September 20, 1776,
George Washington had lost his first revolution battle, I tried my best to comfort him but he wasn't listening. He believed that our loss was his fault. I tried to stay positive it wasn't like we had lost any cities, it was only one battle. The troops spirits are low too, so I snuck away to try and keep my spirits up. I was no more than two yards away when my chest began to burn. I stumbled a bit , caught Washington's attention, and had washington help me up. Someone shouted,"Fire! Fire!" Then it all made sense. New York was on fire, there was nothing else to say about it, my heart was burning. England apparently had had enough of trying to get me back and decided death was he only answer. It was bad enough that he wouldn't let me have my independence, he turned my own brother against me, but now he wanted me dead plain and simple. I ran thru the trees to see New York, it was on fire, not all of it was burning but about a fourth was. The men around me were crying and some openly cursed. This was not supposed to happen, we were not supposed to lose, this was all I could here around me. The men's spirits were broken, they needed me. "My friends, fellow Americans, and those who know what true freedom is, we have lost the battle today but not the war of tomorrow. The British have taken New York from us the heart of this fair country, but they have not taken it's spirit. The spirit of all of us, our spirit for freedom, freedom of beliefs, freedom of speech, freedom to create a world and government that benefits us all. Yes, they have taken our heart, but we have a new one. The hearts that beat freely in us all, the hearts that give us our freedoms, these hearts that beat within us are the new heart of this fair country. We cannot let one loss make us give up, no we must use this loss to further the cause. We will not let our children see their fathers as courards, but as the true war heros that you all are. O now I ask you all, will we let the British take our lands and freedoms from us?" I was meet with a resounding call of NO. Someone called from the back "Down with Great Britain!" This was what I wanted to hear from my citizens. I spoke to them once more, "Then let us remove the Great from Great Britain!" My words had caused something to grow in my people, all of their spirits had been lifted. Washington turned to me and smile, he too had been moved by my speech. The feeling of fire in my chest seemed less now, as though all Americans had heard my speech and had been moved by it. The fire was replaced with a new power, a power that had no name but I wanted to name it. I finally settled on Patriotic Loyalty, That's what this feeling was, all of my people coming together to realize that our cause was worth it, that I was worth it, that their freedom was worth it. Worth this war, worth all of the hardships, even worth loosing my old heart. This war was going to be long, I could feel it, but in the end my people were going to win. Americans are resilient people, my people don't know when to give up and that is what makes them so strong. We may not see it in this year or the next, but my people are going to gain their independence. My only hope is that we never lose our thirst for our ideals and our rights. Our freedoms,, our liberties, and our own pursuits of happiness, so if it takes us the next ten years or the next hundred years my people will gain our freedom. One we have that freedom no one will take it from us, not England, not France, not even Canada ca take my freedom away from me or my people. I want to, no I will protect my peoples freedom and one day I aim to bring freedom to everyone. France will be free of its monarch, Canada will no longer be under British rule, and I will bring about world peace. I already have ideas for a meeting among the nations of the world, I don't know what to call it yet but it will be a Union of Nations, where every nation is equal and everyone has freedom. Uh...Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, the men and I marched that night with a new Patriotic Loyalty in our hearts. It was decided to call our group the Patriots because of our love for our country, anyone who was on the side of England we would call loyalist and were to be looked down upon, how could they even love such a tyrant? I could feel my people coming together to defend their land, my land our land. These people were not only my hope for a future but they were the future. Americans, America, The United States of America, this was our future.
So for now I end here, we march at first light tomorrow and I don't want to over sleep again.
So Good night little book,
Alfred F. Jones
The United States of America