Persecution....bring it on!

Has anyone ever checked out where the Salation Army's roots lie? We're reading through this new book that's out called "Be a Hero" by Stephen Court and Wesley Campbell...every Salvo should read it...every Christian should read it for that matter!
Did you know that in the 1890's Salvationists actually had physical opposition to stand against, called the Skeleton Army....the Skeleton Army actually beat up a whole bunch of Salvos during an open air because they didn't want to hear any more about Jesus. (The Skeleton Army was apparently a bunch of hired brutes employed by the local pub-owners who were losing business due to the number of people getting converted in Manchester at the time.) The Salvos never fought back. They never ran away. They stood their ground, and one of them even died in all the hubbub. They praised Jesus in the midst of fists, rocks and other random objects hurling at them. A year later, the head of the gang was saved and praising Jesus down those very streets. Can I get an amen in the house?