At the same time, Elijah Clarke was in a quandary. He was a proud militiaman, completely committed to independence for Americans but with an abhorrence of serving under any governing authority that he did not respect. He and his neighbors considered themselves removed from the political debacle in Savannah, where the leaders were an embarrassment and considered unworthy of their support. The death of Archibald Bulloch, president of the Council of Safety, and the assumption of authority by Button Gwinnett had confirmed their belief that Savannah was a nest of fruitless intrigue and a breeding ground for corruption. Elijah was familiar with General McIntosh’s lifetime of military service, and respected him as a courageous and competent leader. The militiamen celebrated both Gwinnett’s political defeat and the news of the fatal duel.

With the election of Treutlen as governor, the militiamen began to consider a change in their own role. Their inherent desire was to remain as independent as possible, relying on their own weapons, training as their duties at home permitted, and making collective decisions about when to assemble for military excursions within their own community or as partners with militia groups in western Carolina. At the same time, they saw the failure of combined expeditions against Florida and the successes of the Florida Rangers as a clear indication that they could be helpful as the struggle for independence progressed.

In June 1777, Aaron Hart brought an invitation from Governor Treutlen to Elijah Clarke for a meeting in Savannah. Clarke took Aaron and militia leaders John Twiggs and John Dooly with him, and within a few days they were in the governor’s office.

After an exchange of greetings, Treutlen said, “Gentlemen, I want to express my thanks for the good support I received from your county in my campaign for governor. What I want to do is to serve as well as Archibald Bulloch, and to pull all Georgians together in the same spirit of harmony and cooperation that he experienced.”

Clarke replied, “Well, there ain’t no doubt that you’ll be a big improvement over the man you beat, and those of us who live up the river will be willin’ to help you whenever we can. I guess you have other things in mind as the reason you asked us to come here.”

Treutlen could see that idle conversation was not appropriate and decided to get to the point of his request.

“I want to see the different Georgia militia units strengthened and organized as much as possible into an effective fighting force. We don’t even know how many Continentals General Washington will send down here, and we have to let the British know we are able to defend ourselves. I know you men have been operating some in the Carolinas, and we also need you to help out in our own state.”