On December 26, 1776, 18-year-old James Monroe lay dying outside of Trenton, New Jersey.

A muskipal had penetrated his left shoulder, severing a major artery.

The opening months of the Revolutionary War had been a disaster for the American side.

General George Washington desperately needed a victory.

He launched a surprise attack against British mercenaries camp at Trenton.

Monroe led the vanguard to secure the roads in and out of town.

If the fate of the Revolution rested on the Battle of Trenton, the Battle of Trenton rested

on Monroe's success.

Monroe accomplished his mission.

Washington and the Americans had their victory, but it looked like it was going to cost Monroe

his life.

Fortunately, a local doctor got to him and stopped the bleeding.

That doctor saved the life of a man who went on to play a critical role in the first

50 years of the New American nation.

James Monroe had humbler beginnings than many of the other founders.

Both parents died by the time he was 16, leaving him responsible for his four siblings in

the family farm.

He was only able to attend the College of William and Mary with help from an uncle.

He didn't stay long, however, joining Washington's army at the outside of the Revolution.

After his time in the army, Monroe returned to Virginia to study law, but soon turned

his attention to politics.

He represented Virginia in the Continental Congress, where he met his wife Elizabeth,

...