Peter Muhlenberg (1746-1807)

“There is a time to pray, and a time to fight!” –Peter Muhlenberg, 1776

Born in Trappe, Pennsylvania Peter Muhlenberg attended the Philadelphia Academy, the predecessor of The University of Pennsylvania.   His father, Henry Muhlenberg, the “Father of American Lutheranism,” determined that Peter should study theology and join the family business as a Lutheran pastor.  Henry sent Peter, age 16, and his two younger brothers to study at Halle, Germany.  But, Peter reportedly preferred hunting and fishing to studying.  Following an altercation, the university prepared to  expel Peter.  Peter responded by enlisting in the British army, signing up with a regiment of dragoons passing through town.

Sources disagree as to whether the army sent him back to North American or a family friend extracted him from his service.  Either way, by 1767 Peter was discharged from the army and back in Pennsylvania.  Sources also differ on whether he was actually ordained as a Lutheran pastor, but agree that served as a pastor at Lutheran churches in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Meanwhile, the community of Woodstock, Virginia searched for a pastor who spoke both German and English.  They called Peter Muhlenberg.  Due to the laws in Virginia at the time, only an Anglican Church could own property.  Therefore, Muhlenberg took a detour to England to seek ordination in the Church of England.   This mission went much more smoothly than his misadventures in Halle.  So, Rev. Peter Muhlenberg accepted the call in Woodstock.  Sone sources consider this a Lutheran congregation due to the concentration of German Lutheran immigrants in the community.  While others consider it a genuine Anglican congregation that simply needed a German speaking pastor.  The actual liturgy Rev. Muhlenberg adhered to remains a mystery.

As the American Revolution kicked off, Rev. Muhlenberg supported the patriot cause.  In 1775, he served in the Committee of Safety in Virginia’s House of Burgesses, a governing body that filled in after the Governor of Virginia left for England.  In January of 1776, the Convention at Williamsburg appointed Rev. Muhlenberg Colonel in the Continental Army and directed him to recruit the Virginia 8th Regiment.   Rev. Muhlenberg returned directly to Woodstock to give his farewell sermon.   The legendary sermon based on Ecclesiastes 3 ended dramatically when he removed his clerical robes to show his military uniform underneath.  Approximately 200 men enlisted in the Virginia 8th under Colonel Muhlenberg.  Not surprisingly, some historians dispute whether this happened strictly as written, but Muhlenberg’s brother Frederick wrote to admonish the blurring of lines between pastor and military commander when news of the event reached the Muhlenberg family.

Through the war, Peter Muhlenberg and his regiment experienced a mix of successes and failures, are rose in rank.  Days after the signing of The Treaty of Paris, Muhlenberg received a promotion from Brigadier General to Major General.  The war now over, Muhlenberg returned to Pennsylvania and embarked on a career in politics.  Elected to the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1784 and then to the office of Vice President of Pennsylvania in 1787, Muhlenberg ultimately represented Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives for several terms.  In 1801, Thomas Jefferson appointed Muhlenberg supervisor of revenue in Pennsylvania and then customs collector for Philadelphia.  He served in that post for five years until his death in 1807.

Sources: