The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-08-05
ne WAR OF 1774.
The First Blow fer american Freedom
An Interesting Fragment of Eevoiu-
tionary History.

1t is curious fact that the most inn
por ant as well as the most dramatic
incident Immediately preceding the
American Revolution-an incident, in
deed, which directly precipitatcd hostil-
ities-has but sighting mention in any
OF the histories.
This was the attack upon Fort Will
liam and Mary in Portsmouth Harbor
by band of young patriots led by
John Sullivan, afterward Encouragement
in the Continental army. The assault
was made in December. 1774. four
months before the battle of Lexington,
and six months before Bunker Hill. 1t
was unquestionably the first act of overt
/ treason.
On the afternoon of December 13,
E! Paul Revere (the same who escaped the
vigilance of Howe's guards four months
laler, and spread the news along the
road from Boston TO Lexington of Pit
cairns intended march) rode up to Sui
livan's house in Durham. One of the
survivors of Sullivan's company died
| only some thirty years ago, and from
| his lips. shortly before his death, was
obtained the story of what happened
| that day. Revere's horse, he said. was
'.nearly DONE when pulled up at Sulli-
vans door. The rider had been des-
/ patched with all speed from Boston the
| day before with messages from the Mas
sachusGtts Committee of Safety that
''the King in council had prohibited
the importation of arms or military
stores into the colonies" and that two
regiments were forthwith to march from
Boston to occupy Portsmouth and the
fort in its harbor. After batting" his
wearied beast, Revere rode on to Ports
mouth.
In Sulliyan's mind the hour had evil
IDENTITY come for decisive action. The
story of what followed is briefly told by
| Eleazer Bennett -the-survivor before
mentioned: Il was working for Major
Sullivan" he said, "whcn Micah Davis
came up and told me Major Sullivan
wanted me to so to Portsmouth, and to
get all the men l could to 90 with him.
The men who went, as far as | can re-
member. We're Major John Sullivan,
Captain Winborn Adams, Ebenezer
Thompson, john Demcritt, Alpheus and
Jonathan Cheslev, John Spencer, Micah
Davis, Isaac and Benjamin Small, of
Durham; Ebenezer Sullivan, Captain
Langdon, and Thomas Pickering, of
Portsmouth; John Griffin, james Under
wood, and Alexander Scammell We
took gondola belonging to Benjamin
Mathes, who was too old to go, and
went down the river to Portsmouth. 1t
was clear, cold. moonlight night.
We sailed down to the fort at the mouth
of Piscataqua Harbor. The water was
SO shallow that we could not bring the
boat to within rod of shore. We
waded through the water in perfect
silence, mounted the fort, surprised the
garrison, and bound the captain. In
the fort we found one hundred casks of
powder and one hundred small-arms,
which we brought down to the boat
In wading through the water it froze
upon us.
What simple story of heroism! The
men took Off their boots that they
might not make q noise in mounting
the ramparts, and after getting back to
the boat it is of record that they again
took them off, ''lest Il spark from the
iron-nailcd soles might ignite the pow
der" And this was in December, in
the severe winter of northern New En-
gland.
The '.gondola'' pronounced by the
natives gundolo, with accent on the first
syllable-is an unwieldly sloop-rigged
vessel still in use in the shallow waters
of the New England coast. The gun
dolo" sailed quietly down with the tide
to a dock in Portsmouth town, nine
miles below There perhaps half a
dozen men were taken on board, in
cluding Captain Langdon, afterward
first President of the United States Sem
ate and Governor of New Hampshire.
From Governor Wenworth's cores
poudencc with the Earl of Dartmouth it
would appear that he warned Captain
Cochran, in command at the fort. of the
intended attack; but it is a tradition in
Durham that the garrison was awaken
ed from sleep as the party mounted the
ramparts. No blood was shed on either
side. In his letter TO Lord Dartmouth,
Sir John (Governor) Wentworth gives
further details. '.NewS was brought to
me" he says, THAT a drum was beating
about the town to collect the populace
together in order to take away the gun
powder and dismantle the fort. | sent
the Chief-Justice to them to warn them
from engaging in such an attempt. He
went to them, told them it was not
short of rebellion, and entreated them
to desist from it and disperse. But all
to no purpose. They went to the Island.
They forced an entrance in spite OF
Captain Cochran. who defended it as
long as he could. They secured the
captain, triumphantly gave three huz-
zas, and hauled down the Kings
colors." Captain Cochran made his re-
port. 81 told them," ne wrote, ION
their peril not to enter. They replied
they would. l Immediately ordered
three four-pounders to be fired on them,
and then the small-arms. and before we
could be ready to fire again we were
stormed on ali quarters, and Immediate
ly they secured me and my men, and
kept us prisoners about an hour and a
half, during which time they broke
open the powder-house, and took all the
powder away except one barrel"
The powder being loaded aboard the
"gundolo," the vessel was sailed back
to Durham on the flood tide, arriving in
the early morning. The larger part OF
the powder was buried under the pulpit
of the old ''meeting-house" in front OF
Major Sullivan's residence-under the
pulpit from which venerable Parson
Adams had for years back been incul.
eating lessons OF patriotism. Two OF
three mounds still exist to show where
the foundations of this church were
laid.
The captured powder, as before in.
timated, played an important part at
the battle of Bunker Hill In the Con-
tinental army gathered about Boston
there was Il terrible lack of ammunition.
at is a fact" says Bancroft, referring
TO the day before Prescott occupied
Breeds Hill, ''ihat the Americans, aftel
collecting all the ammunition north OF
the Delaware, had in their magazine.
for an army engaged in Il siege and
preparing for fight, no more than 274
barrels [kegs] of powder, with a gift
from Connecticut of 369 barrels more "
When, lis the British were forming for
a decisive charge on his hotly defended
works, Prescott discovered that he had
barely one ronnd OF ammunition among
his men, and gave the order 10 retreat,
both his and Stark's men would un-
doubtedly have been cut 10 pieces OF
captured except for the CALLING lire with
which Stark, from behind the grass.
stuffed fence on Bunker Hill, met the
Welsh Fusileers who We're marching to