One of the readers of this weekly column forwarded the following message. The information has not been checked or verified but is from a most trustworthy close friend in this area. Please consider the information as ‘traditional’ rather than ‘historical in case of errors in fact. Here is the information received (with edits):
“Following are interesting facts of history, our Fourth of July. Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died.
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 McKean of Delaware 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 Ellery (RI), Hall (GA), Clymer (PA), Walton (GA), Gwinnett (GA), Heyward (SC), Rutledge (SC), and Middleton (SC).
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. (VA), noted that British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson Home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis (NY) had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart (NJ) was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: freedom is never free! We thank these early patriots, as well as those patriots now fighting to KEEP our freedom!”
Are we so dedicated to our liberty and freedom that we will defend those freedoms as enumerated by President FDR on January 6, 1941? (Freedom of Speech, of Worship, From Want, From Fear). It is a certainty that in the event of another Pearl Harbor, the deadly September 11, 2001 attacks or organized terrorist catastrophes, we could and would respond with a vengeance. There are some caveats however in rounding up a formidable force of men and women.
A recent report from the Pentagon estimates that about 71% of the 34 million youths 17 to 24 years of age would not qualify for enlistment in one of the military services. The overwhelming reasons are overweight, lack of a high school diploma, felony convictions and drug use. Many candidates for enlistment have tattoos and other cosmetic features that are unacceptable.
Overall, the British are now our most revered allies. Japan and Germany are important trading partners and living in peace. China and Russia are enigmas. Yet with all these shifts in alliances, there are tyrants in power today who have a thirst for conquest and disdain for neighbors and a disregard for life – of their own citizens as well as the lives of perceived adversaries.
Pray for Peace but Prepare for War. God Bless America.
– Dick Baynton