Untold Stories: John Callendar, the Coward Who Became a Patriot Hero

Captain John Callendar was cashiered from the Revolutionary Army for cowardice—and lived to become a hero of the American cause.

There are so many inspiring, beautiful stories about the great heroes of American history which are scarcely ever told. That is why I am writing an article series to tell a few of these little-known but moving or illustrative “untold stories” of American greatness.

Today’s story is about the importance of second chances, and how one failure should not be allowed to define a man: specifically, the man named John Callendar.

This Independence Day, let us not remember the villains but the heroes—and most especially recall that America is not only a land of liberty, but a land of opportunity: a land where every man has a second chance. We believe that a man is not defined by his past mistakes but by his present achievements, and John Callendar, the coward turned hero who astounded his enemies with his bravery, is the perfect illustration of that truth.