I know you are strong in the might of the Lord. You will go forth to battle on the morrow with light hearts and determined spirits, though the solemn duty may rest heavy on your souls.
And, in the hour of battle, when all around is darkness, lit by the lurid cannon glare and the piercing musket flash – when the wounded strew the ground, the dead litter your path – then remember, soldiers, that God is with you. The eternal God fights for you. He rides on the battle cloud, He sweeps onward with the march of the hurricane charge – God, the Awful and Infinite, fights for you, and you will triumph…
Great Father, we bow before Thee. We invoke thy blessing, we deprecate thy wrath, we return Thee thanks for the past, we ask thy aid for the future. O God of mercy, we pray thy blessing on the American arms. God prosper the cause. Amen.
Joab Prout, 1777
Chaplain of the Continental Army
Before the Battle of Brandywine
