net, took his horse, and stormed back through enemy lines before giving the horse to his retreating colonel, assur- ing he made it to safety. What followed was Francisco’s
most legendary act. After relinquishing the horse, Fran-
cisco saw that artillery horses used for pulling a cannon had been killed. Fearing it would fall into enemy hands, he loosened the 1,100-pound cannon, slung it over his shoulder, and carried it out — a feat of strength memorialized on a stamp issued by the U.S. Post Office in 1975.
SAMUEL WHITTEMORE Oldest and Toughest April 19, 1775, was a lousy day for Brit- ish soldiers. Fresh off getting their tails kicked in
Concord by Minute Men who refused to hand over their guns, British sol- diers decided it was, nevertheless, a good idea to harass colonists as they made their way back to Boston. One of those colonists wasn’t hav-
ing it, and in true American fashion, stood up to the Redcoats when they ventured onto his land. Samuel Whittemore, by then 78
years old and a veteran of the French and Indian Wars, caught wind of what went down in Lexington and Concord. Knowing the British would likely
cross his land, he armed himself with a musket, dueling pistols, and a sword, hid behind a wall near his home, and waited for them to approach. When they arrived, Whittemore confronted them, killing several and injuring several more before the Brit- ish overwhelmed him, shot him in the face, stabbed him 13 times with their bayonets, clubbed him with their mus- kets, and left him for dead. In what the Journal of the Revolu-
tion describes as an “epic demonstra- tion of New England stubbornness,” Whittemore not only survived but lived until the ripe old age of 96, albeit with part of his face torn away cour- tesy of a British musket ball. A respected leader in Cambridge,
IN ACTION A representation of Peter Francisco’s Gallant Action With Nine of Tarleton’s Cavalry in Sight of a Troop of Four Hundred Men.
Whittemore was directly involved in the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766 and, while serving as the leader of the Committee of Correspondence in 1772, signed his name to a letter that led to the Tea Act, and subsequently the Boston Tea Party.
POLLY COOPER Helping Troops Polly Cooper never fired a shot during the Revolutionary War, but without her help, Washington would almost certainly have lost many more of his soldiers at Valley Forge. With his soldiers freezing and
near death from starvation, the situa- tion at Valley Forge was all but hope- less. That all changed when Polly Cooper of the Oneida Indian Nation showed up. At Washington’s request, the
Oneida Nation sent several dozen warriors to join Washington’s troops in Valley Forge as spies, scouts, and foraging parties. They made the 400-mile trek
through snow and mud from upstate New York, bringing with them sev- eral hundred bushels of corn and the
venerable Cooper. When the Oneida arrived, the
starving soldiers immediately grabbed the corn. Cooper quickly intervened and warned them that, unlike the yellow corn grown by colonists, the Oneida brought white corn, which, if eaten without proper preparation, would swell their stomachs and be potentially fatal. Cooper, described by historians as
a knowledgeable cook and herbalist, taught them not only how to hull it, but how to cook it and make a nutri- tious soup that would extend its use and keep them fed. When the Oneida warriors went
off with Washington’s troops, Cooper stayed behind, using her knowledge of medicinal plants and foods to care for wounded and ailing soldiers. Saying it was her moral duty to
help during the war, Cooper refused payment for her services. Upon hear- ing that, Washington’s wife, Martha, brought Cooper to Philadelphia and presented her with a shawl and bon- net as a token of the nation’s grati- tude, according to the Oneida Indian Nation’s website.
MAY 2026 | NEWSMAX 51
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