THE REVOLUTION WAS GOING BADLY: 5/8 The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware by Patrick K. O'Donnell (Author)
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 8 July 2024
⏱️ 11 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
https://www.amazon.com/Indispensables-Marbleheads-Soldier-Mariners-Washington-Delaware/dp/0802156894
On the stormy night of August 29, 1776, the Continental Army faced capture or annihilation after losing the Battle of Brooklyn. The British had trapped George Washington’s forces against the East River, and the fate of the Revolution rested upon the shoulders of the soldier-mariners from Marblehead, Massachusetts. Serving side by side in one of the country’s first diverse units, they pulled off an “American Dunkirk” and saved the army by transporting it across the treacherous waters of the river to Manhattan.
In the annals of the American Revolution, no group played a more consequential role than the Marbleheaders. At the right time in the right place, they repeatedly altered the course of events, and their story shines new light on our understanding of the Revolution. As acclaimed historian Patrick K. O’Donnell dramatically recounts, beginning nearly a decade before the war started, and in the midst of a raging virus that divided the town politically, Marbleheaders such as Elbridge Gerry and Azor Orne spearheaded the break with Britain and shaped the nascent United States by playing a crucial role governing, building alliances, seizing British ships, forging critical supply lines, and establishing the origins of the US Navy.
1933 VALLEY FORGE STATION IN SUMMER
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is a new book The Inoupean the World. Here's John Bachelor. |
| 0:10.0 | The author Patrick O'Donnell, his new book The Indispensable, the diverse soldier |
| 0:16.8 | mariners who shaped the country form the Navy and road Washington across the Delaware. |
| 0:21.9 | This is the story of Marblehead, Massachusetts and its brave self-sacrificing |
| 0:26.6 | volunteers during the revolution which was also a civil war. Their neighbors were loyalists and yet they survived the war |
| 0:35.9 | fought all the way through. We are now in 1776. The marble headers have formed the lifeguard around Washington in addition to having a Marblehead regiment with the Continental Army. |
| 0:49.0 | Washington has moved its headquarters from the Siege of Boston, the British withdrew, to New York. |
| 0:55.9 | To Manhattan himself. |
| 0:57.7 | Washington is going to Manhattan. |
| 0:59.5 | He's now headquarters on Pearl Street. |
| 1:02.0 | He's guarded by the lifeguard led by Caleb Gibbs of |
| 1:05.8 | Marblehead and others. And there's an assassination plot. Patrick, a very good |
| 1:11.6 | evening to you. |
| 1:12.6 | Wonderful the storytelling, especially the assassination of George Washington, |
| 1:17.2 | gets my attention. |
| 1:18.6 | Who was behind this and how was it put together? |
| 1:22.2 | Good evening. Good evening. |
| 1:23.0 | Good evening, John. This is the loyalist governor, Tryon, who is behind the plot along with other plots. |
| 1:30.0 | And he tries through his intermediaries to recruit members of the lifeguard to assassinate George Washington. And there are a number of members of the guard that have loyalist leanings |
| 1:48.5 | including a guy by the name of Hickey who's a former British soldier and another member of the guard is a guy |
| 1:56.9 | by the name of Green who's a drummer and they meet up with a gunsmith who happens to be Tryan's intermediary named Forbes. |
| 2:08.2 | William Tryan is the loyalist governor of New York. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Batchelor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of John Batchelor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.