The Chaplains of the Revolution: Faith on the Battlefield

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     As we reflect on the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, we remember not only the soldiers who took up arms, but also the pastors who took up prayer.

In the thick of that famous battle—fought not on Bunker Hill, but on nearby Breed’s Hill—Rev. David Avery stood visibly on the real Bunker Hill. Unarmed and undeterred, he raised his hands to heaven and prayed fervently for the American cause. Amid cannon fire and rising smoke from the burning town of Charlestown, Avery’s presence was a powerful reminder that this was not just a military struggle, but a spiritual one.

New England’s deep religious roots gave rise to a different kind of patriotism—one grounded in faith. Many of the region’s settlers had come to America to escape religious persecution, and they believed that freedom of worship was central to any just government. That belief shaped their communities, their laws, and even their response to war. ​

     So when the Revolution began, chaplains were not an afterthought—they were essential. These were everyday pastors, shepherds of small rural congregations, whose members became the first soldiers to stand against the British army. From village pulpits, they had long preached about liberty and resistance to tyranny. And when the call to arms came from Lexington and Concord, their congregations answered—with the pastor’s prayers at their backs and the cause of freedom in their hearts.