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CHAPTER I
FOLLOWING THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON, G-EOEGIA'S FIRST SECESSION CON
VENTION MEETS IN SAVANNAH, JULY 4, 1775—ARCHIBALD BULLOCH IN
THE CHAIB—GEORGE WALTON AT THE SECRETARY'S DESK—DELEGATES
CHOSEN TO CONTINENTAL CONGRESS—TONDEE'S TAVERN—EVENTS
NARRATED IN THE LAST CHAPTER AGAIN EECITED BY WAY OF RECAFIT-
ULATION—JONATHAN BRYAN—NOBLE WYMBERLEY JONES—THE COM
MITTEE OF SAFETY—CONSERVATISM MARKS THE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS
OF JULY 27, 1774—BUT THE ADJOURNED MEETING ON AUGUST IOTH
ELECTS DELEGATES TO THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS—DUE TO A
MINORITY REPRESENTATION OF THE PARISHES, THESE Do NOT REPAIR
TO PHILADELPHIA, BUT ADDRESS A LETTER TO JOHN HANCOCK—DR.
LYMAN HALL Is SENT BY THE SINGLE PARISH OF ST. JOHN TO THE CON
TINENTAL CONGRESS—THIS PARISH AFTERWARDS ORGANIZED INTO THE
COUNTY OF LIBERTY—ON MAY 11, 1775, WHEN NEWS OF THE BATTLE
OF LEXINGTON REACHES SAVANNAH, A RAID Is MADE ON THE POWDER
MAGAZINE—SOME OF THIS POWDER USED AT THE BATTLE OF BUNKER
HILL—AT THIS CRISIS, GEORGIA'S FIRST SECESSION CONVENTION
MEETS AS ABOVE INDICATED—ALL THE PARISHES REPRESENTED—
DELEGATES CHOSEN TO THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS—THE EXECUTIVE
COUNCIL IN CONTROL—OLIVER BOWEN AND JOSEPH HABERSHAM PUT
IN COMMAND OF THE FIRST NAVAL VESSEL COMMISSIONED IN THE REVO
LUTION—CAPTURE 9,000 POUNDS OF POWDER—THE FIRST PRIZE OF
WAR—GEORGIA EQUIPS A BATALLION WITH LACHLAN MC!NTOSH AS
COLONEL—THE ARREST OF GOVERNOR WRIGHT—How THE DECLARA
TION OF INDEPENDENCE WAS RECEIVED IN GEORGIA—DEATH OF ARCHI
BALD BULLOCH—WHILE PRESIDENT OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HE
BECOMES THE FIRST DE FACTO HEAD OF THE NEW STATE—READS THE
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE TO THE ASSEMBLED POPULACE IN
SAVANNAH,
NOTES: GEORGIA'S FIRST SECESSION CONVENTION—GUNPOWDER FOR
BUNKER HILL—GEORGIA COMMISSIONS THE FIRST WARSHIP—THE
FIRST CAPTURE OF THE REVOLUTION—TONDEE 's TAVERN.
Soon after the news of the battle of Lexington, traveling by slow
stages, reached the lower spurs of the Appalachian chain of mountains
and spread toward the Southeast, Georgia's first secession convention
was held at Tondee's Tavern, in Savannah, on July 4, 1775, exactly one
year to the hour before the Declaration of Independence was signed at
Philadelphia.
Archibald Bulloch was called to th