He was vituperative in his criticisms of Lachlan McIntosh, from nearby Darien, whom he had always seen as his primary rival. The two men had become bitter personal enemies who operated in different arenas. Gwinnett concentrated his efforts on the political scene in Savannah while McIntosh, confident of his military credentials and his support from General Washington, had always confined his political interests to leading his fellow Scotsmen in St. Andrews Parish. Nowadays, he was fully occupied with raising as strong a colonial military force as possible, to be used mostly in skirmishes with the Florida Rangers, who continued their raids into Georgia.

Gwinnett was a powerful man of average height, with broad shoulders and a slight paunch. He always disdained a wig and combed his hair straight back so that it hung below his collar. He was a solemn person, and although his receding chin and slightly pouting mouth gave a first impression of weakness, his brilliant mind, intimate knowledge of the political currents in Savannah, and his accurate assessments of his peers made him a formidable politician. He never forgot a slight or a favor and was able to accumulate an intimate cadre of supporters who were almost fanatic in their loyalty to him. He was somewhat reclusive in his personal habits and withdrew to his isolated home on St. Catherines Island whenever there were no political decisions to be made in Savannah. Gwinnett was a superb marksman and recorded in a journal the long distances at which he killed deer. Only on rare occasions did he invite any guests to join him, such as when his faction was called to make political plans for the future. The intensity of his commitments was the basis of his political influence, which had been enough to make him a natural choice as a delegate to the Continental Congress.

With the return of the three delegates to Georgia following their signing of the Declaration of Independence, they had been treated as heroes and Gwinnett was elected to be one of the thirteen permanent members of the Council of Safety, second in authority only to Archibald Bulloch, who was given the title of president.

When Drayton arrived in Savannah, he made his presentation to a reasonably polite state congress and was then excluded from the proceedings while Gwinnett gave the response. He condemned the proposal as Georgia’s absorption by South Carolina, questioned Drayton’s motives, and made the conclusive point that any such union would be a violation of the Continental Articles of Confederation, which both states had recently accepted.