Mountaineerfan's Blog

.....because forgetting,downplaying and even underscoring what they did seems to be all the rage these days.

Ever wondered what happened to the 56 brave-men that signed our Declaration of Independence?

A.) Five Signers were captured by the British as traitors, -and tortured to their death.
B.) Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
C.) Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; -another saw two sons captured.
D.) Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?

E.) Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
F.) Eleven were merchants,
G.) Nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
H.) Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter/trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
I.) Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and utter-poverty was his reward.
J.) Vandals or soldiers Looted the properties of- Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the Battle Of Yorktown,
K.) Thos. Nelson Jr., noted that the British General-Cornwallis had taken over the beloved Nelson home for his headquarters, yet he quietly urged Gen. Geo. Washington to open fire; --the home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
L.) Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed; -and the enemy jailed his wife who died within a few months.
M.) John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying; their 13-children fled for their lives; his fields & gristmill were laid to waste; - for more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and children vanished.

We must not take the signers Constitutional liberties for granted; --indeed, give a few minutes thought while enjoying the 4th of July holiday, silently thanking these patriots.

Remember:Freedom does not come for Free....!"