Reminds of the story in the video of the founding of America, where the father is walking out the door of his home, gun in hand and says to his wife, Take good care of the children. Knowning full well, he may not return.
ETA - So, it occurs to me, the left can't conceive of this, dying to keep your guns? That's irrational and crazy, But, it's never been about guns. It's about freedom. It's always been about freedom.
He didn’t return, at least alive. When the alarm reached Acton, Massachusetts late in the evening of April 18th, 1775 - Isaac Davis and his wife Hannah were caring for their 4 young children, who were sick with a form of scarlett fever that had a 50% mortality rate. In a time where bleeding and leeches were considered medicine, the only treatment as you watched your children suffer was a cold rag for their heads and prayer. If any man that night had more important places to be, a legitimate excuse for NOT mustering with his men, it was he.
But Isaac Davis was the Captain of the Acton Militia, easily the best trained, most well equipped company of Militia in British North America. His men had cartridge boxes, bayonets. They drilled and practiced marksmanship twice a week, every week. Isaac Davis would join his men in the field, and it’s in Hannah’s diary that his only words that night were “Take good care of the children.”
As the militia formed on Punkatasset Hill just outside of Concord, smoke began to rise from the meeting house. From a half a mile away, men were certain that British Regulars were burning down their town, and decided to march.
“I haven’t a man who is afraid to go,” were the words of Captain Davis, and the Men of Acton led Massachusetts Militia down the hill towards the old North Bridge that crossed the Concord River, leading from the town to Barrett's farm.
The British held the bridge (several companies were at Barrett’s place looking for supplies and munitions), and upon the approach of the Militia, fired one volley into the creek as a warning. The next volley flew high, save for 2 shots. The first hit Isaac Davis directly in the heart, and the man - husband to a worried wife and father of 4 terribly sick children - was dead before his body hit the ground. The second ball killed his lieutenant, Abner Hosmer, a man described by peers as a soul no one would refuse to follow through the Gates of Hell.
Major Buttrick, in nominal command of the men of Massachusetts at the time cried out “Fire! For God’s sake fire! Fire as fast as you can!”
The Militia leveled their muskets, and in the first volley, killed 40% of the British officers on the Bridge, 6 NCOs, and a private. They reloaded and continued volley after volley until the Regulars fled, in a panic, back to Concord. The Militia crossed the bridge and had effectively cut off the British companies further afield at Barrett’s farm from the main British column.
Upon their return, they found the only British soldiers on the bridge were dead, and Militia between them and the rest of their column. The Militia let them cross, unmolested, to return to Concord. However, the orders to “not fire unless fired upon” would quickly give way on the British retreat from Concord, and the Revolutionary War would begin its eight year, 100,000+ casualty (25,000 on each side due to combat, 3 times or more to disease) march to secure for us a land to call our own and a government of defined, limited power where sovereignty lay with the People, and their Rights were the primary concern over all others.
Consequential decisions. Terribly consequential decisions.
And yet Isaac Davis chose to defend Liberty.
That is the price of Freedom, gents.
How far we have strayed.
