David Jones died on this day in 1820 at the age of 84. He was an amazing man with an amazing story. His family was Welsh, and he was saved by God’s grace in an American church where that was the spoken language. He attended the first Baptist school in this country, located at Hopewell, New Jersey. He also studied medicine, but that was only to learn how to treat people in need. He was never licensed as a physician, although he did use his skills on the battlefield. He was the first Baptist missionary to the Indians, making two evangelistic journeys into Ohio. In April 1775, he accepted the call to become the pastor of a Baptist church not far from Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He knew George Washington, and when the war began he joined the fight as a chaplain, becoming the first Baptist to hold that office. He was present at many of the most important battles and was so influential over the hearts of men that the English General Howe offered a reward for his capture. Ironically, rather than being captured, he was instrumental in capturing British and Hessian officers and men on more than one occasion. One of his sermons, originally preached to Washington’s troops, was printed and used to stir American passions for liberty from Maine to Georgia. After witnessing the surrender of Cornwallis, Jones retired from a military life, returning to the pastorate, but then he reenlisted and reenlisted again. At the age of seventy-six, he became a chaplain for the Americans in the War of 1812. He may be the only man ever to have served in that office during four American wars: the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), and the Indian Wars of the Northwest Territory (1785-1795) before his final tour of duty which ended in 1815. As I said, David Jones died on this day in 1820.
