Before Lexington and Concord: The British Gun Grab That Nearly Sparked the Revolution
Despite the fact that it proved to be mostly a false alarm, the “Powder Alarm” of Sept 1-2, 1774 showed the colonists that the British were serious – and willing to use gun control efforts to subjugate them.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
In response, thousands of people armed up and started streaming towards Boston to fight off the aggressors in what became a precursor to Lexington and Concord just a few months later.
Of course, they don’t really teach this in the government-run propaganda centers/schools.
First, some quick background.
In the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed the “Coercive Acts.” Among other moves, the British closed the port of Boston and revoked Massachusetts’ charter, bringing the colony under the total control of the British government.
These actions further inflamed tensions between the British and the American colonists. Many colonists saw this as a further attempt to strip them of their right to self-rule and force them into submission.
As noted by American History Central, The people of Massachusetts began to plan for the worst.
Many of the towns throughout the colony were in the habit of storing weapons and ammunition in storehouses throughout the colony, including the Provincial Powder House on Quarry Hill in Charlestown. Slowly, and quietly, the towns started removing their weapons and ammunition from the storehouses.
General Gage, the military governor of Massachusetts, felt the best way to deal with this and keep the peace would be to disarm the colonists as much as possible.
Yes, that’s just what empires have always done.
On Aug 27, William Brattle, the leader of the provincial militia, snitched in a letter to Gage to let him know the colonists were taking their powder, and that only “the King’s supply” remained. Gage, of course, determined that the remaining powder had to be taken and brought to Boston for “safekeeping.”
On Sept 1, Gage sent sheriff David Phips, along with a force of 250+ Redcoats, with orders to remove the power – and Brattle handed him the keys. Most of the troops returned to Boston, but a small detachment marched to Cambridge and seized two artillery pieces assigned to the Middlesex County militia.
But with that many troops assembled in Boston common and sailing up the Mytick river at 4 or 5am – it’s not surprising that rumors of an all-out war started to spread like wildfire.
There were multiple reports of the British killing a number of people, Boston getting bombarded by warships, and more.
Rev Ezra Stiles was informed that 6 men were killed. Silas Deane heard a mob descended on Brattle’s house, and troops opened fire with “a large number wounded.” Rev. Stephen Williams heard that Boston “was demolished.” And within days, news traveled to Philadelphia, where John Adams was given what he called a confused but alarming account of a potential “bombardment of Boston.”
Despite the fact that these all turned out to be rumors only – at least for the time being – how the people responded was nothing short of remarkable.
Immediately, as many as 5000 – and upwards of 20,000 people armed up and started streaming towards Boston from as far away as Connecticut. One traveler in Shrewsbury reported that in the space of 15 minutes, 50 men had gathered, equipped themselves, sent out messengers to surrounding towns, and left for Boston.
Within 24 hours, several thousand Massachusetts farmers marched in Cambridge demanding that Attorney General Jonathan Sewall, council members Samuel Danforth and Joseph Lee – and Sheriff David Phips – resign or apologize for the actions they took. They then moved to Lt. Gov. Thomas Oliver’s home and threatened him into signing a resignation. Brattle – the snitch – was forced to flee.
It quickly became clear that the rumors of a hot war were false. As the facts overtook the rumors, the colonial militias returned home.
But the threat of more British gun control was still very much on their minds and they were right to worry.
The King then banned the importation of all arms and ammunition without a permit. And guess what – no one was ever issued a permit.
Lord Dartmouth, the Royal Sec. of State for America – suggested more aggressive measures. He urged Gage to “Upon no account suffer the Inhabitants of at least the Town of Boston to assemble themselves in arms on any pretence whatever, either of town guard or Militia duty.”
Another letter to Gage was even more aggressive:
“all cannon, small arms, and other military stores of every kind, that may be either in any magazine, or secreted for the purpose of aiding the rebellion, should also be seized and secreted”
We know what happened – and with a goal of confiscation, the British marched on Lexington and Concord in April 1775.
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