“The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave…”

Patrick Henry (1736 to 1799)

A brilliant orator and a major figure of the American Revolution, perhaps best known for his famed peroration, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” which he delivered in 1775.

He was briefly appointed commander of the Virginia forces, but his actions were curbed by the Committee of Safety; in reaction, he resigned on 28 February 1776.

He was independent Virginia’s first governor (serving 1776-79 and 1784-86).