74, had proved the mettle of her women. The
farmers of Mecklenburg had struck the first chord in the song of
independence, hardly a note of which had been sounded by the other
colonies. Governor Martin had fled from New Bern, and in August, 1775,
the Hillsboro Convention had organized a temporary form of government,
and had placed at the head of public affairs Cornelius Harnett, who, as
President of the Provincial Council, had more power in the State than is
generally delegated to a governor.

In December, 1775, Lord Dunmore's attempted invasion of the State had
been thwarted, largely by the aid of the Minute Men from Albemarle. Then
came the famous Snow Campaign, in which the militia of the western
counties joined the patriots of South Carolina in defeating the Tories
of that State. And in February, 1776, the important victory at Moore's
Creek Bridge had completely for a time broken the power of the Loyalists
in North Carolina. There was no longer any hope of obtaining justice
from England, nor, after such open and steady rebellion against the
king's officers, civil and military, could there be any hope of
conciliation with the mother country, save on terms too humiliating to
even contemplate.

North Carolina, recognizing these facts, called another convention to
meet at Halifax in April, 1776, and there sounded her defiance as a
State to King and Parliament, and boldly authorized her delegates to
the next Continental Congress at Philadelphia to vote for independence.

The convention then proceeded to make further preparations for the war
which all now felt was inevitable. Pasquotank, in response to the call
immediately issued for more troops, raised two regiments of militia.
Isaac Gregory, who had been appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the
Pasquotank Militia by the Convention of 1775, was promoted and made
Colonel of the Second Regiment of Pasquotank Militia, the other officers
being Dempsey Burgess, Lieutenant-Colonel, Joshua Campbell, Major, and
Peter Dauge, Second Major.

Independence having been declared by the Continental Congress of 1776,
the thirteen Colonies, now independent States, proceeded to organize a
permanent government within their several borders.

In North Carolina a State convention was called to meet at Halifax in
November, 1776, to frame a constitution for the government of that
State. To this convention Isaac Gregory, Henry Abbott, Devotion Davis,
Dempsey Burgess and Lemuel Burgess were electe