In August of 1775, Matthew raised a volunteer company of horsemen who offered their services to the Council of Safety. He and his men fought in the Snow Campaign from September to January 1776.

After the militia defeated the loyalists in this campaign, the British governor fled from Charleston. With the loyalists suppressed and the royal governor gone, Matthew returned home to serve in public office. As a Justice of the Peace, he continued to call for more schools and churches in the backcountry. And as a member of the new legislature, called the 1^st Provincial Congress, Matthew worked to strenghen the colony for the war that was sure to come. Just as importantly, Matthew, Mary and their children were able to spend some precious time together before Matthew was again called upon to go to war.

The Calm Ends