Killing England: The Brutal Struggle For American Independence Quotes
"In England, I am accused of being too much an American, and in America of being too much an Englishman." - Benjamin Franklin
"We must, indeed, all hang together—or most assuredly we will all hang separately." - Benjamin Franklin
"The success is too dearly bought." - Sir William Howe on the Battle of Bunker Hill
"If any man in action shall presume to skulk, hide himself, or retreat from the enemy, without the orders of his commanding officer, he will be instantly shot down as an example of cowardice." - George Washington
"Resolved, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." - Richard Henry Lee
"I have often thought how much happier I should have been if, instead of accepting a command under such circumstances, I had taken my musket on my shoulders and entered the ranks." - George Washington
"I begin to apprehend that I have undertaken a fatigue that at my time of life may prove too much for me." - Benjamin Franklin
"Their government will not be lasting. It will never suit a people who have once tasted the sweets of British liberty under a British constitution." - William Franklin
"I fancy his harsh and tyrannical treatment of me might be a means of impressing me with that aversion to arbitrary power that has stuck to me through my whole life." - Benjamin Franklin
"A fortress or a maidenhead will hold out not long after they begin to parley." - Benjamin Franklin
"Intending to disgrace me, they have rather done me honor."
"In Benjamin Franklin’s mind, his son no longer existed."
"These are Thomas Hickey’s last moments as a terrestrial being, but there is little sympathy for him."
"The fate of American independence does not yet rest upon moral platitudes—right now it depends entirely upon military victory."
"Nothing has hurt me so much and affected me with such keen sensations as to find myself deserted in my old age by my only son."
"The encouragements given by Governor Tryon to the disaffected, which are circulated no one can tell how."
"A separation from England, he told Congress yesterday, would invite an attack by Spain or France."
"As I believe the voice of my constituents and all sensible and honest men are in favor of independence, my own judgment concurs with them. I vote for independence."
"The swinging corpse will serve as 'a warning to every soldier in the army' who might consider desertion or treason."
"When I turned my face to the fire, my back would be freezing. By turning round and round I kept myself from perishing."
"The storm grows in intensity, yet Washington pushes his men forward, desperate to ensure the element of surprise so vital to a successful attack."
"For God’s sake, keep with your officers."
"The future of America hangs on the leadership skills he now must display in the dark and cold."
"In the end, it will not be military prowess that turns the tide, but desperation."
"Seeking to memorialize his victory, an exhausted George Washington turns to Major Wilkinson and says, 'This is a glorious day for our country.'"
"For every five now-useless muskets, the Americans possess just one bayonet."
"The continuance of the rebellion in North America demands our most serious attention."
"If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I never would lay down my arms. Never. Never. Never."
"You may swell every expense and every effort still more extravagantly, pile and accumulate every assistance you can buy or borrow, your efforts are forever vain and impotent."
"The heart which is conscious of its own rectitude cannot attempt to palliate a step which the world may censure as wrong."
"I have acted from a principle of love to my country."
"I have too often experienced the ingratitude of my country to attempt it."
"From the known humanity of your Excellency, I am induced to ask your protection for Mrs. Arnold from every insult and injury."
"I have the honor to be with regard and esteem, your Excellency’s most obedient humble servant."
"Thank God I am once more among friends!"
"We are Americans, and you are our prisoner."
"Agreeably to the laws and usages of nations, it is their opinion he ought to suffer death."
"The truth is, Jefferson’s very existence, and the welfare of the entire new nation, will be placed in jeopardy by one of the most heinous acts of betrayal in world history."
"André met the result with manly firmness," Alexander Hamilton, who witnessed the trial, will later write of the verdict.
"Sir, buoyed above the terror of death, by the consciousness of a life devoted to honorable pursuits, I trust that the request I make to your Excellency at this serious period, and which is to soften my last moments, will not be rejected."
"All I request of you, gentlemen, is that while I acknowledge the propriety of my sentence, you will bear me witness that I die like a brave man."
"We do hereby strictly charge and command all our officers, both at sea and land, and all other our subjects whatsoever, to forbear all acts of hostility, either by sea or land, against ... the United States of America."
"The Commander in Chief, far from endeavoring to stifle the feeling of joy in his own bosom, offers his [most] cordial congratulations, on the occasion, to all the [officers] of every denomination, to all the troops of the United States in general, and in particular, to those gallant, and persevering men, who had resolved to defend the invaded rights of their country, so long as the war should continue…"
"Having finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theater of action. And bidding an affectionate farewell to this august body under whose orders I have so long acted, I hereby offer my commission and take my leave from all my employments of public life."