Episode 051: The Portsmouth Alarm

By the end of 1774 Britain had banned all munitions imports to the colonies. After fearing that the British Navy might seize munitions at Fort William and Mary in New Hampshire. Paul Revere rides from Boston to alert the local militia. The militia attack the fort the following day. There is an exchange of gunfire, but no one is killed. The militia quickly capture the small garrison, remove the gunpowder, and then release their prisoners to take control of the fort again. The following day, more militia arrive and decide to take the fort a second time, this time to remove cannon. The garrison surrenders, under an agreement to release colonial property only. Once they take the fort, the militia take the cannon and just about anything else of military value that they can carry.   Although the royal goverment knows the who led the attack on the King's fort, they are unable to make any arrests. Patriots have effectively taken control of the colony. Visit my site at https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com for more text, pictures, maps, and sources on this topic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices