 After the patriots discovered this plot, John Ashe of the Wilmington Committee of Safety led a group of patriotic colonists in a plot against Fort Johnson in July 1775.Governor Martin and his supporters removed most military stores, dismounted the cannon of the fort, and fled aboard the British sloop-of-war "Cruiser" at anchor in the Cape Fear River.American patriots controlled, burnt, and destroyed Fort Johnston, including the home of its commandant.