| Show If Caesar Rodney Had Not Made His Heroic Ride Americans Might Not Now Be Celebrating the Fourth of July I By lIy ELMO SCOTT WATSON by Western Newspaper Union flANKS to the poets the T THANKS story of the rides of Paul Revere and Gen Phil Sheridan are an nn imperishable able part of American tion But so far no bard has sung of the heroic ride of Caesar Rodney Rodney Rodney-at at least none has given us a poem about it so familiar as those of Henry W. W Longfellow and Thomas Buchanan Read i Yet here is truly an epic theme the story of how death rode in the saddle with t this heroic horseman and how history might have been changed chang if he had failed in his mission The events leading up to Caesar Rodney's ride were these On June 7 1776 a resolution introduced by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia in the Continental congress congress con con- gress declaring that these United United Unit Unit- ed Colonies are and of right ought to be free and arid independent ent States was accepted in a committee of the whole by representatives of seven of the colonies colo cob nies a flies a bare majority of one If this revolutionary step of severing severing sever sever- ing the ties which bound the colonies colto col col- onies to the Mother Country was wasI I to be taken successfully there must be greater unanimity among them So the leaders in the move for independence set about to 10 win over those who hesitated to take such a radical step Jonathan D. D Sargent hurried across the Delaware river into New Jersey where delegates were being chosen and succeeded in securing the election of men pledged to independence A few days later the Maryland convention convention conven conven- tion which had previously been opposed to the idea of declaring for independence reversed its position position po po- po- po and adopted resolutions instructing in its delegates to vote for forthe forthe forthe the Lee resolution Next South Carolina was won over as was Pe Pennsylvania although its dele dele- gation gatlon was split on the issue The delegates from New York though personally in favor of independence ence could not vote for it until receiving approval from the convention convention convention con con- in their colony though it was certain that such approval would be forthcoming A Divided Delegation There now remained only the vote of Delaware to make the decision of the Thirteen Colonies unanimous She had three delegates dele gates to the congress Thomas congress Thomas McKean George Read nead and Caesar Caesar Caesar Cae Cae- sar Rodney McKean was one of the most outspoken advocates of independence but Read influenced influenced influenced by John Dickinson of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania was opposed to declaring declare ing for freedom at nt this time This left the deciding vote in the Delaware Delaware Delaware Del Del- aware delegation to Rodney who was also speaker of the DelaWare Delaware Dela Dela- ware assembly and had returned to Dover to preside over it On July 1 the Lee resolution came up for discussion and all aU during that day and far into the next the momentous decision was the subject of a hot debate Late in the afternoon of July 2 it was put to a vote Eleven of the colonies col cot onies onles by the votes of the majority ma majority of their delegates cast their ballots in favor of ence The votes of two two New New NewYork York and Delaware were Delaware were not re re- recorded corded If such a decisive step were to be taken it must be unanimous unanimous else the results might be disastrous Meanwhile a committee com corn mittel headed by Thomas Jefferson Jeffer Jeffer- son was drafting a Declaration of Independence and Thomas McKean was making an important import tant decision He lie knew that Rodney Rodney Rod Rod- ney was also in favor of independence inde and if he were brought to Philadelphia he could break the deadlock in the vote of the Delaware delegation At his own expense he hired a messenger and sent him speeding to Dover to explain the situation to Rodney and urge him to come cometo cometo cometo to Philadelphia at once It was nearly midnight of July 1 when the messenger started for Dover 80 miles away and he did not arrive there until 24 t hours later Rodney was at his home a few miles further on so it was not until the early morning hours of July 3 that he was aroused from sleep and given McKean's mes meso sage At daybreak mounted on the strongest horse in his stable Rodney was on his way to Philadelphia Phila Phila- delphia For years Rodney had suffered with a cancer on his face Before Before Before Be Be- fore the opening of the Revolution Revolution tion he had been urged to go to England In search of relief from the dr dread ad disease but his sense I of duty to his colony in the troubled troubled trou trOUt bled times ahead kept him in America In a letter to his sister sis ter he described his case as truly truby truly tru ly by dangerous and what will be bethe bethe bethe the event God only knows I still f v 4 d- d f 7 r fiJn I dR I j p w fJ 9 7 U k Q-m Q fd b J h Mie hW 99 7 v I ru Ih A Jr r u uZ Z e 0 6 H t y r G t J 7 x o fn The only surviving letter dated July 4 t 1776 written by any signer of the Declaration of Independence and referring to that docu docu- meat ment It Is Caesar Rodney's and it refers only briefly y to his heroic ride live in hopes and still retain my usual spirits Rodney's Modest Story So it took courage of the highest highest high high- est kind for tor him to set out upon the hasty mile 80 trip to Philadelphia Philadelphia Phila Phila- delphia because the exertions of such a journey might easily cause his death Apparently he never thought of that that his his only thought was that his presence was needed needed need need- ed in the Continental Congress where a momentous decision was about to be made In the letter reproduced above which he wrote after completing his journey journey jour jour- ney he makes little mention of the hardships of that journey It says a July the 1778 1776 Sir In have yo you a summons directed directed di dl to the Sheriff to Call Summon the Members Member for our County to meet In Assembly at Newcastle on the day of this Instant which I hope you will wUl have put Into his hands as soon loon as possible possible ble after afler It comes to Yours Yours Yours-I I arrived In Congress tho Iho Detained by Thunder and Rain time enough to give my Voice In the matter of Independence It It Is now determined by the Thirteen United Colonies Colonies Col Col- Col onies onles without even one dissenting Colony Col ony We ony-We We have now got gol through with Ith the whole of the Declaration and ordered It to be printed so ao that thai you will soon have havethe havethe the pleasure of seeing It bills Hand of It will be printed and sent to the Armies Cities County Towns etc ete to be published or rather proclaimed In form Dont Don't Dont neglect to attend closely and carefully to tomy tomy tomy my Harvest and You'll oblige Yours Yours- CAESAR RODNEY Being detained by Thunder and Rain was probably the least I IC C hILf 1 L v v of his difficulties for we know by contemporary accounts that the weather was extremely hot and the necessity for haste must I have taken a heavy toll of the energies of both man and beast Where Rodney stopped for the rest and food that was absolutely necessary for both is unknown but since he did not arrive in Philadelphia until the morning of July 4 it is evident that he must have paused somewhere along the way for a brief breathing spell for his horse and a few moments moments moments mo mo- ments of relaxation from the saddle sad die dle for himself Meanwhile Jefferson J John hn Adams Ad ams and Benjamin Franklin had drafted the Declaration of Independence Inde and the final vote on it was set for the morning of July 4 to It is not difficult to imagine the anxiety of McKean as the hour for the congress to assemble drew near Would Rodney arrive arrive ar are ar- ar rive in time to support him in casting Delaware's vote for independence inde inde- He lle hoped that he would but he could not be sure According to one account McKean McKean Mc Mc- Kean was striding up and down the brick walk outside Independence ence hall hail after the other members of the congress had filed in when he saw a horseman speeding along the dusty street toward him A moment later this rider drew up in front of the hall hail and as he swung wearily down from the saddle McKean recognized the dust-covered dust grimy faced man as Caesar Rodney There was a brief handclasp then the two men entered the hall Rodney still booted and spurred and travel A Afew Afew Afew few minutes later the roll call callon callon callon on the adoption of the Declaration Declaration Declara Declara- tion of Independence began It started with New Hampshire the most northerly of the colonies and proceeded through Massachusetts Massachusetts Massa Massa- Rhode Island Connecticut cut New York was passed for forthe forthe forthe the time being although her delegates dele gates were favor favorable ble to Penn Penn- sylvania The Crucial Vote So far the vote of these colonies colonies colo cob nies flies has been for adoption of the Declaration The Pennsylvania I delegation is divided but by a vote of three to two her voice speaks for independence Then comes the crucial vote of Dela Deba- ware As was expected McKean votes in favor of adoption of the Declaration Declaration Dec Dec- and Read votes against When Rodney's name is called some of the delegates turn in hi surprise sur sur- prise prise-it prise it is the first intimation they have of his return They know how important his vote is so they hang on his words Those words made such an indelible impression impression im im- im upon some of them among them McKean that they remembered them for years aft aft- He said As I believe the voice pf my constituents and arid of all sensible and honest men is in favor of independence my own judgment concurs with them I vote for in in- dependence So Caesar Rodney cast the deciding de vote for Delaware and Delaware's vote was an im all one The rest was a foregone foregone foregone fore fore- gone conclusion Delegates from the remainder of the colonies also voted for the charter of liberty and thus the Declaration of Independence Independence In In- dependence was adopted So Caesar Cae sar Rodney's heroic ride had not been in v vain in Had he not made it July 4 might not have been the important date that it is is-in is in the history of the United States and of the whole world I 1 But his fame does not rest entirely en upon this one act Eleven years earlier he had been a member mem memo member ber of the Stamp Act congress which met in New York to protest protest protest pro pro- test against the acts of parliament parliament parlia parlia- ment which were to lead eventually eventually ally to the Revolution Rodney was among those who urged the appointment of George Washington as commander in chief of the Continental army and he became one of Washington's most valued friends lie He entered the war as a general brigadier of the Delaware militia was with Washington at nt the Battle of Trenton Trenton Tren Tren- ton and despite the ravages of cancer served throughout the Revolution He lie came out of the war a major-general major and lived Jived to see the country win the freedom free free- dom doth for which he had cast his historic vote lie He died at Poplar Grove Delaware June 29 1784 |
