USA > North Carolina > History of North Carolina, V I pt 2 > Part 10
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457
THE IMPRESSION PRODUCED
Colonel Thomas Polk and Dr. Joseph Kennedy were directed to purchase a supply of ammunition.
Those who appeared to take the lead in the proceedings resulting in this action, according to the recollection of James Jack, were Hezekiah Alexander, who generally acted as chairman ; John McKnitt Alexander, as secretary : Abraham Alexander, Adamı Alexander, Major John Davidson, Major William Davidson, Colonel Thomas Polk, Ezekiel Polk, Dr. Ephraim Brevard. Samuel Martin, Duncan Ochletree, William Willson, and Robert Irvin. Others mentioned were Waightstill Avery, William Kennon, William Graham, John Flenniken, James Harris and David Reece.
These Resolutions of the people of Mecklenburg com- pletely overthrowing the colonial government and establish- ing a free and independent government founded on the will of the people. were published on June 16, 1775, at New Bern, in the North Carolina Gasette, and on June 13th in the newspaper at Charleston, and in the Cape Fear Mer- cury, published at Wilmington, probably in its issue of June 23d. Their publication produced a profound impres- sion. The action at Mecklenburg, indeed, stirred the hearts of the patriot leaders and awoke enthusiasm in the breasts of their associates throughout the colony, while they aroused the ire of Governor Martin and caused dismay among the adherents of the Crown.
Wright, the royal governor of Georgia, hastened, June 20th, to transmit a copy of the Charleston paper to England, and Governor Martin forwarded the Cape Fear Mercury, saying : "I daily see indignantly the sacred majesty c R. X. of my royal master insulted. . . . his government set at naught 47. 48 . . . and the whole constitution unhinged and prostrate, and I live, alas! ingloriously only to deplore it. The Resolves of the committee of Mecklenburg, which your Lordship will find in the enclosed newspaper, surpass all the horrid and treasonable publications that the inflammatory spirits of this continent have yet produced. . . . A copy of these Re- solves, I am informed, were sent off by express to the con- gress at Philadelphia as soon as they were passed in the committee." And on June 25th, two days after the publica- tion at Wilmington, and as soon as he could convene the
1175
Statement of Simeson; Resolution
The actors
.
458
THE MECKLENBURG RESOLVES. 1775
1775 - June council at Fort Johnston. he brought to its attention "the late C. R. X, 33 most treasonable publication of a committee in the county of Mecklenburg, explicitly renouncing obedience to his Majesty's government and all lawful authority whatsoever": and on August Sth. in a proclamation, he said : "I have also seen a most infamous publication in the Cape Fear Mercury importing to be resolves of a set of people styling themselves a committee for the county of Mecklenburg most traitor- ously declaring the entire dissolution of the laws. govern- C. R., X, 144 ment. and constitution of this country, and setting up a sys- tem of rule and regulation repugnant to the laws and sub- versive of his Majesty's government."
The Mecklenburg committee, conscious of the important advance they had made, determined to send a messenger post haste with their resolutions to the congress at Philadelphia. James Jack, young and vigorous, and a determined patriot. undertook the task. At Salisbury, on Thursday, June Ist, Colonel Alexander Martin, who had been appointed by Gov- ernor Martin a judge under the temporary act creating courts of over and terminer, opened a term of his court .* Colonel Martin was a deputy from Guilford to the second provincial convention, which had recently adjourned, was an earnest patriot, and, together with the other delegates, had signed the association of the Continental Congress. On the same day the Committee of Safety of Rowan also met at Salisbury. Rowan differed from Mecklenburg. as a much larger proportion of its inhabitants had been Regulators and were bound by the oath imposed by Governor Tryon, and the Rowan committee sought by moderate resolutions to
C. R., X, I-II
*The charge of Judge Alexander Martin at this term of the court has been preserved (the South Carolina Gazette and Country Jour- nal of July II, 1775). In it he extolled the right of trial by jury. "which our glorious ancestors waded through seas of blood to obtain. and compelled even majesty to ratify by that sacred paladium of British liberties. the Grand Charter. This, with other peculiar rights and privileges. the sovereigns of Britain through a long series of ages have plighted their faith by a most solemn oath to maintain ; and for this kingly protection the subject has bound himself by as solemn a tie to hold allegiance and obedience to them so long as they shall continue to hold forth, secure and defend these choice. incalculable blessings to their people ; this is that great. that recipro- cal union between the king and the people." The judge inveighed against popish recusants. "Let me dismiss you, then. gentlemen.' he said. "with this serious injunction : to support and defend. as far
459
RECEPTION OF THE RESOLVES
!duce the co-operation of those not inclined to adhere to the cause of the colonies. The committee, not yet having infor- mation of any proceedings at Charlotte, wrote an elaborate address to the committee of Mecklenburg requesting an ac- count of their proceedings, promising a like return on their part, and beseeching them by the ties of their common Prot- estant religion to exert themselves for the maintenance of their chartered rights. But before the court had ended, and it adjourned on Tuesday, June 6th, Captain Jack reached Salisbury on his way to Philadelphia. At the request of the court, he handed a copy of the Resolutions to Colonel Kennon, and they were read aloud in open court. That evening Major William Davidson and Waightstill Avery called at the lodgings of Captain Jack and informed him that they had heard of but one person, Mr. Beard, a prominent attorney and a cautious man, who did not approve of them. Captain Jack proceeded to Philadelphia and delivered the Resolutions to Caswell and Hooper, North Carolina delegates in congress.
On the publication of the Resolves at New Bern. Richard Cogdell, the chairman of the Committee of Safety, for- warded the newspaper to Caswell, at Philadelphia, saving : Letters at "You will observe the Mecklenburg Resolves exceed all other Hayes committees or the congress itself." AAbout a week later, on June 27th. Samuel Johnston, on whom rested the mantle of the lamented Harvey, wrote to Joseph Hewes, at Philadel- phia : "Tom Polk. too, is raising a very pretty spirit in the back country (see the newspapers). He has gone a little farther than I would choose to have gone, but perhaps no farther than necessary." That it was generally understood that these Resolves constituted a declaration of independence, while establishing a new government, is evident from the records of the Moravian Church at Bethania of events occurring during the year 1775. "I cannot but remark at as in you lies, the constitution and the laws of your country. the inst prerogatives of the Crown and the declared rights of the people. This is liberty, this is loyalty : do you thus, loyal gentlemen. and you will be free." The address. while asserting loyalty, touched on those points that were particularly a cause of excitement among the Pres- byterians of the west, and gave prominence to the idea of a reciprocal union between the king and the people. which if broken on one side. freed the other from allegiance.
1773
June Ist, C. R., X, II
Captain Jack's statement
460
THE MECKLENBURG RESOLU'ES, 1775
1775 - Moravian annalist
the end of the 1775th year," wrote the annalist, "during the summer of this year, that in the month of May or June the county of Mecklenburg, in North Carolina, declared itseli free and independent of England, and made such arrange- ments for the administration of justice, which proceeding the Continental Congress at this time considered premature : afterward. however, the Continental Congress later extended same over the whole country.'
The Mecklenburg Resolves carried to Philadelphia were not officially brought to the attention of congress, and no ref- erence was made to them in the proceedings of that body. t The congress was not prepared for the step taken. As yet the government of king and Parliament was recognized as lawfully subsisting, and congress, the provincial assemblies and conventions were still protesting in solemn form in- swerving allegiance, as faithful subjects, to their king and country.
In England
The avowed purpose was still complete reconciliation ; and this was not yet a forlorn hope, for America was not without friends in England. As congress saw it on one side stood the deceived monarch, his irate "ministers of state. the profligate part of the nobility, and the corrupt majority of the House of Commons ; these drag an army to blow up the blaze of civil war." On the other. a prince of the blood, the most illustrious among the nobility, the most eloquent and virtuous commoners, the city of London and the body of the English nation-these being the affectionate friends of America and of liberty. Distinguished officers retired from the army rather than lift a hand to crush liberty in America, saying the result must needs be the destruction
C. R., X. 57
*Translation from the diary of Bethany Church, written in German, furnished the author by Rev. J. H. Clewell. principal of Salem Female Academy. The statement made, that the Continental Con- gerss extended same over the whole country, must have reference to the establishment of local government by committees independent of the Crown, unless the annalist wrote after 1776. Miss Fries, of Salem, who has investigated the subject. asserts that he wrote in 1782.
#Although the newspapers at Philadelphia were strongly for the Whigs, they did not reproduce the Mecklenburg resolves from the Carolina newspapers, while other papers at the north did. This leads to the belief that Congress sought their suppression as being out of harmony with its purposes. ( Hoyt's "The Mecklenburg Declara- tion," 80.)
MECKLENBURG AHEAD OF THE TIMES
461
of liberty in Britain and the establishment of tyranny and despotism on the ruins of the British constitution. The mayor and aldermen of London presented a remonstrance June to the king, expressing their abhorrence of the measures being pursued to the oppression of their fellow-subjects in America : but his Majesty rolled under his tongue the word "rebellion" -- for the Parliament had declared that the col- onies were in a state of rebellion-and the royal purpose was to crush them into submission.
Yet congress still hoped by the aid of friends in England to secure a restoration of former conditions with a recog- nition of the traditional rights of the American colonies. On July 8th, after a dutiful address to his Majesty, reassert- ing their allegiance. congress issued an address to the inhab- itants of Great Britain : "We are accused of aiming at inde- C. R., X, pendence. . . . Give us leave most solemnly to assure you 75-83 that we have not yet lost sight of the object we have ever had in view-a reconciliation with you on constitutional principles. . . . We have . . . again presented an humble and dutiful petition to our sovereign, and, to remove every imputation of obstinacy, have requested his Majesty to direct some mode by which the united applications of his faithful colonists may be improved into a happy and permanent reconciliation."
The voice of Mecklenburg was thus out of harmony with the solemn declarations of congress, and no notice was taken of that first advance into the realm of independence-the annulling of the old constitution and of colonial laws and the ordaining of an independent government by the people themselves as the only source of power and sovereignty.
But while congress hoped for peace, it was to be on terms Apprehen- satisfactory to America. To wring concessions from the sions imperious ministry, a bold and defiant front was necessary.
The North Carolina delegates in congress, fearing that the people at home were too supine, on June 19th united C. R., X, 20 in a stirring address, which they sent to the committees of all the counties : "We conjure you by the ties of religion, virtue, and love of country to follow the example of your sister colonies and form yourselves into a militia. The elec- tion of the officers . . . must depend on yourselves. Study
1775
Reconcilia- tion hoped for, July 8th
-
162
THE MECKLENBURG RESOLVES. 1775
1775
the art of military with the utmost attention : view it a- a science upon which your future security depends."
June A continen- tal army formed
Daily it became more and more evident that the contest was to be decided on the battlefield. The men in arms at Boston were local minute men, drawn together from the adjoining provinces, commanded by their local officers. On June 15th congress made a great step forward, and adopted that army and placed it on a continental footing. Washing- ton was chosen commander-in-chief. On the 20th he re- ceived his commission, and the next day he departed from Philadelphia for the seat of war. But while all eyes were centred on Boston, congress, in view of Governor Martin's activity, became apprehensive for the safety of North Caro- lina, and, like the delegates, urged the people to embody as militia under proper officers : and on June 26th it resolved that if the provincial convention should think it necessary, it might raise a thousand men in North Carolina. and con- gress would consider that force a part of the American army, and take it into the pay of the continent.
Thomas Jefferson
On June 21, 1775, while Captain Jack was still lingering at Philadelphia, after presenting the Mecklenburg Resolves declaring independence and establishing an independent gov- ernment for that community, Thomas Jefferson, a newly appointed delegate from Virginia, arrived and for the first time took his seat in the Continental Congress. He had just achieved fame as the author of the Virginia resolutions rejecting the conciliatory proposition of Lord North. The ink was hardly dry with which he had penned his earnest appeal "to the even-handed justice of that Being who doth no wrong, that we may again see reunited the blessings of liberty and prosperity and the most permanent harmony with Great Britain." Like John Adams, Hancock, and all the other members of the congress, Jefferson was expecting to remain a British subject, and desired the "most permanent harmony with Great Britain"; and if he then heard of the Mecklenburg Resolves, if he then knew of the mission of Captain Jack to the congress, his thoughts were so far out of harmony with the proceedings at Mecklenburg that he
463
OFERTURES TO THE REGULATORS
1775
dismissed them from his mind and forgot them : he and his associates were not yet in favor of such revolutionary action .*
The Regulators
Toward the end of June Caswell set off from Philadelphia to attend the convention, which was to convene on July 12th. After his departure congress received copies of General Gage's letter to Governor Martin, promising to send for- ward ammunition, and of Governor Martin's letter asking for a king's standard. and Hooper and Hewes becaine still more alarmed because of the situation in North Carolina. The reliance of Governor Martin was not only on the co- operation of the Highlanders, but on expected aid from the Regulators in the interior. From Dan River to the South Carolina line, from the forks of the Yadkin to the Haw and the Deep, there were thousands of inhabitants who had never been pardoned and who still called themselves "an unhappy people," subject to the penalties of their former insurrection. It seemed necessary to remove their grounds of apprehen- sion-to place before them considerations why they should assist in maintaining the rights of the people as British sub- jects, and to assure them that the movement was not a rebel- lion with the object of seeking independence. To accomplish this purpose. Hooper and Hewes enlisted the aid of the Pres- byterian ministers at Philadelphia and also of the German Lutherans and Calvinists. The Presbyterian ministers joined in an address to the Presbyterian congregations in North Carolina, declaring that "there was no desire to sep- arate from the parent state. Believe no man that dares to say that we desire to be independent of our mother country."
*In the correspondence of Adams and Jefferson in 1819 referring to the Mecklenburg declaration both say in substance: "Would not every advocate of independence have rung the glories of Mecklen- burg in North Carolina in the ears of the doubting Dickensons who hung so heavily on us?" They evidently had in mind a subsequent period-when they themselves were advocating independence; not the summer of 1775. when they were still seeking reconciliation with the mother country. The Mecklenburg Resolves appear to have been suppressed in Philadelphia, not being admitted to publication there. while published in whole or in part by papers at other points at the north.
C. R., IX, 1161, 1226
C. R., X, 86, 227 July, 1775
4.5
THE MECKLENBURG RESOLU'ES. 1775
1775
August
At the west
The advices from Philadelphia and the efforts made to reconcile the (lisaffected element in the interior of the prov- ince and to bring them to a support of the common cause were calculated to arrest for a time the influences that attended the action at Charlotte. The pendulum swung back- ward .* Allegiance was not disavowed. although the people prepared for war. Court proceedings continued to be held in the name of the king, and notwithstanding on August Ist the Rowan committee resolved "that one thousand volun- teers be immediately embodied in this county, elect their staff officers and be ready at the shortest notice to march out to action," and an earnest address was issued calling on the people to "rouse like one man in defence of our religion from popery, our liberty from slavery. and our lives from tormenting death." yet on the same day the inferior court of Rowan County met and "his majesty's commission of the peace was publicly read," and John Oliphant. W. T. Coles, and William McBride, Esqs .; took the oaths pre- scribed by law. and proceeded to business: and Waight- still Avery, Esq .. was appointed attorney for the Crown in the absence of John Dunn, Esq .. deputy attorney. Farther to the west, however, the profession of loyalty was condi- tional. The committee of Tryon County, at its meeting on August 14th, adopted an association, which was also to be signed by the other inhabitants of that county, "uniting under the most sacred ties of religion, honor, and love of country, and engaging to take up arms and risk our lives and fortunes in maintaining the freedom of our country," and arranged to obtain powder and ball for the companies of that county; but resolving unanimously "that we will continue to profess all loyalty and attachment to our sov- ereign lord, King George III, his crown and dignity, so
C. R., X, :34, 135, 139
C. R., X, 163
*In Mecklenburg the inferior court of pleas and quarter sessions continued to be held by the magistrates theretofore appointed by Governor Martin, meeting on the third Tuesday in July, 1775. and the third Tuesday in October, and so on quarterly. the record show- ing as "present the Worshipful Robert Harris. Abraham Alexander. Robert Irwin. Esgrs .. " the proceedings continuing regularly from April. 1775. till July, 1776, without interruption. On one occasion. however, an acting magistrate was taken from the Bench and sent to prison by order of the chairman of the committee .- Simeson's Statement.
465
ITHIG AND TORY IN ANSON
long as he secures to us those rights and liberties which 1775
the principles of our constitution require."
July
Elsewhere the action was not different-protesting loyalty, but getting ready a supply of powder and ball. On July Ist the committee of Pitt County resolved that. "We will pay Pitt County all due allegiance to his Majesty, King George III; . . . at the same time, we are determined to assert our rights. .. and that, under God, the preservation of them depends on a C. R., X, 61 firm union of the inhabitants and a sturdy, spirited observa- tion of the resolutions of the general congress." "We do hereby agree and associate under all ties of religion, honor, and regard for posterity." And the captains of the differ- ent companies were directed to call their men together to choose officers.
The clashing in Anson
In Anson, where there had been many Regulators, Colonel James Cotton, the lieutenant-colonel of the county, remained loyal to the government, and the people were much divided. Under his influence the Loyalists signed a protest against the proceedings of the Continental Congress. but the Com- mittee of Safety and their friends were zealous. On May 25th they began to seize some of the leading men among the disaffected, confining them as prisoners and en- deavoring to persuade them to abandon their allegiance. Early in June Colonel Spencer was urging the people to sign the association, saying that the king had broken his corona- tion oath, and the people were absolved by his example. On the second Tuesday of July about thirty of the committee met at the court-house and elected Colonel Spencer captain- general, and Thomas Wade and David Love and others were chosen captains of their companies. Both sides were active, Colonel Cotton ordering out the militia companies under the officers who remained loyal, and maintaining communication with Governor Martin, and, on July 7th, sending him a peti- tion signed by many of the inhabitants ; while, on the other hand, there were great meetings of the people who stood by the Continental Congress, and large numbers enlisted on the side of liberty.
In Surry County the committee, as a prelude to their pro-
Anson County
C. R .. X, 125-128
C. R., X, 228
466
THE MECKLENBURG RESOLVES, 1775
1775
ceedings, indited the legend on their record-book, "Liberty or death. God save the king!"
June On the Cape Fear After the arrival of Governor Martin at Fort Johnston, that point became still more of a storm centre. The situation rapidly developed excitement and resolution. Captain Col lett. in command of the fort, was inciting negroes to leave their masters and take refuge within his lines. He seized corn and other supplies. and. inflamed by his conduct, the C. R., X, 16 people began to subscribe association papers, preparing for action. On June 16th the governor issued his procla- mation, warning every one that by such conduct they would expose themselves not only to the forfeiture of their lands and properties, but to the loss of life and everything they C. R., X, 25. 26 held dear and valuable. Three days after this proclamation, on June 19th, the inhabitants of New Hanover, by an asso- The Asso- ciation ciation paper, "united themselves under every tie of religion and honor to go forth and be ready to sacrifice their lives and fortunes to secure the freedom and safety of their country."
And the next day, June 20th, committeemen of Duplin. Onslow, Bladen, Brunswick, and New Hanover assembled C. R., X, 26 in general meeting. They adopted the New Hanover association, which they directed to be printed. with a recommendation to the inhabitants of the district to sign it as speedily as possible. It was signed in Cumberland C. R., X, 29 by Robert Rowan and his associates, and doubtless by the other patriots of the district. A committee com- posed of Howe, Maclaine, and Sam Ashe was appointed to answer the governor's proclamation. In the answer they declared that the resolution respecting America introduced by Lord North favoring North Carolina and New York. which Governor Martin had commended, added insult to the injury it intended : that by it it was hoped to divide the colonies, and, by breaking one link in their chain of union, render their subjugation more easy; that it was a base, flagitious, wicked attempt to entrap America into slavery. which ought to be rejected with the contempt it deserved : an l it was a duty that the people owed to themselves, their country, and posterity by every effort, and at every risk. to maintain, support, and defend their liberties against any invasion or encroachment whatsoever. On the 25th Gov-
C. R , X, 24-26
467
MOVEMENTS OF GOVERNOR MIRTIN
ernor Martin brought these matters to the attention of the council, and it was agreed to strengthen the fort, and also to prorogue the Assembly. that had been called to meet on C. R., X. July 12th, until September. 38-40
In May he had informed the king that fourteen hundred or fifteen hundred persons in the interior had signed dec- larations in favor of the government, and now he wrote that C. R., IX. 1256; X, 45,46 he could collect among the Highlanders three thousand effective men, and still more in the interior counties, where, he declared, "the people are in general well affected and much attached to me-at least two-thirds of the fighting men of the whole country, which may be computed, accord- ing to my best information, to exceed thirty thousand." With such views, he projected, after being furnished with ten thousand stands of arms by General Gage, raising the king's standard and forming an army for the subjugation of the province. He recommended Allan McDonald, the hus- band of Flora, for an appointment, and Alexander McLeod, C. R., X, 46, 47 of the marines, and Lieutenant Alexander McLean, also a half-pay officer, and other influential Highlanders for ap- pointments. For himself he begged the restoration of the rank he held in the army in 1760, asking permission to command a regiment of Highlanders. Expecting to take c. R., IX. the field, he again wrote for a king's standard and also for a 1174 tent and camp equipage for his own use. His hope of a military commission was, however, disappointed, for the king had arranged differently. Determined to follow the governor's recommendation to embody a force of High- landers, the king directed that they should be under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander McLean; but about the middle of July General McDonald and Major McLeod, bearing secret commissions. arrived at Ocracoke from New York and proceeded to New Bern. Johnston, learning of their arrival, instructed the committee at New C. R., X, 117 Bern to secure them, but they took an oath satisfactory to the inhabitants and were allowed to proceed to the interior.
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