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and a fair canon of general criticism, that every expression should be construed secundum subjectam materiam. Where the first at- tack was made, there must have been of course, the first act of resistance, and that was in Massachusetts. Our first overt act of war, was Mr. Henry’s embodying a force of militia from several counties, regularly armed and organised, marching them in military array, and making reprisal on the King’s treasury at the seat of government, for the public powder taken away by his Governor. This was on the last days of April, 1775. Your formal battle of Lexington, was ten or twelve days before that, and greatly over- shadowed in importance, as it preceded in time, our little affray, which merely amounted to a levying of arms against the King ; and very possibly, you had had military affrays before the regular battle of Lexington.
These explanations will, I hope, assure you, Sir, that so far as either facts or opinions have been truly quoted from me, they have never been meant to intercept the just fame of Massachusetts, for the promptitude and perseverance of her early resistance. We willingly cede to her the laud of having been (although not exclu- sively) ‘the cradle of sound principles,’ and, if some of us believe she has deflected from them in her course, we retain full confi- dence in her ultimate return to them.
I will now proceed to your quotation from Mr. Galloway’s state- ment of what passed in Congress, on their Declaration of Inde- pendence ; in which statement there is not one word of truth, and ‘where bearing some resemblance to truth, it is an entire perversion of it. Ido not charge this on Mr. Galloway himself; his deser- tion having taken place long before these measures, he doubtless received his information from some of the loyal friends whom he left behind him. But as yourself, as well as others, appear em- barrassed by inconsistent accounts of the proceedings on that me- morable occasion, and as those who have endeavored to restore the truth, have themselves committed some errors, I will give you some extracts froma written document on that subject; for the truth of which, I pledge myself to heaven and earth; having, while the question of Independence was under consideration before Con- gress, taken written notes, in my seat, of what was passing, and reduced them to form on the final conclusion. I have now before me that paper, from which the following are extracts. ‘ Fri- day, June 7th, 1776. The delegates from Virginia moved, in obedience to instructions from their constituents, that the Con- gress should declare that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political con-
