The Flag

[Erwinpiano]

    Blessed Fourth of July to you Jon Page.

    Thanks for the poignant reminders of our heritage and that  freedoms
price was paid with the blood and suffering of our relatives.  We need to
pay attention to what OUR government is doing even though it is frustrating
to wade thru the political rhetoric.

     Best
Dale Erwin




----- Original Message -----
From: "Jon Page" <jonpage@mediaone.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 7:56 AM
Subject: Re: The Flag


> The 56 Patriots Who Signed
> The Declaration of Independence
>
> REMEMBERING INDEPENDENCE DAY
>
> 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
> McKeam 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 Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
Walton,
> Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown,
> Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the 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 had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his
> wife, and she 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. 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. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.
> Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and
> sacrifices of the American Revolution.
>
> These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken
men
> of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more.
> Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged:
>
> For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection
of
> the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our
> fortunes, and our sacred honor.
>
> They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books
never
> told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't
fight
> just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our
own
> government!
>
> Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. 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!
>
> ~ Author Unknown ~
>
>