The American Revolution began in Portsmouth, NH?
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Hear my children of a tale quite hairy,
How Paul Revere flew to Fort William and Mary, To warn of the lobster-back’s impending plot, To spirit away all the powder and Shot And on 14 December 1774, the colonists pounced to abscond most the store, Upon their success, pride swelled in their chest, So they went back the next night and took all the rest! Through winter the hope for calm was but useless, Enraged, General Gage vowed rebels munitions-less, In spring Because of the lesson of Portsmouth, He ordered his troops to secure rabble arms forthwith, On April 18th in ‘75, Revere rode again so that hope would survive, North out of Boston he and Dawes did venture. They risked their own safety so the crown could not censure, The will of the people who prayed liberty thrive The smoldering rebellion was sure to survive Who fired first? to say is too tough But it was quite clear rebel pluck was no bluff The action close and bloody and rough Was spawned on the bay in New Hampshire’s Portsmouth |
Did the revolution really begin in Portsmouth?
Well maybe not exactly, but it’s not ‘fake news’ either! We all know about the events of April 19th 1775...Paul Revere’s ride beginning the night before to raise the alarm….and the ‘shot heard round the world’ in Lexington, MA that altered the course of world history forever...but did you know of the shots fired in Portsmouth, NH just 4 months before? Or that Paul Revere made a midnight ride there as well?
By the cold mid December of 1774 - the political cauldron was heating up fast. To get an idea of how things had been progressing over the preceding months - check out the reasoned but treasonous message to the crown delivered via the September 23rd 1774 New Hampshire Gazette and other papers of the colonies .
While the colonists proclaim they “do cheerfully acknowledge the said George the Third to be our rightful Sovereign….”, They also go on to say “that no Obedience is due from this Province" for the various grievances they document, and that the acts proclaimed by the King's Parliament "be rejected as the attempts of a WICKED administration to enslave America”. Whoaa....that's wicked tough talk.
The months preceding the battles at Lexington and Concord were the culmination of a long slow progression toward armed conflict with the crown. There are many instances of rebellion that contributed to British General Gage’s order to secure the military supplies at Lexington and Concord, and the ferocity of the action once blood was first shed. However, The raid on Fort William and Mary by New Hampshire citizens was so brazen and successful, that it had to burn fiercely in the very recent memory of British military leaders and spur them on to the action of April 19.
So what went down in Portsmouth?
On December 13th, Paul Revere rides to Portsmouth based on rumors originating in Boston that the redcoats were marching to Fort William and Mary to seize the powder there. He arrives during the afternoon of the 13th at Samuel Cutts home, a patriot merchant who called the town's committee of correspondence together.
On December 14th - John Langdon rallies Portsmouth residents to storm the fort. The fort is manned by 1 British officer and 5 soldiers who fire on the attackers. After hand to hand fighting - the fort is taken with no loss of life. 100 barrels of powder are taken to be distributed to the countryside.
On December 15th - John Sullivan organizes a second raid and makes off with muskets and small cannon.
On December 15th - John Sullivan organizes a second raid and makes off with muskets and small cannon.
On December 16th - The Scarborough frigate and Cansean sloop of war, with several companies of soldiers, took possession of the fort and of the heavy cannon which had not been removed.
This was a momentous act executed by the citizenry of Portsmouth and nearby surrounding towns. And though it is not the official commencement of hostilities between the colonies and Great Britain - it is certainly close.
Fort William and Mary was renamed to Fort Constitution, and you can visit this site free of charge today. Walk the grounds, and let yourself be transported back to tumultuous times when rebellious acts all across New England propelled the American colonies toward freedom.
Fort William and Mary was renamed to Fort Constitution, and you can visit this site free of charge today. Walk the grounds, and let yourself be transported back to tumultuous times when rebellious acts all across New England propelled the American colonies toward freedom.
If you visit Fort Constitution - plan to see more sites in the Portsmouth area and ‘make a day of it’.
Learn More!
Check out these great sources for more information on this incredible New England history
The seizure of his majesty's Fort William and Mary at New Castle, New Hampshire, December 14 - 15, 1774 By Thomas F. Kehr
http://www.nhssar.org/essays/FortConstitution.html
When Paul Revere Rode to New Hampshire, New England Historical Society
http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/paul-revere-rode-new-hampshire/