At some point, John began growing rice and cotton at his plantation, called Refuge, on the Satilla River in Camden County.

The group was composed mostly of militia men from Georgia but also had a contingent of U.S. troops from Point Peter, a garrison near the Florida-Georgia border.

A day after McIntosh was elected leader, the group marched into and captured the town of Fernandina with the support of 5 Navy gunboats.

[10] After the successful capture of Fernandina, the Patriots established an interim government with the intention that they'd eventually join the United States.

On July 17, 1812, a constitution was drafted and 14 members of the Patriot group signed the document including McIntosh, who served as President.