Editing Richard Howly (section)

==Revolutionary War==
When the Revolution began, Howley was practicing law in [[Sunbury, Georgia|Sunbury]], where he also owned a small plantation and a few slaves. He was not prominent in the early stages of the [[American Revolution|Revolution]] in Georgia. Savannah fell to the British on [[Capture of Savannah|December 29, 1778]], and Colonel [[Augustine Prevost]] began a siege of Sunbury. When Fort Morris surrendered in January 1779, Howley and his family fled to [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]].

The British occupied eastern Georgia, and fighting moved into the back country. Georgia [[Whig Party (United States)|Whigs]], openly divided into radical and conservative factions since the [[Gwinnett–McIntosh duel]] in May 1777 between patriot leader [[Button Gwinnett]] and [[Lachlan McIntosh]], vied for political leadership as they tried to convene a new assembly in Augusta. After selecting an executive council to govern the sections of the state still under Whig control, this council, dominated by conservative Whigs, elected [[John Wereat]] president on August 6, 1779. Howley was associated with the radical Whig faction and a close ally of [[George Walton]] who, after the joint American and French [[siege of Savannah]] failed in October 1779, was sent to Augusta to hold new elections. Backed by Howley, George Wells, and their back country supporters, Walton organized a rival assembly in November 1779.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Cashin|first1=Edward J.|title='The Famous Colonel Wells': Factionalism in Revolutionary Georgia|journal=The Georgia Historical Quarterly|date=1974|volume=58|issue=Supplement|page=146|jstor=40579633}}</ref> This body elected Walton governor and Walton, Howley, and three others delegates to the [[Continental Congress]], in effect ousting Wereat from power. Within two months, Walton departed for Philadelphia. The assembly elected Howley governor on January 4, 1780 and empowered him to act on behalf of the government even if forced into exile. During these uncertain times he called on Georgians to be steadfast in their support of independence. As British raids increased, the council directed Howley to flee to the Carolinas. Howley and several council members transported the state archives and some paper money to New Bern, North Carolina. On July 1, 1780 he was among those listed under the British Disqualifying Act.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Saunders|first1=R. F.|title=Richard Howley|date=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=London|url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=88829269&site=eds-live&scope=site|accessdate=6 June 2016}}</ref>