By December, 1774, news of additional parliamentary misdeeds had reached Portsmouth both by messenger and through the New Hampshire Gazette, which told of the passage of the Massachusetts Government Act the Quartering Act and the Quebec Act. It was said that the king had imposed a secret embargo on the export of arms and ammunition to his colonies. Moreover, patriots in Rhode Island had already seized powder and shot from the royal garrison in Providence. What about Portsmouth? Would there be troops and ships coming from Boston to keep the same thing from happening there?
The answer came on the afternoon of December 13, 1774, when Paul Revere galloped up the Old Boston Post Road into the city to deliver confirmation of the rumors. Yes, it was thought that troops and ships were on their way, and yes, if the' powder stored at William and Mary were not to remain in the king's hands, something had better be done about it.
The Raid Begins
The way seemed appallingly clear. A few minutes before noon on December 14, a drummer, his beats muffled by the falling snow, marched through the streets of the city sounding the call that everyone recognized. Before long, he had collected an entourage of more than two hundred men and boys.
At the fort, guarding the king's powder, were the defenders-Capt. Cochran and five men. At about one o'clock, this tiny garrison received word that an angry mob was on its way from town, growing larger as citizens from Rye and New Castle hastened to join. By the time they reached the gates of the fort, the attackers numbered more than 400.
At about three o'clock in the afternoon a few shots were exchanged, but no one was injured. Before a second volley could be fired, the fort was overwhelmed, and Cochran's band was in the hands of the attackers. Three huzzas were shouted and the king's colors were lowered.
Cochran, though overwhelmed, showed no signs of allowing the keys to the powder magazine to leave his possession. Substituting shoulders for keys, the attackers broke down the door and were able to make off with 97 barrels of powder which they loaded onto moses boats and gundalows for dispersal to the various surrounding towns. The captain of the defenders wrote in his note to Governor Wentworth, "I did all in my power to defend the fort, but all my efforts could not avail against so great a number." With odds of four hundred to six, neither the governor nor posterity could fault him.
Governor Wentworth, caught in an impossible situation, hastily requested ships and troops from Boston. Obviously, he had need of help, for the next morning men from the surrounding countryside began to pour into the city, lured by rumors of the previous day's events. John Sullivan of Durham and his men surrounded the state house and demanded information about possible reinforcements. "None were expected," said Wentworth. The mob dispersed, only to reassemble later that evening to remove remaining military stores from the fort. Again the trophies were loaded at the river.
The powder was soon distributed. Kingston received 12 barrels, Epping 8, Poplin (Fremont) 4, Nottingham 8, Brentwood 6, and Londonderry 1. Remaining stores were distributed in Durham, which received 25 barrels, and in Exeter, where 29 barrels were retained. Four barrels remained in Portsmouth. The precious dust was destined for the powder flasks of the local militia units, the building blocks of the nascent continental army. The powder and the power no longer belonged to King George III, it was in the hands of the people. In New Hampshire, at least, the Revolution had begun.
Note: From what I understand, much of this powder was later used at Breed's Hill (AKA The Battle of Bunker Hill) ;0)
From CNEWS Joke Corner:
If there were computers in 1776
Mr. Jefferson: Gentlemen, the summer grows hot, and it is essential that we complete this declaration of independence.
Mr. Franklin: Wait a minute, Thomas. I have to reboot here.
Mr. Jefferson: That's all right, Ben. We'll go on without you. Has everyone had a chance to look at the draft I posted yesterday?
Mr. Sherman: Not yet, Thomas, I've been having Notes replication problems.
Mr. Adams: Here, Roger, I brought a hard copy
Mr. Sherman: Thanks, Saaaaay, nice font.
Mr. Adams: Do you like it? I downloaded it off Colonies Online just last week
Mr. Jefferson: Gentlemen! There is work to be done. I fear our document will soon leak out.
Mr. Livingston: Too late, Thomas. There's already a bootleg circulating. I saw it posted on alt.georgeIII.sucks last night.
Mr. Franklin: @#$$%^$# General Protection Fault!
Mr. Adams: Ben, you might try upgrading to Windows 75. It solved that problem for me.
Mr. Sherman: Thomas, the part here about the Acts of Pretended Legislation; have you considered using bullets to air out the text?
Mr. Jefferson: I can fix that easily enough. Drat! I've spilled candle wax on my keyboard again.
Mr. Adams: You know, Thomas, that wouldn't happen if you'd buy an active-matrix screen.
Mr. Franklin: Hard-disk failure?!? Aw, criminy!
Mr. Livingston: Are you sure it's "unalienable rights"? My spell checker recommends "unassailable."
Mr. Jefferson: Can we stick to the substance of the document, please? Shoot. Low battery. Anyone got a spare power cable?
Mr. Sherman: What have you got, a Toshiba? No, mine isn't compatible.
Mr. Franklin: Hello, PCs Philadelphia? What does it mean when the floppy drive buzzes? OK, I'll hold.....
Mr. Livingston: The "In Congress" part here at the top; have you thought about blowing that up really big and maybe centering it in 72 point Helvetica?
Mr. Jefferson: Not a bad idea. Aw, nuts! Word macro virus! I can't save the file.
Mr. Franklin: That's all right, Thomas. We can manage. Here, borrow my quill pen....