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Twelve
had their homes ransacked and burned. Two
lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons
captured. 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? Twenty-four
were lawyers and jurists. Eleven
were merchants, 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. Carter Braxton
of Virginia, a wealthy planter and 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.
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 poverty was his
reward. Vandals
or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett,
Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At
the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General
Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. Thomas Nelson quietly
urged General George Washington to open fire.
His own home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis
Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Such
were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians.
They were soft-spoken men of means and education.
They had security, but they valued liberty more.
Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged:
“For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the
protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our
lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” They
gave you and me a free and independent America.
The history books never told you a lot of what happened in the
Revolutionary War. We didn’t just
fight the British. We were British
subjects at that time and we fought our own government!
Some of us take these liberties so much for granted…….We shouldn’t. SO TAKE A COUPLE OF MINUTES
TO REMEMBER THEIR SACRIFICE SO WE COULD ALL LIVE IN A FREE COUNTRY! -- Author Unknown We came by this writing by e-mail passed to many on the Internet. If you know who wrote this please let us know. You may copy and pass this on. Some dispute the authenticity of the above recount as discussed in the following 2 Web Sites: http://slate.msn.com/code/chatterbox/chatterbox.asp?Show=7/3/2001&idMessage=7930 Additional Web Sites The
History Channel
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Traditions: Freedom American Culture
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Have
you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of
Independence?