What happened to these 56 men?
Five were
captured by the British, tortured as traitors, and died in captivity.
Twelve had
their homes ransacked and burned to the ground.
Two lost
sons who served as Revolutionary War soldiers; two others had sons captured by
the British.
Nine of the
56 fought, were wounded, and died from their wounds or from deprivations of the
war.
24 of the
signers were lawyers, 11 were successful merchants, nine were prosperous
farmers. Most had homes badly damaged or destroyed, lost family, lost income,
and died exhausted, penniless, and homeless, many in rags.
Francis
Lewis’ wife was jailed by the British and died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside
as she was dying. Their 13 children fled
for their lives, and his fields and gristmill were destroyed. Hart lived in the woods for a year, and when
he could return home he found his children gone without trace and his home
destroyed. He died of grief and ruined
health. Near Yorktown, VA, Thomas Nelson
saw his home taken as headquarters by British General Cornwallis and urged
George Washington to fire on the home.
It was destroyed, and Nelson died penniless. Thomas McKeam served in Congress without pay
and had to constantly move his family to keep them from being arrested. He died in poverty.
On and on…one can follow stories of these men who sacrificed
all for liberty. All 56 men signed our
Declaration of Independence knowing full well the penalty if captured would be
death. These were soft-spoken, well
educated men of means. They pledged
their life, fortune, and sacred honor to gaining freedom and independence for
the United States. They valued liberty
more than security and died for our country to assure we would live free. Do we appreciate their sacrifices and teach
our children and grandchildren the truth about these brave souls without whom
our country would never have been born?
For more information, see http://www.dojgov.net/Liberty_Watch.htm
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