by Kevin Porter

Created on: July 04, 2009   Last Updated: January 20, 2010

The American Revolution enabled my American Identity to form.  I consider my American Identity to be those aspects of my character that make me fearless, self-reliant, compassionate and just.  The freedoms gained by the American Revolution made it possible for those qualities to develop, totally unmolested within me. 

Ancestors of mine fought in the American Revolution and they themselves referred to that conflict as the War of Independence.  I will pay homage to all that fought in that most honorable struggle, by taking the time to write about just two of my own.  I’ll begin with a paternal ancestor, Captain Daniel Wentzel of the 2nd New Jersey Militia.  Captain Wentzel wrote a letter to General Anthony Wayne and it can now be found in the Library of Congress, among the George Washington Papers. 

The words underlined below will link to the aforementioned letter:

Wentzel-Wayne Letter.

The entire link reads as:

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mgw4&fileName=gwpage062.db&recNum=1124. 

However, when my family and friends responded to my e-mails, containing the entire link, I noticed that it sometimes broke up and did not work as intended. 

When I first read his letter, I found Captain Wentzel’s handwriting difficult to read and determinately decided to decipher it.  Once I understood the communication’s content, I researched the circumstances mentioned therein and established it to be a communique to General Wayne, concerning the forces that had already set sail to lay siege to Charleston, South Caroline.  The British siege of Charleston was successful and the city was surrendered on the 12th of May 1780.  The following is my facsimile of Captain Wentzel’s communique to General Wayne.

*

                                               Hackensack 6th: Dec: 1779

To Sir,

      I am just now informed by good Authority that there

is an embarkation made from Ten to fifteen Thousand of

the Enemy, the Author says there is Actually Ten Thou-

sand on board & was to sail Yesterday, the Author informs

that their Destination is for the Chesapeake Bay, & if

attended with Success they intend Relieving Burgoyne’s

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