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 lay 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 the 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. Remember: freedom is never

free!

A special

salute to the veterans.

William

H. Cooper, Jr.

Peachtree

City