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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Petition from inhabitants of Guilford County concerning the imprisonment of Jeremiah Fields
Bell, Samuel; Et Al.
September 18, 1776
Volume 10, Pages 803-804

[From MS. Records in Office of Secretary of State.]
The Petition of Sundry of the Inhabitants of Guilford County to the North Carolina Council of Safety at Halifax, Humbly sheweth,

That Whereas a Certain Jeremiah Fields, now a prisoner in Frederick Town in the province of Maryland, was on or about the 8th of February last taken prisoner for having taken up arms against the glorious Cause of Liberty & Continued from that time as a prisoner of Warr, and Whereas your petitioners are of opinion that the said Jeremiah Fields is by far less Criminal in that case than most of those infatuated unhappy persons that formed that diabolical scheme of subjugating this Province, Your Petitioners having from good authority to assure your Honours that the said Jeremiah Fields hath frequently expressed his approbation of the Common Cause of Liberty both before and since his unhappy confinemt and that his reasons for joyning the Tory party was entirely on acct that he had been out Law'd by the province as a regulator and that he was

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assured by the Government that nothing less woud procure his pardon; that notwithstanding this he, the said Jeremiah Fields has in the hearing of some of your petitioners wished success to the cause of Liberty, and that he has behaved himself Moderately on all Occations, Your Petitioners are therefore of Oppinion that the said Jeremiah Fields acted under the Immediate Influence of his more designing Neighbours, being himself Ignorant as to Letters. We your Petitioners, therefore, sympathising and deploring the unhappy case of the said Jeremiah Fields in his being detained from a distressed wife and a great number of small Children, and apprehending that the said Jeremiah Fields is really a friend to the Common Cause, Humbly Pray your Honours to take the case of this unhappy man into your serious Consideration and permit him to return to his family on security for his good behavour or otherwise, as in your Wisdom you shall think Meet, and as in duty bound your Petitioners will ever pray, &c.

SAMl BELL, C. M., Committee.
WILL. DENT, Committee.
ROB. McKENSIE, Committee.
JAMES BELL, Committee.
ALEX. CALDWELL, Committee.
WILLm GOWDY, Committee.
WILLIAM PEASLY, Committee.
EDWARD HUNTER,
FRANCIS MURRAY,
THOMAS JENKINS,
HUGH BRALY.

September 18th, 1776.