The great harbor of this young city gives it everlasting promise, and no doubt it will continue to thrive no matter the outcome of this kindling conflict, with its easy access from the Atlantic into deep and navigable waters surrounding an archipelago, and tributaries that stretch into an untouched land of bounteous resource, it is the most natural place to arrive on this undeveloped continent from the Old World. And so it is also natural that the British, after being pushed out of Boston, have set their sights on this city to base their operations for their heavy-handed venture to suffocate this rebellion of their former countrymen, who now, generations removed from first settlement, identify with their colonies in this new land more than the Empire that is perhaps stretching itself thin the way Rome did if we are to believe the optimism, mixed with indignation, that has inspired us to take arms. Our hope is that we will not be trading our old masters for new masters, as skeptical Tories argue, but that in this new land, we may be masters of ourselves. I take the time to write down my thoughts as a responsibility of principle, because I believe that three centuries ago the invention of the printing press put an expiration date on all monarchies, as seen by the Common Sense that now circulates widely among the colonies.
We are a ragtag gaggle of soldiers, not uniformly uniformed or armed, most wear their hunting jacket from home and fortunately some have brought the long rifle with which they put food on their family’s table. We have gathered here from all across the northern colonies, though I am sorry to report that natives of this city are underrepresented among our ranks. It seems the mercantile class that has prospered here and now influences local politic is partial to the stability of the Empire, with its navy that patrols and regulates the seas upon which they conduct their profitable trade. This is undoubtedly one of our weaknesses—we have no navy to speak of and will have to rely on the knowledge of our homeland and the fervor of patriotism that has transcended boundaries and swept across the majority of this vast land. Against all odds these colonies with disparate interests and ideals have recently declared unanimous independence and have united in arms against a common foe. I have met men among our ranks from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, though many of them were recruited not on patriotism but on the promise of employment, an opportunity unavailable at home, prior military experience not required as many are mere boys away from their parents for the first time, much too young to be fighting. They have placed their trust in General Washington, who, for his part, does a good job of calming their anxieties and making it seem the occasion is not beyond the fortitude of his character.