The Continental Army pre-dates the United States by almost a year. It was established on June 14, 1775, with George Washington from Virginia, being sworn in as the Commander and Chief five days later. He was chosen because his excellent reputation as a military leader preceded him. This undertaking was considered a United Colonial Force, consisting of representatives from all the then established, thirteen colonies. As time went on and battles were still being fought, they adapted previously successful militia tactics along with new organized methods in their endeavors for achieving peace and unity. In 1776 as the United States declared their independence, the still existing militia and the Continental Army combined their services for the good of the whole and became known as the United States Army. The Department of War was created when the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789 by the U.S. Congress which replaced the Continental Congress, to continue in the administration of the Army as they had already been doing capably for fourteen years.
It would take endless days to tell all that has happened historically since then, involving brave men and women who have fought for our country, and there are stories of worthy men and women which have long ago been forgotten on a lonely, anonymous battlefield. My husband, daughter and I recently were privileged to vacation in Colonial Williamsburg, VA and got to see an enormous number of historical facts come to life by great actors there. I would highly recommend this trip and I know there are many worthwhile historic venues that we could all add to our bucket lists. However, this is not what prompted this thought, but an article I read recently in The Tennessee Magazine, in the May 2022 edition. It was about the World War II (WWII) Army maneuvers that were conducted in twenty-one counties of Tennessee to prepare the soldiers for war. It brought everything into perspective for me.
Have you ever known something on the grand scheme of things, but never thought about ‘where the rubber meets the road’ practical aspects of it? Everyone knows that to do something and to do it right, there must be great attention paid to details and much ‘behind the scenes’ work must happen before any results are seen by anyone else. It is happening all around us and even in our day to day lives. For instance, a school mate might ask your child today, “What are you having for dinner tonight?” To which your child replies, “Spaghetti.” The kid says, “How do you know?” Your kid just shrugs, however, if it were vocalized, your child would say, “Because my mom did the grocery shopping a couple of days ago, got all of the necessary ingredients, set out the meat to thaw while she was at work today, and asked me to slice the Italian bread to go with the dinner when I get home from school this afternoon.” But to the kids, it is just a no brainer, a given. However, they will put all the pieces together later in their lives, soon enough. Well, this article was a look into one of those ‘behind the scenes, preparation moments’ for me, on the grand scale of things, that we often take for granted and consider a ‘no brainer’, shrug our shoulders and go on.
Even though the war was not taking place on US soil, in areas where these maneuvers were being conducted, seeing soldiers, equipment, tanks, etc., became the norm for farmers, merchants, adults and children alike during those years. Though it was taxing on the land, bridges, roads, restaurants, and hotels of the time, conducting these maneuvers was an absolute necessity! Most of the soldiers were draftees right out of high school who were still teenagers and were not even been born at the time of WWI. They had not heard of any current wars during their lifetimes to that point, though before WWI there had been many wars, and there have been many since WWII. Though our children would be much more familiar with war nowadays, we are always hopeful for peace and that they would never have to experience it firsthand.
These troops were dubbed, “The Second Army.” Tennessee was chosen as the practice grounds because it has similar terrain as Germany, France, and Belgium, where they were anticipating the war would mostly be fought. During these maneuvers in Tennessee, there were over a million soldiers who passed through the areas. They had formed two opposing sides to fight, NOT using live ammo, known as the ‘Red’ and the ‘Blue.’ Major General George S. Patton defeated his opposing team and developed the tactics that later helped him see great victory in Europe, by studying the campaigns of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest of the American Civil War, using tank units as cavalry. These maneuvers called ‘Problems’, continued from 1941 to November 1944, on a scheduled basis and always accompanied by troubleshooting sessions. There were soldiers jumping out of planes, foot soldiers marching and fighting in hand to hand combat, setting up of camps, forging rivers on foot and by boat, and trudging over hills and through swamps. To the average Tennessean, this was an exciting time, in their otherwise mundane lives. It also served to bring in great revenue to Tennessee at the time, not only from sales of goods and services, but they could claim cost of damage to their property, from the government. It is recorded that the Army Corp of Engineers built a pontoon bridge across the Cumberland River in less than a day. This was exciting to the onlookers, but arduous work and dangerous to the soldiers. On July 4th, 1943, Private First Class. Mitchell J. Dabrowski of Wilbraham, Mass. wrote in a letter, “These maneuvers are pretty tough. In fact, it is about the toughest thing I ever had in the Army.” Though he survived Tennessee, he was killed in action a year later in Belgium. This only one story of so many. It is reported that around 250 soldiers lost their lives during the Tennessee maneuvers. From vehicle accidents, plane crashes, riverboats capsizing or illnesses. Yet, they were still necessary. Of all the military branches involved in WWII, there were around sixteen million United States soldiers fighting for world peace and of those there were only reported 407,300 casualties. I say only, just because of the percentages that would have been much higher without the proper training, however, we know that even one soul lost is one too many.
I am not affiliated with the armed forces in any way, nor am I an expert in the subject of warfare, however, in my limited knowledge and from a lifetime of observation, I realize that much preparation goes into succeeding and winning in any category of life. After all, you would not want to be operated on by a doctor who received a certificate off the internet after 2 weeks of study! For him or her to be qualified, they will have to put many years of blood, sweat, tears and dollars into earning their doctoral degree. To be considered battle ready, there are a myriad of items needed for survival when on the defensive, and things needed to do combat when on the offensive side of the equation. In the infant stages of preparation, you must know who your enemy is and who your commander is, to have a successful offensive or defensive operation in place to defeat, destroy and neutralize the foe. Once a strategy is in place, you should not try to recreate the wheel while engaged in battle. Stick to the plan that was set forth in the practice maneuvers and planning stages. Instructions must be clear and concise. Skills must be taught and honed before ever setting foot on the battlefield. There is no time for discussion when a sword or a bullet is coming your way.
Webster’s dictionary offers a few simple definitions for us regarding battle readiness. Preparation: Preparation is the action or process of making something ready for use or service or of getting ready for some occasion, test, or duty. Plans: Plans are a detailed formulation of a program of action or a method for achieving an end. Maneuvers: Maneuvers are, a military or naval movement, an armed forces training exercise: especially an extended and large-scale training exercise involving military and naval units separately or in combination. Tactics: Tactics are the science and art of disposing and maneuvering forces in combat, the art or skill of employing available means to accomplish an end, a system or mode of procedure, an action taken to gain a tactical end. All of these are used to achieve success in the endeavor in which you are engaging.
Weapons would be an obvious choice when thinking about offensive warfare. We can see this even back in the bible days. The Philistines knew the advantage of weapons; therefore, they did not want the Israelites to get their hands on any. 1 Samuel 13:19 says, “Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears.” Another example is found in Ezekiel 21:9-10, “Son of man, prophesy, and say, thus saith the Lord; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished: It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter…” There is no doubt that a battle is more apt to be won with weapons that are battle ready, than with no weapons at all, or those that have been sitting collecting rust for a while.
In the year 1714, Alexander Spotswood of Virginia, established a building, an armory, which they called, a ‘magazine’ in that day. This allowed them to keep their weapons such as long rifles, bayonets, muskets, gun powder stores, other ammo, swords, pistols, and axes, safe, protected and out of the wrong hands, which at the time included little children, and it also served as a headquarters for incoming and outgoing weapons. Though the weapons were first used against the American natives, by the mid-1700’s, unrest began between the colonies and England, which then led to their use against one another. The weapons from the 1700’s as aforementioned, seem very archaic to us now, however, there is a story found in the scripture where a battle was won using extremely unconventional weapons. In fact, they were just common household items.
We see this in Judges 7:15-22. “And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them, look on me, and do likewise: and behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. So, Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and break the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and break the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host (of Midian) ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host.” God gave Gideon the instructions and he carried out the plan. They attacked using trumpets, pitchers, and torches. In addition, as God often did, he used the element of surprise and the tactic of confusion, to cause the enemy armies to turn on themselves. As time has progressed, weapons and equipment for war have changed, advanced and become more deadly and some may say, more efficient. For example, the use of cannons dating back to the 12th century and continually being improved upon, were much later replaced by moving tanks and machine guns as we know them in modern times.
Rations and items for the care of the soldiers are also a huge part of going into a battle that is going to be for an indefinite period of time. The availability of supplies could be the defining point for any battle because the outcome and duration are never certain or predictable. A new piece was reported on March 2nd, 2022, in the UK’s ‘Daily Star’, stating, “Russian troops are running short on supplies because over-optimistic commanders expected to seize Ukraine in three days, sources in Ukraine are reporting.” Now, five months later at the writing of this article, the war is still not over. 1 Samuel 17:13-18 tells us, “And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle…And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul. But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. And the Philistine (Goliath), drew near morning and evening and presented himself forty days. And Jesse said unto David his son, take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp of thy brethren; And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.” It seems that the people were having to provide their own food and supplies for war at that time. The US Army rations that were developed and provided to the soldiers in WWII are as follows; Quote: “A-ration: Garrison Ration. Fresh, refrigerated, or frozen food prepared in dining halls or field kitchens. The most valued of all rations. B-ration: Field Ration. Canned, packaged, or preserved foods normally prepared in field kitchens without refrigeration. C-ration: Individual Ration. A complete pre-cooked, ready-to-eat canned individual meal. K-ration: Individual Ration. Designed as a short duration individual “assault” ration for paratroopers and other specialized light infantry forces. Declared obsolete in 1948. D-ration: Emergency Ration. Bars of concentrated chocolate combined with other ingredients to provide high calorie content (intended as an emergency ration).” Through many years of experience, they learned that starving, sleep depraved or diseased men are not battle ready and will be hard pressed to win a battle let alone a war.
In war, your armor would be your items for personal defense. It was often considered a sign of wealth and prestige to have a set of armor, as we see in Isaiah 39:2, “And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.” The first thing that Saul wanted to do when David said he was going to go into battle against Goliath, was to give David his own armor, because David was only a shepherd boy. However, it did not turn out well, because it did not fit him, and he had not had any experience wearing armor of any kind. 1 Samuel 17:38-39 says, “And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also, he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.” Though David was only a boy, he knew this plan was not going to work for him, and this he decided before he got onto the battlefield. He rather chose to use the Name of the Lord as his defense and his proven sling and stones as his offensive weapon. He was wise beyond his years.
Defensive warfare, however, does not denote your personal safety only, but the protecting and defending of your fellow soldiers, families, land, home, territory, or nation. There is no advancing on the enemy, but it is the response to an attack. This may call for the building of trenches, bulwarks, or barricades. Having intelligence operations, the setting up of weapons in strategic places, blending in with the terrain, making use of lookouts 24/7 on a rotating basis and having a way to alert fellow troops if the enemy is approaching, are paramount to a successful outcome. Jesus gave this example in Luke 11:21-23, “When a strong man armed, keeps his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divides his spoils. He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathered not with me scattereth.” Preparation of troops, mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually are crucial to build up their strength and resolve.
Though we owe our lives to those who serve and have served, we are not all soldiers in the traditional sense. During my years in Bible College as zealous young warriors, when we would begin to get discouraged and think we were not being useful in the Kingdom of God, one of our professors would say, “Time spent sharpening the sword is never wasted.” We were not preparing for physical war, but spiritual, and he knew from the experience of years, that preparation was the key to our success going forward. In 2 Corinthians 10:1-7 Paul fills us in on what we are up against. “Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.” He is telling us here, who is in charge, who and what the enemy is and how to defeat it. If we stick to the plan and follow instructions, we can be victorious.
In spiritual warfare we also need offensive and defensive tactics and weapons that assist us in being battle ready and ultimately in winning the war. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word of God is our offensive weapon. Ephesians 6 tells us to take, “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” Furthermore, Ephesians 6:10 -18 gives us admonition of what to do, how to do it, who we are fighting, the posture we need to take in battle and the defensive outfit we need to have on along with the weapon we need to have in hand and in our heart for the maximum amount of protection. It says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” For spiritual battle, we must do spiritual maneuvers daily. These are praying, fasting, watching, and reading of the Word of God, which fortifies our truth, righteousness, peace, and faith Paul tells us. Spiritual reconnaissance of the enemy is crucial, 2 Corinthians 2:11 says, “Forgive…Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” And the establishing of who is in charge and calling the shots in our lives is needed, so we can know whose voice to listen to in the time of battle. 2 Chronicles 13:12 tells us, “And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.” As well as studying the tactics used by great warriors of the faith who have gone before us. Accounts from the Bible, to Foxes Book of Martyrs, written by John Foxe in 1563, or any modern day book of testimonies regarding victories won by warriors of the faith, will all assist us in building our faith and our arsenal for war. Spiritual starving men and women are not battle ready; they will be defeated because they are in a weakened state. We must have our daily rations of the Bread of Life and the living water of His Spirit. When we have done what we know to do in preparation, God will do the rest and fight for us. We will be victorious.
When we are under attack, we must remember that defensive warfare is to just hold the line. Claim our territory, our families, our friends and neighbors and our own souls, in Jesus Name. He is our hiding place, our shield, and our defense. Psalm 27:5 says, “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.” Psalm 33:20 tells us, “Our soul waits for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.” Psalm 144:1-2 state, “Blessed be the Lord my strength which teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdues my people under me.”
The enemy does not stand a chance against our Commander in Chief. He wrote the rule book. The Lord declares in Isaiah 54:16-17, “Behold, I have created the smith that blows the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” Timothy admonishes us in 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” We will face battles in our lives, they are inevitable. However, if we man our stations, do our maneuvers, remain battle ready, and follow the instructions of our Commander in Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ, we have nothing to fear. Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus, a writer during the late Roman Empire stated, “A handful of men, inured to war, proceed to certain victory, while on the contrary, numerous armies of raw and undisciplined troops are but multitudes of men dragged to the slaughter.” If we stay prepped for war, victory is certain!