JULY 04, 2022 As the United States annually celebrates the 4th of July as the birth of our nation, what many forget is that the day only marks the ratifying of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, many of the famous signatures laid upon that document were not even etched in until August 2nd of that year. And more importantly, the many famous battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in the years following, not leading up to. My 4th great grandfather, Hezekiah Marshall, testified to participating in one of those well-known engagements, The Battle of Trenton. In October of 1776, Hezekiah and his father’s team in Frederick, Maryland, were pressed into the service to haul baggage for the U.S. army, most of the time under the command of General Nathaniel Greene. At this time, and over the next two months, the Continental Army appeared to be on the losing side, and morale was low. Emanuel Leutze, 1851, oil painting of Continental soldiers crossing the Delaware. But Christmas ev...