the second Continental Congress, and an earnest champion
of independence. Six years before, he had emigrated from England,
purchased a large tract of land, and devoted himself to agricultural
pursuits. Less is known of him, probably, than of any of the
signers of the Declaration.

In 1777, he became involved in a bitter personal quarrel with
General McIntosh, an officer of the Revolution. Deeply offended
at his conduct, Gwinett challenged him to mortal combat. They
fought with pistols at a distance of twelve feet, and Gwinett
was killed. He is buried at Augusta, Georgia, with his two colleagues
in the Continental Congress.

It is now an almost forgotten fact that, but for the wise counsel of
his superior officer, Nathaniel Greene, next to Washington the
ablest of the American generals, would have been a party to a duel
at a time when his services were so greatly in demand. Soon after
his transfer to the southern army, Greene was challenged by a
captain of his command. Fearing that a declination upon his
part would be misunderstood by his brother officers, Greene
wrote General Washington a full account of the transaction,
concluding: "If I thought my honor or reputation would suffer
in the opinion of the world, and more especially with the military
gentlemen, I value life too little to hesitate a moment to
accept the challenge." The answer of one of the wisest of men
possibly saved to our little army one whose loss would have been
disastrous to his country at that critical moment. Said Washington:

"I give it as my decided opinion, that your honor and reputation
will stand not only perfectly acquitted for the non-acceptance
of his challenge, but that your prudence and judgment would have
been condemned by accepting it; because if a commanding officer is
amenable to private calls for the discharge of his public duty, he
has a dagger always at his heart, and can turn neither to the right
nor to the left without meeting its point."

The timely words of Washington had the desired effect, and very
probably saved General Greene to a brilliant career of usefulness and
glory.

One of the most interesting incidents of our Revolutionary history,
is what is known as "The Conway Cabal," the attempt to displace
Washington from the supreme command and substitute General Horatio
Gates in his stead. The latter was then in high favor as the hero
of Saratoga and the capturer of the invading army of Burgoyne. In
this c