After some typically heated discussion, the group decided that Lachlan would continue to marshal and train volunteers from the two most radical parishes, who were already preparing to fight if necessary, and his brother George should speak for St. Andrews Parish in the Savannah meeting. There was a general but unspoken belief that Lachlan was not diplomatic enough to put forward the views of their parish without alienating other groups in Georgia who were known to differ widely in their degree of loyalty to the crown. Nevertheless, he was the one who took it upon himself to describe what was to be expected, summarizing what most of them already knew.

“The colony is divided, not based on principle but according to the self-interests of each group. The strongest loyalty to the crown comes from Anglican clergymen, from politicians who have been given leadership positions by the royal council, from merchants who have special permits to trade overseas or with the Indians, and from recent immigrants who still have strong family ties to the old country. There is also aversion to action among farming families in provinces up the Savannah River, where most of the settlers have not been affected by the various taxes Parliament has levied. British troops are considered to be their best defense against Indian attacks, and some families are grateful for the land they have obtained from Governor Wright. The German Lutherans at Ebenezer, most of whom don’t even speak English, just want to be left alone, and the Quakers around Wrightsborough want to avoid conflict of any kind. Not many of these people from up the river are going to be at Tondee’s tavern, but their Tory influence will be felt on those who do attend the meeting, and some of the others will be afraid of any kind of conflict.”

Lachlan did not mention that one reason for the lack of strong voices in the colony was that Governor Wright and his personally chosen council members were deeply concerned about developments in the northern colonies and had done everything possible to meet the legitimate needs of Georgians.

When they assembled in Savannah the following week, George McIntosh found that Lachlan had sized up the situation accurately, with the attending group of critics almost evenly divided and only the representatives of Savannah’s Christ Church and one other parish joining St. Johns and St. Andrews on most questions. Each issue was hotly debated, and the group finally proclaimed their general condemnation of the blockade of Boston Harbor, taxation without representation, and the carrying of Americans to be tried in England. But despite the most fervent effort by the McIntoshes and others, the group decided not to send delegates to what had come to be known as the Continental Congress, which was to be convened in Philadelphia the following month, in September 1774.