Sarah was sitting next to Charlotte in the assembly room. Gabriel and Thomas were also sitting with them. The heat was overwhelming and the room was crowded. The doors were left open for people to listen from outside of the building.
"Virginia and Massachusetts may be at war, but South Carolina is not."
"This is not a war for the independence of one or two colonies, but for the independence of one nation," Colonel Burwell replied.
"And what nation is that," James rose up his seat.
"An American nation!" Sarah recognized Mr Howard, when he rose from his seat.
"There is no such nation and to speak of one is treason," James replied.
"We are citizens of an American nation. And our rights are being threatened by a tyrant 3000 miles away," an uncompromising Mr Howard said.
"Would you tell me, please, Mr Howard, why should I trade one tyrant 3000 miles away for 3000 tyrants one mile away? An elected legislature can trample a man's right as easily as a king can," Martin replied.
"Captain Martin, I understood you to be a patriot," Burwell said.
"If you mean by patriot am I angry about taxation without representation? Well, yes I am. Should the American colonies govern themselves independently? I believe they can. And they should. But if you're asking am I willing to go to war with England, then the answer is most definitely no," Martin concluded.
"This from the same Captain Martin whose fury was so famous during the Wildness campaign?" Mr Middleton questioned.
"I was intemperate in my youth," Martin tried to defend himself.
"Temperance can be a disguise for fear," Middleton said.
"Mr Middleton, I fought with Captain Martin under Washington in the French and Indian War. There's not a man in this room or anywhere for that matter, to whom I could more willingly trust my life."
"There are alternatives to war. We take our case before the king. We plead with him."
"Yes we tried that."
"Well then we try again and again if necessary to avoid a war."
"Benjamin, I was at Bunker Hill. The British advanced three times. We killed over 700 at point-blank range and still they took the ground. That is the measure of their resolve. If your principles dictate independence, then war is the only way. It has come to that."
"I have 7 children. My wife is dead. Who is to take care of them if I go to war?"
"Wars are not fought only by childless men."
"Granted. But mark my words. This war will be fought, not on the frontier, or on some distant battlefield, but amongst us, amongst our homes. Our children will learn of it with their own eyes. And the innocent will die with the rest of us. I will not fight. And because I will not fight, I will not cast a vote that will send others to fight in my stead."
Sarah joined her husband outside in the stairs. They were anxiously waiting for the result of the vote.
"28 to 12. The levy passes!"
James took Sarah's arm and they hurried back home. Now the town was in favor of the continental and this rebellion, life would not be easy for the very loyalists Wilkins'.