February 1775

Above is historic marker found in Ipswich MA.  Notice the first words:"The first armed Resistance to the Royal Authority.

In February 1775, Parliament declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion. This declaration permitted soldiers to shoot suspected rebels on sight. 

On Sunday, February 26, 1775, the 64th British Regiment of the Line, Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Leslie commanding, landed at Marblehead from Castle William in Boston Harbor.  The regiment, with loaded muskets and bayonets fixed, marched to Salem under orders to seize military stores concealed there.

According to Wikipedia: As soon as its destination was known, Major John Pedrick of Marblehead rode "across lots" to Salem, and gave the alarm.  The troops arrived at Salem, where the movement was delayed at New Mills by the tearing up of the bridge over South River.  The troops were guided by a Loyalist towards "North Fields," a section reached by a drawbridge over North River. Here they found the draw raised to arrest their progress. Some flatboats lying in the stream were promptly scuttled by their owners in the face of the troops. Across the river a large number of people were gathering, armed as opportunity offered.

And again from Wikipedia:  The powers that be in Salem said that the draw would not be let down on his order, and that, as neither war nor martial law had been declared, he would advance at his peril. "Find the guns, if you can," said Derby. "Take them, if you can. They will not be surrendered." Leslie said his orders were to cross the river, and he would do so. Meanwhile the guns had been removed to a safer place, and a mounted messenger, Benjamin Daland, had posted to Danvers, spreading the alarm. The concourse of citizens was fast increasing, and help was arriving from Beverly and Danvers.

The prudence of British commanding officer Alexander Leslie and the persistence of the patriot leaders turned a standoff into a bloodless triumph for the colonists. What might have been a violent confrontation turned into a local victory, and the patriots gloated as news spread of “Leslie’s Retreat.” 

I encourage you to read more details on the Historic Ipswich site!
Historic Ipswich has a very nice article about this incident at; https://historicipswich.net/2023/02/22/leslies-retreat-or-how-the-revolutionary-war-almost-began-in-salem/

This article has a bit of background information about this incident.

In 1774 Col. David Mason of Salem purchased 19 French cannons and had Captain Robert Foster, a blacksmith, mount them to carriages. They were secreted about the premises of Captain Foster’s shop on the north side of the North River, and by February, 1775 were ready for use against the British in the much-anticipated war.  Gage had heard of this and had sent Col Leslie to confiscate the arms.  And the painting below is also from the site.  The artist seems to have recreated it from an early sketch. 

December 1774

 At our Christmas Luncheon Dec 2024 our fact for 250 years ago Dec 1774 started with a review of what we had talked about at each meeting since Dec 2023 when I started this blog with the Boston Tea Party. 

By  December of 1774 the Bostonians were struggling with their harbour closed to trade.  And their plight was being talked about in every colony.  And smaller versions of the tea party were enacted in various sites:  Philladelphia turned away a ship by threatening to tar and feather the captain….

But there was  also a first skirmish:  

In New Hampshire, Dec 1774, John Sullivan and a group of patriots raided Fort William and Mary (a British fort) twice.  The first event they captured gun powder and distributed it among the colonies and in the second they captured cannons that were later used in the battle of bunker hill.

The battle of Fort William and Mary is known in New Hampshire as "The Shot Not Heard Around the World."

 This information is from AI experiment.  I was unable to attend the November meeting of Buford Chapter of DAR

In November 1774, the Yorktown Tea Party took place and the Continental Congress called for a boycott of British goods. 

The Yorktown Tea Party 

On November 7, 1774, local residents boarded the British ship Virginia and dumped two half-chests of tea into the York River.

The tea had been imported despite a boycott of English goods.

The boycott was an attempt to pressure Parliament to repeal tax laws and regulations.

October 1774

 The First Continental Congress adjourned October 26, 1774.

The First Continental Congress’s most fateful decision was to call for a Second Continental Congress to meet the following spring. 

September 1774

Perhaps the most important thing that has happened so far leading to the Revolutionary War happened in September and October 1774.  This month and the following  found the 13 colonies sending representatives to Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress. 

Across North America by late spring 1774, Colonists had risen in solidarity with the people of Massachusetts.  Goods had arrived in Massachusetts from as far away as Georgia.  By late spring 1774, nine of the colonies called for a Continental Congress.  Virginia's Committee of Correspondence is largely  credited with originating the invitation.  

On September 5, 1774 the first Continental Congress Convened.  

Delegates from 12  of the 13 colonies gathered together in Carpenter Hall in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to discuss America’s under growing British Aggression.

Though other sites were considered to house the First Continental Congress, the newly built Carpenters' Hall was chosen because it was the largest privately owned building of its day (as opposed to the British-owned State House which today would be called Independence Hall), allowing the delegates more freedom to discuss their grievances against Great Britain.

This was all such NEW "stuff" that they first met  on the morning of September 5 at Philadelphia’s City Tavern.  The group then walked over to Carpenters’ Hall to inspect the meeting room.

“They took a view of the room, … The general cry was, that this was a good room, and the question was put, whether we were satisfied with this room? and it passed in the affirmative,” said John Adams.

They started with a prayer.

Georgia was the only colony that did not send any delegates to the First Continental Congress. Facing a war with neighboring Native American tribes, the colony did not want to jeopardize British assistance.

Peyton Randolph of Virginia was Named President of the first Continental Congress when the group convened.

One of the Congress’s first decisions was to endorse the Suffolk Resolves passed in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. The Suffolk Resolves ordered citizens to not obey the Intolerable Acts, to refuse imported British goods, and to raise a militia. Congress’s early endorsement of the Suffolk Resolves was a clear indication of the mood and spirit in Carpenters’ Hall. 

Vacation

 June and July of 2024 my personal life got in the way of my celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Revolution.  My DAR chapter does not meet those two months, so I was not pushed to get something written.  Instead I celebrated the 250th with being involved with a parade and pool party in my neighborhood for the 4th of July.