Major Patrick Ferguson was born in Scotland but attended a prestigious military academy in London and ended up fighting for the British during the Revolutionary War. He was a military man through and through and fought based on principles and wouldn't allow those who followed him to participate in any barbaric practices.
The reason Major Ferguson is so famous is for what he didn't do. The British weren't engaged in a battle with the colonists at the time that General George Washington was passing through Pennsylvania with some of his officers. It was 1777, and Major Ferguson had the General in his sights but Washington was on his horse with his back to him and heading the other way. Ferguson didn't think it was honorable to shoot him in the back especially since they weren't fighting on the battlefield.
Three years later, Major Ferguson was killed in a battle in North Carolina. I can't help but wonder what would've happened if he had taken the shot and killed General Washington. Would we have won the war? If we did, who would've been our first President?
It's amazing to me that sometimes just one event can change the entire course of history. In this case, one good moral decision probably helped us become the country we are today.
The reason Major Ferguson is so famous is for what he didn't do. The British weren't engaged in a battle with the colonists at the time that General George Washington was passing through Pennsylvania with some of his officers. It was 1777, and Major Ferguson had the General in his sights but Washington was on his horse with his back to him and heading the other way. Ferguson didn't think it was honorable to shoot him in the back especially since they weren't fighting on the battlefield.
Three years later, Major Ferguson was killed in a battle in North Carolina. I can't help but wonder what would've happened if he had taken the shot and killed General Washington. Would we have won the war? If we did, who would've been our first President?
It's amazing to me that sometimes just one event can change the entire course of history. In this case, one good moral decision probably helped us become the country we are today.
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