Gunpowder Incident
| Gunpowder Incident | |||||||
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| Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
 The powder magazine in Williamsburg from which the gunpowder was removed | |||||||
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The Gunpowder Incident (or Gunpowder Affair) was a conflict early in the American Revolutionary War between Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of the Colony of Virginia, and militia led by Patrick Henry. On April 20, 1775, one day after the Battles of Lexington and Concord (and well before news of that event reached Virginia), Lord Dunmore ordered the removal of the gunpowder from the magazine in Williamsburg, Virginia to a Royal Navy ship. This action sparked an uprising of militia that was ultimately resolved peacefully, although Dunmore later retreated to the safety of a naval vessel.
Growing tension
Military tensions began to rise in the British colonies of North America in 1774 when a series of legislative acts by the British Parliament known as the Intolerable Acts began to be implemented in the colonies. The colonies, in solidarity with the Province of Massachusetts Bay, which had been singled out for punishment by those acts in the wake of the Boston Tea Party, had organized a Congress to meet in September 1774. During the meeting of the First Continental Congress word arrived of a militia uprising in Massachusetts that became known as the Powder Alarm. In early September, General Thomas Gage, the royal governor of Massachusetts, had removed gunpowder from a powder magazine in Charlestown (in a location now in Somerville), and militia from all over New England had flocked to the area in response to false rumors that violence had been involved. One consequence of this action was that the Congress called for the colonies to organize militia units that included rapid-response minuteman companies. Another was that all of the colonial governors were ordered to secure their military supplies.
In early 1775, Virginians began to organize militia companies and seek out military supplies (weapons, ammunition, and gunpowder) to arm and equip them. Lord Dunmore, Virginia's royal governor, saw this rising unrest in his colony and sought to deprive Virginia militia of these supplies. The Second Virginia Convention had elected delegates to the Continental Congress. Dunmore issued a proclamation against electing delegates to the Congress, but did not take serious action. Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech at the Second Convention on March 23 and the accompanying resolution calling for forming an armed resistance made Dunmore "think it prudent to remove some Gunpowder which was in a Magazine in this place."[1][2] Although British Army troops had been withdrawn from Virginia in the wake of the Powder Alarm, there were several Royal Navy ships in the Virginia waters of Chesapeake Bay. On April 19, Lord Dunmore quietly brought a company of British sailors into Williamsburg and quartered them in the governor's mansion. Dunmore then ordered Captain Henry Collins, commander of HMS Magdalen to remove the gunpowder from the magazine in Williamsburg.[3]
Removing the gunpowder
On the night of April 20, royal marines loaded fifteen half barrels of powder into the governor's wagon and transported it to the eastern end of the Quarterpath Road to be loaded aboard the Magdalen in the James River. The act was discovered by townsfolk while underway, and they sounded an alarm. Local militia rallied to the scene, and riders spread word of the incident across the colony. Dunmore had as a precaution armed his servants with muskets, and it was only the calming words of Patriot leaders that prevented the assembling crowd from storming Dunmore's mansion.[3] Dunmore, who had only recently gained some popularity from victory in Dunmore's War against Shawnee Indians in the Ohio Country (then a part of Virginia), feared for his personal safety. As militia activity picked up pace and the city council called for the return of the gunpowder, Dunmore warned that if he were attacked he would "declare Freedom to the Slaves, and reduce the City of Williamsburg to Ashes."[3] He also told an alderman that he had "once fought for the Virginians" but "By God, I would let them see that I could fight against them."
As word of the incident spread, militia from all over Virginia mobilized, motivated both by the news from Williamsburg and by the arrival of news of the battles at Lexington and Concord. Nearly 700 men mustered at Fredericksburg, and decided to send a messenger to Williamsburg to assess the situation before marching on the capital. Peyton Randolph advised against violence, and George Washington, a longtime leader of the Virginia militia, concurred. In response to their advice, the Fredericksburg militia voted by a narrow margin not to march.[4] However, militia from other parts of the colony did march to Williamsburg. The Hanover County militia, numbering about 150 and led by Patrick Henry, reached Williamsburg first on May 3. Henry was advised by Carter Braxton, a Patriot member of the House of Burgesses, not to enter the city, so he took up station a few miles away. That day Dunmore's family escaped to Porto Bello, Lord Dunmore's hunting lodge on the York River,[5] and from there to the HMS Fowey, lying at anchor in the York River. The next day, May 4, Henry received £330 in royal funds transferred from the accounts managed by Braxton's father-in-law, Richard Corbin, who was the Deputy Collector of the Royal Revenue in Virginia, as payment for the powder.[4] Henry then departed to take his place as a member of Virginia's delegation to the Second Continental Congress. On May 6 Dunmore issued a proclamation charging Henry with extortion of the £330, and forbidding the citizenry to assist Henry in any way.[4]
Aftermath
The incident worsened Dunmore's declining popularity. Although his family briefly returned to Williamsburg on May 12 as a sign of good faith, relations between Dunmore and the House of Burgesses continued to deteriorate. On June 8, Dunmore and his family fled the governor's mansion in the middle of the night and took up residence aboard the Fowey. The Burgesses had been deliberating the Conciliatory Resolution, a proposal that was an attempt by the North Ministry to divide the colonies. In the wake of Dunmore's flight, the Burgesses rejected the proposal.
Dunmore continued to make vigorous attempts to regain control of the colony, but after a decisive defeat of British forces at Great Bridge in December, he was reduced to raiding operations and eventually abandoned the colony for good in August 1776.
Notes
- ^ Proclamation
- ^ Principles of Freedom
- ^ a b c Russell, p. 52
- ^ a b c Russell, p. 53
- ^ Kibler, J. Luther (April 1931). "Numerous Errors in Wilstach's 'Tidewater Virginia' Challenge Criticism". The William and Mary Quarterly, 2nd Ser. 11 (2). Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture: 152–156. doi:10.2307/1921010.
References
- Russell, David Lee (2000). The American Revolution in the Southern colonies. McFarland. ISBN 9780786407835.
- Proclamation against Patrick Henry
- Colonial Williamsburg - Magazine (including the Gunpowder Incident)
External links
- "Primary Documents Relating to the Seizure of Powder at Williamsburg, VA, April 21, 1775", from www.revwar75.com
- Old Virginia Gazette article on the Gunpowder Incident
