•  Campaign Videos (December 2011) « Newt 2012
  

Gingrich (voiceover): General Washington and his troops had been defeated in September, driven from Brooklyn to Manhattan, from Manhattan to north of New York City, around the Palisades, across New Jersey.  They declined from 30,000 troops in September to 2,500 effectives on Christmas Day.  Of the 2,500, one-third did not have boots.  They were wearing burlap bags wrapped around their feet, and as they marched they left a trail of blood.

General Washington knew that if he didn't win a victory soon, the entire army would have disappeared, and so he had to do something desperate.  He proposed to cross an icy river at night in a snow storm, and then march nine miles in the dark to the city of Trenton, a village that had 800 German troops—professionals, Hessians.  He was going to surprise them and capture them.  It was a very dangerous plan.

Because it was harder to get there than they thought, they were four hours late.  And yet, as a sign of divine Providence there was an enormous snow storm coming from the north, behind them, pushing them towards Trenton—a storm so enormous that the German troops said nobody could be out in this kind of weather.  So they didn't post guards; they didn't muster at dawn as they normally would because it was impossible.  And for Europeans it probably was impossible, (to camera) but these were Americans.  They were used to the American winter, they were used (voiceover) to deer-hunting in the winter, they were used to traveling in the winter.  This was just a terrible snowstorm; it wasn't a reason to stop.

Washington's troops surprised the Germans, captured 800 of them at the cost of one American, and then ran for the river before the British Army could catch them, went across the river with their prisoners.  Within two weeks, 15,000 volunteers showed up, and Washington began driving the British across New Jersey.  The revolution had been saved. 

How big a gamble was it?  That night, as they began to get in the boats, they were told that the password for that evening was victory or death, and they meant it.  (to camera) They were prepared to give everything for freedom.

Surely in the most successful country in history, we can do what is necessary; we can be in the spirit of General Washington and the Americans who fought for freedom.  We can go out, get the vote out, make the argument, stand up for freedom, and I believe we can have as big an impact in helping America remain free in our generation as (voiceover) they did in theirs.

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Notes: A nice history lesson from Professor Gingrich, mostly done in voiceover.  One question is whether Gingrich is casting himself as General Washington?  The dig at the Europeans is also notable.  All in all it's good to see the historical perspective brought into the campaign.

Copyright © 2011 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.