THE REVOLUTION WAS GOING BADLY: 7/8 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
⏱️ 12 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.
1921 MT. VERNON DINING ROOM
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is a CBSI in the world. I'm John Bachelor. Patrick O'Donnell, the book is The |
| 0:10.0 | Indispensable. The diverse soldier mariners who shaped the country, formed the Navy and rode |
| 0:15.2 | Washington across the Delaware. |
| 0:17.3 | Patrick, the Marbleheaders divide. |
| 0:20.3 | John Glover leaves one contingent home to Marblehead. |
| 0:24.3 | His wife is ill, they're exhausted, they're sick, |
| 0:27.6 | they're filled with, they're closer filled with vermin. |
| 0:30.4 | Rubbed raw, you give some brilliantly detailed analysis of how exhausted they are. |
| 0:37.0 | But some of the marble headers stay on and they stay on to fight and I'm looking at 1227 several days later at Asapunk Creek. |
| 0:47.0 | Please describe what the scene is and why Asapunk becomes so critical. |
| 0:51.0 | This is also known as the Second Battle of Trenton and a variety of |
| 0:56.8 | factors basically lead Washington back across the Delaware. It wasn't really |
| 1:02.1 | necessarily initially part of his plan but |
| 1:05.6 | John Ted Walliter and the Philadelphia Associators it's a militia group if you will |
| 1:10.0 | they were one of the groups to try to cross on Christmas and it failed. |
| 1:16.8 | They couldn't get across because they didn't have the skilled hands of the Marylanders in their boats |
| 1:20.9 | or marble headers in their boats, but they went across anyways a few days later and they make it across and |
| 1:27.0 | also the militias in New Jersey are uprising and Washington has a dilemma on his hands as he |
| 1:34.5 | support Cadwallarder or order him back across and he decides to go back and he |
| 1:40.0 | crosses the Delaware River and again but he doesn't make the mistake that |
| 1:45.3 | Johann Rahl had of trying to defend Trenton itself it's which was pretty much |
| 1:48.9 | indefensible he sets up on the high ground at Assine Peak Creek and he tries to defend the bridge which is the choke point |
... |
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.