John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg: Preacher and Patriot

Can a military general in the War for Independence be both a soldier and a preacher at the same time? Peter Muhlenberg believed the answer was yes. At a time when he could have safely hidden behind his pulpit and claimed he was doing his duty, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg knew he could, and should, do more.

Statue of John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg installed in Freedom Plaza, Washington, DC for the 250th anniversary of American independence.

DOI / Andrew King

Biography

Rev. John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1746–1807) was the oldest son of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, a German immigrant who founded the Lutheran Church in America. Peter was educated in Philadelphia and then in Germany, where he served for a short time in a regiment of dragoons, returning to Philadelphia in 1766. (Dragoons were infantry soldiers mounted on horseback who were distinct from the cavalry.)

Peter studied theology and was ordained a Lutheran minister in 1768, and an Anglican priest in 1772. He moved to Woodstock, Virginia, where he simultaneously pastored two churches: one was an English-speaking Episcopal church, and the other a German-speaking Lutheran church.

In 1774, Peter became a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses (the state legislative body). He also chaired the local committee of safety to prepare for any danger that might arise from growing tensions with the British.

When General George Washington called for volunteers to serve in the new military, Pastor Peter Muhlenberg raised and commanded a Continental Army regiment comprised mainly of the German population of the Shenandoah Valley around Woodstock. Pastor Peter rose to become one of the elite generals in the army and served for the duration of the war.

After the conflict ended, he served as vice president of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Executive Council (1785–1788). He then represented the state for several terms in the U.S. Congress (the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 7th Congresses), also serving briefly in the U.S. Senate (1801). He was appointed to various offices by President Thomas Jefferson, in which he served until his death in 1807.

“Shall I then sit still?” Muhlenberg’s Moment of Resolve

Muhlenberg was a member of Virginia’s legislature in Williamsburg in December 1775, when total war with Great Britain was imminent. Lexington and Concord had already been attacked, Boston blockaded by the British navy, Charlestown burned, the Battle of Bunker Hill fought, and public stores of gunpowder in Virginia seized by the British.

When the legislative session ended, Muhlenberg returned to his church, and on January 21, 1776, delivered to his congregations what was to become his Farewell Sermon. He first recounted the crisis facing America and reminded his parishioners that the country had been founded in pursuit of religious and civil liberties, which they were now in danger of losing. He concluded with these biblical words from King Solomon:

In the language of Holy Writ, there was a time for all things—a time to preach and a time to pray, but those times had passed away.

Then in a loud voice, he declared:

There was a time to fight—and that time had now come!

Muhlenberg then bowed his head and offered a dismissal prayer. But instead of going to the vestry room after his sermon, he began to remove his clerical robes in front of the congregation, revealing the full-dress uniform of a colonel in the Continental Army.

Descending his elevated pulpit with weapons in hand, he marched to the back of the church, reminding his parishioners that if they did not become personally involved with protecting their liberties, they would have none left to protect. Outside, he ordered drummers to beat for recruits, and some 300 men from his two congregations and the surrounding community joined him, becoming the 8th Virginia Regiment.

Muhlenberg went on to become one of America’s highest ranking military officers, finishing the Revolution as a Major General (only 19 officers achieved that rank, which was surpassed only by that of General Washington, as Supreme Commander in Chief).

Muhlenberg’s brigade would see action throughout the war: on the front lines at Brandywine, and then Germantown and Monmouth. He was with Washington at Valley Forge, where the Muhlenberg Barracks (small cabins built by his parishioners­) stand today as a reminder of that brutal winter. The summer of 1779 saw him at the Battle of Stony Point, and he was second-in-command to General von Steuben in the 1781 victory at Yorktown, which brought the war to a close.

Religious Freedom

At the time Muhlenberg pastored in Woodstock, the British state-established Anglican church was the only officially recognized church in Virginia and enjoyed an exclusive legal and financial status. Anglican leaders in the state had a history of persecuting, or at best, only mildly tolerating other denominations.

Religious freedom came to the state thanks to the efforts of Virginians such as Thomas Jefferson, who introduced his Statute for Religious Freedom in 1779, which finally passed the Virginia General Assembly in 1786 with the help of James Madison and ended the state-established Anglican Church in Virginia—placing all denominations on the same legal footing and ending state-sanctioned persecution.

The Brothers Debate

Muhlenberg’s brother, Rev. Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, pastored a Lutheran church in New York City. When Frederick learned of Peter’s actions in Virginia, he was critical and opposed his brother’s involvement in the conflict, telling him:

You would have acted for the best if you had kept out of this business from the beginning. . . . I now give you my thoughts in brief: I think you are wrong in trying to be both soldier and preacher together.

But Muhlenberg replied with thoughts of his own:

I am a clergyman it is true, but I am a member of society as well as the poorest layman, and my liberty is as dear to me as to any man. Shall I then sit still? . . . Heaven forbid it! . . . I am called by my country in its defense—the cause is just and noble . . . and so far I am from thinking that I act wrong, I am convinced it is my duty so to do—and duty I owe to God and my Country.

Muhlenberg understood that if he did not become involved, he could not protect what was important to him. But Frederick remained unconvinced.

However, when the British arrived in New York in 1777, they burned or vandalized the 19 churches in the city, forcing Frederick to flee. His church was made into a hospital and a gathering location for the British-allied Hessian troops.

Frederick then decided that he, too, should get involved. He became a significant political leader in his home state of Pennsylvania and then the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he helped frame the U.S. Bill of Rights—one of only two individuals whose name appears on the document.

Capitol Tributes to the Muhlenbergs

Hanging inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol is a massive painting entitle “The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis” at Yorktown. In it, Pastor Peter Muhlenberg appears on horseback alongside General George Washington. Muhlenberg is also one of a select group of individuals who has been honored inside the Capitol with an individual statue.

Frederick Muhlenberg is also commemorated for his service. A large portrait of him as America’s first Speaker of the House hangs in the entry to the U.S. House Chamber.

Other Recognitions

Peter Muhlenberg is memorialized with statues in Woodstock, Virginia; at Muhlenberg College (named for his father) in Allentown, Pennsylvania; and also in Peter Muhlenberg Memorial Park in Washington, D.C.

Legacy

American clergy such as John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg applied Christian principles to every realm of life, helping shape America’s culture and institutions. They were at the forefront of proclaiming liberty, resisting tyranny, and opposing encroachments on God-given freedoms.

Tags: national mall and memorial parks , pennsylvania avenue , freedom plaza