Providence demands.

Years later, Yale President Ezra Stiles reflects:

Who but God could have ordained the critical arrival of the Gallic (French) fleet, so as to…assist…in the siege…of Yorktown?…Should we not…ascribe to a Supreme energy…the wise…generalship displayed by General Greene…leaving the…roving Cornwallis to pursue his helter-skelter ill-fated march into Virginia. It is God who had raised for us a…powerful ally…a chosen army and a naval force: who sent us Rochambeau…to fight side by side with Washington…in the…battle of Yorktown.

Stiles and Washington agree that God—or Providence if you prefer—steered these events toward an eventual American victory in the war.

But even if we remove God from the equation, we Americans in the 21stCentury, basking in the freedoms and opportunities won for us, are called to understand and teach the facts of history and give thanks for the sacrifices of so many who came before us.

We honor those sacrifices by loving our country—not because America has been perfect, but because generations before us struggled to make her better. We still have work to do. Of course we do. But the task before us is to build upon that foundation rather than tear it down.

So…facts stated herein?

(Peppered with a couple of opinions, I admit.)

Any fiction?

What about miracles?

You decide.

*Source materials: Miracles in American History by Susie Federer