John Gano & George Washington

This painting is of John Gano baptizing George Washington after the Revolutionary war. This picture became popular in the late 19th century but I was unable to verify its truth. If someone can verify, either way, I would appreciate it.

According to oral tradition at Jersey Baptist Church, John Gano did baptize George Washington, probably in the Roanoke River. It seems this report comes directly from John Gano's son.

When the American colonies declared their independence in 1776, Baptists were still a relatively small religious minority. There were approximately 497 Baptist churches scattered throughout the thirteen colonies, with nearly 10,000 members. Yet the powerful revival sparked by the Baptists during the Great Awakening had only begun to reshape the religious landscape. Over the next several decades, Baptist churches would grow faster than any other Protestant denomination in America.

But where did Baptists stand when the colonies took up arms against Great Britain?

The historical record is remarkably clear.

William Cathcart, pastor of Philadelphia’s Second Baptist Church and editor of the monumental The Baptist Encyclopedia (1881), observed that among the many American ministers who remained loyal to the British Crown, only one Baptist preacher openly sided with the Toriesm… besides that lone exception, Baptists overwhelmingly supported the cause of American independence.

Their commitment was rooted in more than political philosophy. For decades Baptists had endured persecution, imprisonment, fines, and harassment because they refused to conform to state-supported churches. In colonies such as Virginia and North Carolina, Baptist preachers had been jailed simply for preaching without government approval. They understood firsthand that civil liberty and religious liberty were closely connected.

Many Baptist ministers did more than preach patriotic sermons, they entered the ranks of the Continental Army as chaplains. Among the best known were John Gano, David Jones, Hezekiah Smith, William McClanahan, and Thomas B. Montayne. George Washington himself reportedly remarked that “Baptist chaplains were among the most prominent and useful in the army.”

John Gano deserves special mention. A native of New Jersey, Gano became one of the most influential Baptist pastors in colonial America and served as a brigade chaplain throughout much of the Revolutionary War. He preached to soldiers before battles, ministered to the wounded, and encouraged weary troops during some of the darkest days of the conflict.

Before the Revolution, Gano had traveled extensively through the South, helping strengthen the rapidly growing Baptist movement. In 1756 he visited North Carolina, preaching and assisting churches that were still in their infancy. (Especially in the Jersey settlement, the region North of what is Salisbury now.) His ministry encouraged Baptist leaders who would later establish strong churches throughout North Carolina.

Through his friendship with Baptist pioneers such as Shubal Stearns and Daniel Marshall, Gano helped reinforce the revival that spread from North Carolina into South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. His influence left a lasting imprint on the development of North Carolina Baptists and the broader Baptist movement.

We should remember that Baptist commitment to American liberty was not confined to the colonies.

Across the Atlantic, many English Baptists also sympathized with the American cause. In 1784, John Rippon (pastor of the London church that would later be served by Charles Haddon Spurgeon) wrote to James Manning, president of Rhode Island College (now Brown University):

“I believe all our Baptist ministers in town, except one, and most of our brethren in the country, were on the side of the Americans in the late dispute…. We wept when the thirsty plains drank the blood of your departed heroes, and the shout of a King was amongst us when your well-fought battles were crowned with victory; and to this hour we believe that the independence of America will, for a while, secure the liberty of this country; but if that continent had been reduced, Britain would not have been long free.”

His words reveal that Baptists on both sides of the Atlantic viewed the American struggle not merely as a political conflict but as a contest over liberty itself.

History consistently shows that wherever Baptists have taken root, they have been among the strongest advocates for religious freedom, not because they desired political power, but because they believed everyone should be free to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience.

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, we should thank God for the freedoms secured by those who came before us. Yet our greatest responsibility is not merely to preserve political liberty but to proclaim spiritual liberty.

The freedom to gather for worship is a precious gift. But an even greater freedom is found only in Jesus Christ.