Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. I.djvu/155

 THOMAS JEFFERSON 121 to an audience of 150 persons, spoke the prophetic words in solemn tones as the key to the enigma: &quot;We must fight! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of re sounding arms.&quot; These sentences, spoken -twenty- seven days before the affair of Lexington, con vinced the convention, and it was agreed that Vir ginia should arm. A committee of thirteen was appointed to arrange a plan, among the members of which were Patrick Henry, George Washing ton, Richard Henry Lee, Benjamin Harrison, the speaker, Edmund Pendleton, and Thomas Jeffer son. The plan they agreed upon was this: The populous counties to raise and drill infantry com panies; the other counties horsemen, and both to wear the hunting shirt, which Col. Washington told them was the best field uniform he knew of. The last act of this convention was to appoint that, in case a vacancy should occur in the delegation of Virginia to congress, Thomas Jefferson should supply the place. A vacancy occurred, and on June 20, 1775, the day on which Washington re ceived his commission as commander-in-chief, Jef ferson reached Philadelphia, and took his seat the next morning in congress. Before the sun set that day congress received news of the stirring battle of Bunker Hill. Jefferson was an earnest, diligent, and useful member of the congress. John Adams, his fellow-