1780: The year the world trembled

Then came May 19, 1780—a day without dawn. The sun never rose. By noon, the world had vanished into a black abyss, as if time had collapsed on itself. The skies, thick with an unnatural shadow, smothered the colonies in midnight terror. No light. No explanation. Only silence. Even today, mostly forgotten in time.

Some whispered of Providence, a sign from God. Others even feared of Royal British sorcery, an omen of impending conquest, but the Rebel High Priest—Rev. James Caldwell—held firm, his voice steady against the rising fear. Caldwell, the firebrand preacher, had bound New Jersey’s militias together with Scripture and gunpowder….and now, his people needed faith as the darkness pressed in further.

A Forgotten Murder— Thunder & the Flames of Revolution

War had already stolen too much from Caldwell. Months earlier, in June 1780, redcoats descended upon Connecticut Farms, seeking blood. When their rage found his wife Hannah Caldwell, they gunned her down in cold calculation—a deliberate strike against the preacher’s fiery rebellion. Her blood soaked the floorboards, as Red Coats rummaged the parsonage home, while her death sent shockwaves through the hearts of New Jersey.

As Hannah’s spirit left the ground, it appeared the heavens answered.

Lightning split the sky. Thunder rolled like cannon fire over Springfield, shaking the ground as if nature itself had taken up the cause of liberty. The storm crashed through the battlefield in a violent crescendo, drowning out the musket volleys. As Hessians and British troops burned homes in fury, Continental and Militia held the line, pushing back the enemy.

The battle had ended—but war had not. Caldwell, standing at the pulpit of defiance, did not mourn in silence. The flames of revolution grew higher, and New Jersey’s underground network—woven through taverns, churches, and supply chains—moved faster than ever before.

Rebellion Ignites Across the Atlantic

The colonies were not alone in their chaos. In June 1780, London itself erupted in madness. The Gordon Riots tore through the streets, as protesters, enraged by oppression, set Newgate Prison ablaze. The fires licked the night sky, threatening the Bank of England, a stronghold of British financial might. The empire, stretched thin, wavered on its foundations. Royalist British Red Coats were lined up and began murdering citizens as London’s Riots got out of hand. A forgotten story of rebels in London the same day Hannah Caldwell’s life was taken.

For the rebels in America, the timing could not have been better. If England burned, King George’s grip loosened. If London’s streets ran red, the revolution thrived. The world was tilting, unpredictable, and—more than ever—anything was possible.

A Year of Reckoning

Darkness. Storms. Murder. Revolution.

The year 1780 was unlike any other. Across New Jersey, farmers became soldiers, priests became war leaders, and nature itself seemed to rise in rebellion. The Hudson stood frozen, cannons rolling across its surface like the battlefield had spilled onto the ice. Towns smoldered under the rage of war, and the Rebels—through suffering, fire, and fear—held on.

Providence had indeed given a sign….and the rebels answered.