Beyond 1776: Prisoners of War

Published On: Sat, Jul 3rd, 2010

State of the Nation by Brandon Jones | By State of the Nation

Most Americans know of John Hancock and signers of the Declaration of Independence such as Alexander Hamilton or Thomas Jefferson. But July 4th, 1776 was just the beginning and the sacrifices of our founders has been editted away from our textbooks.

So I wanted to honor some of the enigmatic signers and their stories.

George Walton

George Walton

This Georgia Represenative was commissioned a Colonel of the First Regiment of the Georgia Militia fighting in the Battle of Savannah where he was injured and taken prisoner. He gained his freedom in 1779 through a prisoner exchange and was soon after elected Governor of Georgia, an office he held for only two months. His brief term as governor was a disaster as he willingly signed land grants above the legal limit for friends, government employees, and acquaintances.

Walton’s political legacy was mired in conflict (the death of a politcal rival, Button Gwinnett, in a duel) which led to his censure in 1778. He was appointed Georgia’s Chief Justice and later served as superior court judge.

Thomas Heyward Jr

Thomas Heyward Jr

Heyward’s wealthy family yielded a silver spoon lifestyle but Heyward returned to South Carolina in 1771 to fight for independence. In the spring of 1780, the city of Charleston was besieged by General Clinton and upon the surrender of the city, Heyward was taken prisoner and sent with Edward Rutledge, Richard Hutson and other patriots to St. Augustine, Florida, where he was imprisoned for a year.

Heyward’s plantation was ransacked and his wife died while he was imprisoned.

Edward Rutledge

The aforementioned Rutledge was a prisoner of war sent to St. Augustine where he stayed for a year and then returned to state politics in South Carolina. It’s fair to call Rutledge a racist as he worked to have African Americans expelled from the Continental Army, led the successful effort to have wording removed from the Declaration of Independence that condemned slavery and the slave trade. He was the youngest to sign the Declaration at age 26.

Arthur Middleton

This signer of the Declaration of Independence was also from South Carolina. He and William Henry Drayton designed the Great Seal of South Carolina but died at the age of 44 in 1787.

Now in the beginning I said I was going to “honor” these men and yet on the surface they hardly seem worthy. On the surface that is true. These were men who would not vote for Independence and stood fast against the resolution…at first, but they conceded.

Later, these same men endured the horrific treatment of prisoners of war for the foundation of this country. Prisons were deplorable and for a year they survived horrific conditions and possibly torture.

We don’t think of our founders as POWs but some were. Some lost their families, their fortunes, their reputations and for what…the founding and security of America.

There is also a movement to denounce the religious foundation of America yet some quotes and comment leave little question of their faith.

There is a rising generation in this country who do not know God because of a general decay of religion. – Arthur Middleton

I always considered an idle Life, as a real evil, but, a life of such hurry, such constant hurry, leaves us scarcely a moment for reflection or for the discharge of any other then the most immediate and pressing concerns. – Edward Rutledge

The world ‘s a theatre, the earth a stage, Which God and Nature do with actors fill. – Thomas Heyward Jr

Be mild and firm. Apply your best exertions to put us in a proper posture of defense. – Edward Rutledge

As priests uphold their people in prayer, so their people are to uphold them with prayer and love, for he cannot work without his people. – Arthur Middleton

I find that I can agree fully with my good friend Patrick Henry when he said it cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians,.. not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. – Edward Rutledge

The priest is Christ’s slave, and Christ himself took the form of a slave and became obedient to death. So the priest in serving human needs lives a Godward life, possessed by God and witnessing that only when lives are utterly possessed by God do they find their true freedom. – Arthur Middleton