December 31, 1776: Fearing his army will melt away as enlistments are set to expire at year-end, Washington implores his troops to re-enlist: " You have done all I asked you to do, and more than can be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses and all that you hold dear. . . . If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your country, which you probably can never do under any other circumstances."