This Day in History: September 2

Washington wrote the following letter to the President of the Continental Congress several days after the Battle of Long Island. In that battle, Washington and his army were lucky to have escaped an even more devastating defeat than the one they suffered. In the aftermath of this battle, what is Washington's attitude toward militia forces? To what does he attribute the difficulties of using militia effectively? What arguments does Washington set forth for a standing army?

And more importantly, what parallels can we draw based on the actions and attitudes of most gunowners today?