Back in Savannah, Lachlan quickly raised funds adequate to purchase the Elizabeth. He then returned to Daufuskie, swore the shipbuilder to secrecy, ordered places made for five carriage guns and notches for small arms, and changed the ship’s name to Liberty. A crew was employed and rudimentary training commenced on the use of the weapons.

It was inevitable that Governor Wright would hear rumors of their outfitting a small warship, and in June he dispatched a report of this activity to General Gage. He was uncertain about sending mail through his own seaport and transmitted the messages through Charles Town. They were intercepted and forgeries were forwarded, stating that there was no cause for concern or assistance but that the governor was aware of “some little alarm about two or three armed canoes from South Carolina.” HMS Philippa had decided to sail soon after receiving word about the bloodshed at Lexington and Concord, and its captain, Richard Maitland, anchored off Tybee Island, where he expected a warm welcome from British authorities for his four and a half tons of gunpowder, seven hundred pounds of bullets, bulk lead, guns, and other gifts for the restless Indians.

The inexperienced Georgians sailed out near the other ship but decided to permit it to get under way into Savannah Harbor before showing her weapons and identifying themselves with a flag inscribed “American Liberty.” They both anchored, at which time Captain Maitland, still convinced that the British controlled the colony, left his ship to report the threat to Governor Wright. The Whigs arrested Maitland as soon as his boat reached the dock, boarded the unsuspecting Philippa, and unloaded the powder and ammunition. It was clear that the provincial congress had almost full authority in Savannah and that the governor was something of a prisoner himself. After a few days, Maitland and his ship were permitted to leave Savannah, a good bit lighter than when they had arrived.