The Founding Father...interesting facts

I posted this a while back, thought it might be relevant here on July 4th. I was amazed how young they were at the time of the Revolution.

As example did you think they were a hand full of old tired men? Actually they weren't. I wondered about their age at the time of the Revolutionary War as of July 4, 1776. Many of them were very young at that time. This really SHOCKED me!

Marquis de Lafayette, just 18 years old
James Monroe, 18 years old
Gilbert Stuart, 20
Aaron Burr, 20
Alexander Hamilton, 21
Betsy Ross, 24 (I always thought she was this old lady in a rocking chair sewing away)
James Madison, 25

These men stood up to the mightiest nation on Earth at the time England and king George

This is kind of blowing my mind...because of the compression of history, I always assumed all these people were around the same age. But in thinking about it, all startups need young people...Hamilton, Lafayette, and Burr were perhaps the Gates, Jobs, and Zuckerberg of the War. Some more ages, just for reference:

Thomas Jefferson just 33 years
John Adams, 40
Paul Revere, 41
George Washington, 44
Samuel Adams, 53

The oldest by a long shot, was Benjamin Franklin, who was 70 years old on July 4, 1776. Franklin was a full two generations removed from the likes of Madison and Hamilton. But the oldest participant in the war was Samuel Whittemore, who fought in an early skirmish at the age of 80. Words can't express how that makes me feel.

(I found this about Whittemore....just WOW) You think you have guts, read what this man did at age 80

Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief brigade under Earl Percy, sent to assist the retreat. Whittemore loaded his musket and ambushed the British from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols and killed a grenadier and mortally wounded a second. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked. He was shot in the face, bayoneted thirteen times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found alive, trying to load his musket to fight again. He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore lived another 18 years until dying of natural causes at the age of 98.

I love the stories of our amazing founders who gave all. I think I get my fascination and admiration of our Founders comers from my mother. She would tell us stories of our Founders on cold winter nights that would always capture our attention and amazement.

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The Founding Father...interesting facts