“It’s no secret Abigail has been a very positive influence on Daniel. She is not only an attractive woman, she is also very wise. She and your mother define the meaning of a ‘Proverbs 31 wife.’ Do you know what that means?”

“Yes, sir.”

Were it not for Abigail, Daniel might never have mended his ways, become as successful as he is, ever set foot in a church, or have been motivated to come to know his Lord and Savior. And had all that not happened—even before Daniel and Abigail married—Isaac Zane, Angus McDonald, and I would not have voted to commission Morgan a captain in the militia in 1771.

“In retrospect, it was good that we did because things were heading the wrong way here in this colony and elsewhere well before Daniel returned to service.”

“How is that, sir?”

Rev. Thruston thought for a moment and said, “Well, whether people realize it or not, Britain is already at war with us. Your brother Joshua is one of its first casualties. But the seeds for this fight were planted in the treaty that ended the war your father, Morgan, and Washington fought—and that killed General Braddock.”

“The Treaty of Paris in February 1763?”

“Yes. Well done, Nathanael. How do you know that?”

“At supper each night, our parents made us take turns reading aloud every newspaper, broadside, and pamphlet that arrived in our home.”

“Well then, if I’m telling you things you already know, stop me. The Treaty of Paris ended what we call the French and Indian War. But seven years of conflict, fought here, at sea, and in Europe bankrupted the British treasury. The Crown desperately needed ways to reduce costs and increase revenues. Unfortunately, desperation often prompts people to do really stupid things.

“The first of many stupid acts by London came in October 1763—just eight months after the treaty—when Parliament issued a proclamation barring any settlements west of a line drawn down the crest of the Allegheny Mountains. They believed it would save money by eliminating the cost of protecting settlers from the savages.”

“I know about the ‘Proclamation Line,’ but how did Parliament decide where the line would be drawn?”

“Good question. Few of the geniuses in London ever came to this continent, so they drew a line based on where water went. All land where the water flowed east, into the Atlantic, was approved for colonial settlement. Land where water flowed west, into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, was suddenly Indian Territory and barred from Colonial settlement.