These fish ran early and they were able to rack up some shad, saved by their Messiah and had to beg no more for food from the Continental Congress. What amazing Providence. They even were able to salt some and store the excess in barrels. Amazing.
George Washington lived an amazing life - and it must have been incredibly humbling to have gone through these events and feel the hand of the Lord in spades.
We should live our lives like this - so we always know the author of our lives. Who is at our helm....:
http://www.ldsliving.com/The-Fish-That-Saved-George-Washington-s-Army/s/82179?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=social_button&utm_content=pop160702
The Fish That Saved George Washington's Army
Miracles
involving fish didn't just happen in Biblical times. In fact, one such
miracle occurred during the Revolutionary War as well.
While in Valley Forge, American soldiers suffered greatly, many even died, for lack of food. Congress heard their pleas but was helpless to provide. Washington warned Congress that if food did not arrive soon, his army faced three choices: “Starve—dissolve—or disperse.” With no mortal on earth able to come to their aid, prayer was the only option. Perhaps the soldiers remembered that the Lord had once before provided His hungry disciples with fish in a miraculous way. It was about to happen again.
Suddenly, in the midst of the winter famine, there was an
unexpected warming of the weather, too early to accredit to springtime.
The “false spring” tricked the shad fish into beginning their run up
the Delaware River early. Thousands of shad—some described them as
“prodigious in number,” others said they came in “Biblical
proportions”—swam up the Delaware. The overabundance caused thousands
more to make a turn up smaller streams and rivers, seeking any space to
spawn. One of those rivers was the Schuylkill. At a certain bend in that
river, the water rose only knee-deep—perfect for catching fish. And
that very bend in the Schuylkill just happened to run right by
Washington’s camp at Valley Forge.
The famine ended instantly, as thousands upon thousands of pounds of fish were caught and eaten. Hundreds of barrels were filled and salted down for future consumption. Even today, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service gives credence to the claim that the shad were responsible for “saving George Washington’s troops from starvation as they camped along the Schuylkill River at Valley Forge.”
Shortly after the miracle of the fish, Washington wrote the following from Valley Forge:
“Providence has a just claim to my humble and grateful thanks for its protection and direction of me through the many difficult and intricate scenes which this contest has produced, and for its constant interposition in our behalf when the clouds were heaviest and seemed ready to burst upon us. . . . Since our prospects have miraculously brightened, shall I attempt the description of the condition of the army, or even bear it in remembrance, further than as a memento of what is due to the great Author of all, the care and good that have been extended in relieving us in difficulties and distresses?”
Learn more about the inspiration and miracles surrounding George Washington in Timothy Ballard's new book, The Washington Hypothesis. Available at Deseret Book stores and deseretbook.com.
We
know that George Washington was a moral man and an inspiring leader,
but did he possibly know more than we suppose? Was he a national
covenant maker like Moses, Abraham, Lehi, or Captain Moroni? Did he
understand that he was fighting for the liberty of a promised land
protected by God, a place where the Lord's holy temples could be built? The Washington Hypothesis explores
the intriguing evidence that Washington and the other Founding Fathers
knew the Lord had a greater purpose for America. It takes us on a
fascinating historical journey through the miracles of the Revolutionary
War to the foundational documents of this great nation to the symbolism
evident in every corner of the nation's capital. Exploring how
Washington's beliefs framed his every action, author Timothy Ballard
draws compelling conclusions about the divinity of that great leader's
calling. As we see the evidence of the Lord's hand in Washington's life,
we may discover a much grander design at work in the founding of our
nation—and thus a greater desire to strive to preserve those promised
blessings.
While in Valley Forge, American soldiers suffered greatly, many even died, for lack of food. Congress heard their pleas but was helpless to provide. Washington warned Congress that if food did not arrive soon, his army faced three choices: “Starve—dissolve—or disperse.” With no mortal on earth able to come to their aid, prayer was the only option. Perhaps the soldiers remembered that the Lord had once before provided His hungry disciples with fish in a miraculous way. It was about to happen again.
The famine ended instantly, as thousands upon thousands of pounds of fish were caught and eaten. Hundreds of barrels were filled and salted down for future consumption. Even today, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service gives credence to the claim that the shad were responsible for “saving George Washington’s troops from starvation as they camped along the Schuylkill River at Valley Forge.”
Shortly after the miracle of the fish, Washington wrote the following from Valley Forge:
“Providence has a just claim to my humble and grateful thanks for its protection and direction of me through the many difficult and intricate scenes which this contest has produced, and for its constant interposition in our behalf when the clouds were heaviest and seemed ready to burst upon us. . . . Since our prospects have miraculously brightened, shall I attempt the description of the condition of the army, or even bear it in remembrance, further than as a memento of what is due to the great Author of all, the care and good that have been extended in relieving us in difficulties and distresses?”
Learn more about the inspiration and miracles surrounding George Washington in Timothy Ballard's new book, The Washington Hypothesis. Available at Deseret Book stores and deseretbook.com.
We
know that George Washington was a moral man and an inspiring leader,
but did he possibly know more than we suppose? Was he a national
covenant maker like Moses, Abraham, Lehi, or Captain Moroni? Did he
understand that he was fighting for the liberty of a promised land
protected by God, a place where the Lord's holy temples could be built? The Washington Hypothesis explores
the intriguing evidence that Washington and the other Founding Fathers
knew the Lord had a greater purpose for America. It takes us on a
fascinating historical journey through the miracles of the Revolutionary
War to the foundational documents of this great nation to the symbolism
evident in every corner of the nation's capital. Exploring how
Washington's beliefs framed his every action, author Timothy Ballard
draws compelling conclusions about the divinity of that great leader's
calling. As we see the evidence of the Lord's hand in Washington's life,
we may discover a much grander design at work in the founding of our
nation—and thus a greater desire to strive to preserve those promised
blessings.