Two days in December 1774 that ignited the spark of the American Revolution.
Two hundred and fifty years ago an event took place in Portsmouth and New Castle considered to be the first overt action of the American Revolution.
It was a cold December 14th, 1774 when Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth sent by Joseph Warren, the leader of the Sons’ of Liberty in Boston. His message was clear and required immediate action. Regular British troops were being dispatched to reinforce personnel at Fort William & Mary (today, Fort Constitution).
The goal was to remove the gunpowder and other weapons at the fort and secure them in the event that military action against the British would be forthcoming. Over two nights, hundreds of men led by John Langdon surrounded the fort, lowered the Kings’ colors (flag) and carried everything they were able to load onto gundalows. Not to be outdone, the following day, John Sullivan and his men from Dover took cannons and other weapons that the first group left behind.
This December 14th and 15th, several militia groups will come together to commemorate the raid on the Fort by re-enacting the events of 1774.
On December 14th, a packed schedule of events will begin at 10:00 am at Stoodley’s Tavern in the Strawberry Banke complex area.
Visit our website for detailed information on scheduled events https://fortwilliamandmary250.org
