We all know the story. The Colonialist had grown weary of the distant rule of a far off government. Grumblings had been heard in assembly halls, street corners and in pubs throughout the Colony. Freedom would not be denied, but action would be needed to ensure our independence.
In a small New England town a group of patriots waited for word of the location of the British fleet. A silversmith from Boston, Paul Revere, rode to warn the citizen militia that “the British are coming.” There would only be a few partisans, but they knew surprise was the key to victory. With that, the Sons of Liberty committed themselves to the first battle of the Revolutionary War at Fort William and Mary, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
What!? William and Mary?…Portsmouth?….New Hampshire? I know what you are thinking……you thought the “shot heard round the world” occurred in the Spring of 1775, in Concord and Lexington, MA. The Battle of Lexington and Concord was indeed the first exchange of gunfire between British Troops and the future Continental Army. But the first Battle of the Revolutionary War took place on December 14 – 15, of 1774, at the mouth of the Piscataqua (Pis-scat-ta-quaw) River, months before the armed insurrection at Lexington and Concord.
Residents from Exeter, Durham, Dover, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire had been warned by Paul Revere, days before the battle, that the British planned to reinforce Fort William and Mary, and that British ships were expected any day. The Sons of Liberty decided to raid the fort and take its gunpowder and cannons. The fact that they achieved this victory without anyone being killed or wounded is probably why you may have never heard of this “battle.” In fact, many argue that the absence of gunfire means that William and Mary could not be considered a real battle. I just like to think that our brothers to the South in Massachusetts had a better press agent.
After the battle, the cannons and gunpowder were scattered throughout the countryside, and would eventually find their way to the Battle of Bunkerhill (“Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes”). Many of the participants of the Battle of William and Mary went on to fight in other Revolutionary battles and participate in the founding of the United States of America. But their heroics at the Battle of William and Mary have been lost to time.
The Battle of William and Mary reminds us, the citizens of New Hampshire, of our place in history. New Hampshirians (or is New Hampshirites?) are a humble people, with a legacy of working together as a united community to identify the problem and quickly resolving it. I am afraid that some of that spirit has been lost and needs to be rekindled. New Hampshire has always done well when it remained true to its core “Granite State” value of self-sufficiency.
The 2006 election will most likely go down in history as an example of the power of the ballot that Thomas Jefferson envisioned when he wrote the Constitution. However, it should not have meant that New Hampshire was abandoning its heritage to conservative principals. Live Free or Die isn’t about helmet or seatbelt laws, or if a person has the right to smoke in a restaurant. Live Free or Die is about whether “We the People...” control our destiny, or whether we turn that responsibility over to the government.
In a small New England town a group of patriots waited for word of the location of the British fleet. A silversmith from Boston, Paul Revere, rode to warn the citizen militia that “the British are coming.” There would only be a few partisans, but they knew surprise was the key to victory. With that, the Sons of Liberty committed themselves to the first battle of the Revolutionary War at Fort William and Mary, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
What!? William and Mary?…Portsmouth?….New Hampshire? I know what you are thinking……you thought the “shot heard round the world” occurred in the Spring of 1775, in Concord and Lexington, MA. The Battle of Lexington and Concord was indeed the first exchange of gunfire between British Troops and the future Continental Army. But the first Battle of the Revolutionary War took place on December 14 – 15, of 1774, at the mouth of the Piscataqua (Pis-scat-ta-quaw) River, months before the armed insurrection at Lexington and Concord.
Residents from Exeter, Durham, Dover, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire had been warned by Paul Revere, days before the battle, that the British planned to reinforce Fort William and Mary, and that British ships were expected any day. The Sons of Liberty decided to raid the fort and take its gunpowder and cannons. The fact that they achieved this victory without anyone being killed or wounded is probably why you may have never heard of this “battle.” In fact, many argue that the absence of gunfire means that William and Mary could not be considered a real battle. I just like to think that our brothers to the South in Massachusetts had a better press agent.
After the battle, the cannons and gunpowder were scattered throughout the countryside, and would eventually find their way to the Battle of Bunkerhill (“Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes”). Many of the participants of the Battle of William and Mary went on to fight in other Revolutionary battles and participate in the founding of the United States of America. But their heroics at the Battle of William and Mary have been lost to time.
The Battle of William and Mary reminds us, the citizens of New Hampshire, of our place in history. New Hampshirians (or is New Hampshirites?) are a humble people, with a legacy of working together as a united community to identify the problem and quickly resolving it. I am afraid that some of that spirit has been lost and needs to be rekindled. New Hampshire has always done well when it remained true to its core “Granite State” value of self-sufficiency.
The 2006 election will most likely go down in history as an example of the power of the ballot that Thomas Jefferson envisioned when he wrote the Constitution. However, it should not have meant that New Hampshire was abandoning its heritage to conservative principals. Live Free or Die isn’t about helmet or seatbelt laws, or if a person has the right to smoke in a restaurant. Live Free or Die is about whether “We the People...” control our destiny, or whether we turn that responsibility over to the government.
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