Pray Softly, But Carry a Big Stick
Several ministers were called into active service during the American Revolution. One such minister was the Reverend James Caldwell, a Presbyterian minister who actively fought during the War for Independence. This painting by Henry Alexander Ogden details Caldwell handing out Isacc Watts Hymnals to the colonists so that they could use them for their guns. He was heard saying, "Give them Watts, boys!" as he threw them towards the troops to use against the British.
Another minister that connected religion and the revolution was Brigadier General John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg. Muhlenberg was a Lutheran pastor in and around Philadelphia prior to the Revolution. He became an Anglican minister when he moved to Virginia. Once the fighting broke out, Muhlenberg led key charges, in particular the defining battle of the war at Yorktown in 1781. Muhlenberg continued his military service following the war, and eventually became a senator for Pennsylvania.