The shot heard around the world

[xl_target]

For the history lovers among us, there is an excellent history thread at ARF.com right now that is worth reading.

Many of us already know the general outline of what went down back in 1775; the events that led to the creation of a new nation. However, the OP's simple style of narration is very attention getting and his recounting of the events that led up to "the shot heard around the world" is compelling reading.

Take a few minutes to read through the thread and follow those momentous events that eventually led to the creation of what is now known as the United States of America.

Part 1-Powder Raids

In September of 1774, a company of British troops crossed the Charles River by boat from Boston to Cambridge in the middle of night. By early morning they had arrived at the Massachusetts Provisional Powder house. The powder house was a stone silo type structure used as a powder magazine to house the black powder used by the surrounding communities. They were let in by the local sheriff and subsequently confiscated 250 half barrels of powder belonging to the Massachusetts colony.

The redcoats marched back through Cambridge drawing the attention of the locals who spread the word "the powder raids have begun!" The locals were so outraged at this raid that nearly four thousand assembled. They took the sheriff hostage and made him write notice that he would never help the red coats again. They rampaged through the Tory/loyalist section of town and ran the most prominent of them out of town, never to return. It was only the intervention of local patriot leaders who kept the mob from marching to Boston and confronting the army stationed there.

This raid did two things. It confirmed the fear of the colonists that "the Regulars" (what they called the army) could and would raid and confiscate arms. The second thing it did was motivate colonial leaders such as Paul Revere and Dr. Joseph Warren to set up a network of citizens to keep an eye on the troops in Boston for any indication of them mobilizing for future raids.

The early warning system and subsequent alert notification system developed by Revere and Warren would be tested in the coming months.

To be continued...

Part 2-Intollerable Acts

In 1773 as a result of the Boston Tea Party, the Parliament had passed a series of laws to bring the colonies under control. These laws were called "The Coercive Acts" and did exactly what they meant, to coerce the colonies into submission.The colonists didn't hear about the Coercive Act until 1774 and by then started referring to them as the "Intolerable Acts".

The Coercive Acts banned free speech. Troops raided newspapers and smashed or confiscated printing presses.They did away with local control of towns, cities, counties and colonies. It removed local judges. A person could now be held without warrant and sent back to England to be judged for any crime the crown could think up.

Under the Coercive Acts, militias were banned as was military type training. Importation of black powder and muskets was stopped.

In December of 1774, General Thomas Gage, commander of all British forces in north America and military governor of Massachusetts ordered another raid. This time the plan was to send a ship load of troops up to New Hampshire to secure the powder and weapons stored at an outpost called Fort William and Mary. The fort was manned by an officer and a small number of regulars.

Paul Revere's intelligence network, called "The Mechanics" because the were all tradesmen, notified him and he made the long ride to the fort in a snowstorm. He contacted the local militia, which was now outlawed and they gathered 250 men and stormed the fort. Shots were fired, people were wounded but no one was killed. The fort was taken and the militia relieved the fort of powder, muskets and small artillery pieces. The militia melted back into the country side.

The governor of New Hampshire was outraged. He sent a message to Gen. Gage telling him of the armed insurrection. The ship load of soldiers had been delayed because of a snow squall and didn't make it for another day. To add insult to injury the ship was run aground (some say intentionally) by the harbor pilot.

The score was now the Regulars 1, Colonists 1. The next raid wouldn't be tried for another couple months.

to be continued...

Part 3- Setting The Stage

The conflict between the crown and colonists didn't happen over night. In fact it was a decade long escalation of push and push back. By 1764, England was on the edge of a fiscal cliff. They had just finished the "7 years war" with France around the globe. In north America it was known as the French and Indian war because that's who they were fighting.

To pay for the wars the crown turned to the American colonies. Britain like most of the major powers generated wealth by exploiting the natural resources of the regions they conquered or settled and then created a market in those locations to sell finished products back to. The American colonies had the most resources and were their biggest market. They enjoyed the highest standard of living of all of Britain's colonies including that of the home island. It is always the way to go after the rich, they can afford it. So the crown imposed new taxes on the colonies. First it was for sugar and then they devalued the money basically creating run away inflation.

The colonists had always considered themselves lucky to be "free Englishmen" protected by one of the first codified statement of human rights from centuries before, the Magna Carta. They were also somewhat autonomous from the direct government involvement. They were a long way from Parliament and as such had developed their own style of local government and justice system over a period of decades. The colonists had pushed back the frontier with their own hands. They had fought the French, Spanish, pirates, Indians and marauders of all kinds. They had cleared the land with their own hands. The had bore and buried their children on it. They developed a system that worked and they highly resented the crown taking what they considered to be theirs.

The new taxes shocked and angered them. They formed groups to protest the new taxes. One group that was particularly vocal was The Sons of Liberty. Men like Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, John Hancock and others became leaders. They were able to successfully argue down new taxes only to have them replaced with others.

The more the crown pushed, the more the colonists resisted and pushed back. This caused the crown to send more troops to enforce the regulations and protect the tax collectors and government officials. Of course this escalated the tension between the two sides and increased the odds of a confrontation. With the passing of the Stamp Act (taxing every commercial piece of paper such as newspapers, contracts, letters etc) the resistance intensified.

Samuel Adams one of the major agitators and was in charge of the Boston Mob. Not an organized crime mob but laborers and tradesmen whom he could get on short notice to start a demonstration or antagonize the soldiers in Boston. This came to a head in March of 1770 when soldiers taunted by the mob and pelted with snowballs opened fired on the crowd, the infamous Boston Massacre. The British sent more troops into the city in a show of force and of course the Boston Massacre became galvanizing event for the resistance.

The crown backed off for a time and for several years an uneasy peace reigned with only minor conflicts. However, with the passing of the Tea Tax in 1773, colonial passions were again flamed which resulted in the Boston Tea Party. As everyone knows, Sons of Liberty dressed as Indians went aboard ship and dumped the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tea into the harbor. While the Indian garb may have been to disguise those involved, it was actually used because Indians were considered the symbol of a free people.

The crown was outraged and sent more troops. They created more restrictions such as the Townsend Acts which implemented financial sanctions and import, export regulations. These were met with more resistance. By 1774, the American colonies were under martial law and Boston was occupied by thousands of troops sent in to enforce the mandates of the Coercive/Intolerable Acts.

Stay tuned...

The story continues on this thread:
The shot heard around the world. <-- LINK

[Pradyumna]

Thanks for the ''Excellent'' post. I am eagerly waiting for its continuance.

[nagarifle]

ok mate the tea party is over, and was not invited.

thanks mate

[skeetshot]

As can be read between the lines ; the whole concept of Arms Control is essentially a British one.

First implemented in Scotland, and then the United States and then in India.

And it was these factors in from Boston that ultimately led to the Bill of Rights, one of the most far reaching Human Rights legislations there is.

With time and continuous efforts , this fundamental right as now established as enshrined in the Indian Constitution, will percolate to its people.

[Mark]

[Hammerhead]

Almost everything British did what they do it everywhere such as in India, South Africa. Same massacres and same restrictions.

Until they met the gun, that's where the 2nd Amendmentwas born of , that what stopped them - Keep posting XL

_______________________________
Moved to the new house tonight

Edit; Thanks Mark, Thanks essdee1972

[Mark]

Congratulations on surviving the move! Moving your home is one of those things that a person forgets how much of a hassle it is until you are doing it again.

[essdee1972]

XL, thanks. I don't see the "thanks" button???

Hammerhead paaji, congrats on the new house!

[xl_target]

Guys,
I really don't want to plagiarize that whole thread and post it here. It wouldn't be doing right by the original poster.

Please go ahead and read his thread. He doesn't complete the story in his thread. Read the thread to find out why. I, who consider myself a history buff, was actually quite ignorant of the details. I knew the broad outline but not the details. The details are quite fascinating as I learned when I attended the Appleseed shoot. During the breaks of that weekend event, the instructors unfolded the story for us. I know we have many history and military history buffs on this forum who would find that story fascinating. I encourage you to go out and find what you can read on this subject. It is about a few men who believed they had right on their side; men who took on incredible odds and the forces of the most powerful nation on earth at the time. They risked everything they had, to secure those rights for themselves and for the generations to come. It is an inspiring story and reads better than any novel. It is a story that every man, free or in bondage, should become familiar with. Giving up their arms was not an option if they wanted to live as free men; free men who would have to bow down to no one.

The definitive book on this first concerted action of the American colonists against the British is "Paul Revere's Ride" by David Hackett Fischer. What many people forget is how traumatic this incident was for both sides. Since they no longer teach crap about the founding of this nation in public schools, many Americans are ignorant of the facts too. It is a moving and heart rending story and the sacrifices of the revolution were just beginning but these first bold steps set in motion the forming of a Republic that put personal liberty over all else. To get this story out is why Appleseed was created. Those men are owed a debt that cannot be repaid.

The struggle after the events of Cambridge was bitter and it was just the beginning. Defeat after defeat followed at the hands of the British regulars and their Hessian mercenaries. This pattern was repeated time after time till General Washington crossed the Delaware River on December 25th, 1776. He was accompanied by the tattered remnants of his army in a last ditch gamble to defeat the Hessian mercenaries at Trenton, New Jersey. On that bitter winter's night, his men crossed the ice-choked Delaware and marched inland over ice and snow covered roads. Many in his ragged army had no shoes and the road was streaked with blood from their torn bare feet. With inadequate clothing and equipment, in intolerable weather, they marched all night to arrive at Trenton in the morning, where by an amazing set of circumstances, the Hessian's were totally unprepared. That ragged army smashed some of the finest troops that Europe had to offer. The Hessian's were battle hardened troops who were broken totally and were forced to surrender, that day, to the citizen soldiers of a fledgling nation; citizen soldiers who refused to give up their arms, no matter what the cost.

To Try Men's Souls by Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen is an excellent book that describes the events on December 25th and 26th, 1776. To read this book, I had to force myself to overcome my personal disdain for Newt but the book is well researched and extremely well written. It describes that bitter "victory or death" action very well.

If there is interest, I will try to describe the events of Washington's crossing the Delaware and his subsequent march on Trenton.

[Hammerhead]

If there is interest, I will try to describe the events of Washington's crossing the Delaware and his subsequent march on Trenton.

Please ..........

[xl_target]

Ok, Haji, since you requested it......

Desperate Straits
On December 20th 1776 General Washington wrote to the President of Congress: "Ten days more will put an end to the existence of our army". He had at most about 5,000 or 6,000 men, many of which he wrote to the President of Congress about as:"being entirely naked and most so thinly clad as to be unfit for service". "Our only dependence now is upon the speedy enlistment of a new army. If this fails, I think the game will be pretty well up"; he wrote to his cousin. On December 31st, the enlistment period of many of his men would be up, leaving him with a scant 1400 after that date.

It looked like the British had pretty much won. General George Washington's army was on its last legs; ill clad, lacking provisions and adequate shelter, morale was at an all time low. A severe Winter storm had set in bringing an icy chill, sleet, snow and ice to ravage the remnants of this tattered group of men who could barely be called an army. Most of the men were sick from being exposed to the bitter weather and a lack of supplies. Many men did not have boots, wrapping burlap rags around their feet to protect them from the elements. They were using blankets instead of coats as they had lost most of their supplies after repeated losses to the British. There was no way this army, if it could be called an army anymore, could be called to do much more. Desertion, sickness. malnutrition and low morale had taken a terrible toll on this once hopeful band of men. Only their regard for their General and the fact that they would be going home soon as their obligations ran out, kept them at Washington's side.

A (not so) Merry Christmas
Washington had billeted his men in makeshift huts on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River and had commandeered some warehouses for his staff. In one of those stone warehouses, he sat working on one last ditch attack on the enemy before his army evaporated. It was one last chance for his army after a string of defeats. A future American President, then eighteen year old Lt. James Monroe remembered the code words for the operation; "Victory or Death". If they lost, death would be what followed. Death for the men and death for the hopes of a new nation.

On Christmas eve, 1500 Hessian's under Col Johannes Rahl were garrisoned in Trenton, New Jersey. The Hessians were German soldiers loaned to the British. They were very experienced combat veterans and had fought with distinction at White Plains and had turned the American flank at Ft. Washington. They were feared for their 'give no quarter' style of fighting and were hated for their massacre of surrendering Americans. As the Hessians were settling down to a holiday meal, they were attacked by local milita.

Knowing the local country well, and relying on the fact that they could disappear in to the forests, local militia had been conducting hit and run attacks on the Hessians with some regularity. The Hessians spent many nights on alert during these raids. While these raids did not inflict much material damage on the Hessians, they served to rob the German garrison of valuable sleep. On this night, an outpost of the German Mercenary soldiers was attacked by militia men firing in through the windows as Hessians sat at their meal table for their Christmas eve meal. Some were killed and some were wounded. Most of the 1500 men under Col. Rahl were called out of their barracks. At this time the storm was still raging. After the militia men attacked, they vanished into the night and could not be found. The Hessian's, soaked and chilled to the bone, were sent back to their barracks. A professional soldier and ever conscious of the well being of his men, Col Rahl gave orders that they could skip muster the next morning as he could not envision any attack in the horrendous weather conditions raging at the time.

Many of the Hessians, like British soldiers, were quartered in the homes of the local people. The people had no choice in the matter. They had to provide shelter and food for the troops. If they didn't, they were considered a traitor to the King and there was only one punishment for Treason. There were probably some Royalist sympathizers who were happy to do so but for most it was a just a matter of survival.
Of the many indignities heaped on the populace, this one was remembered and in 1789, the third Amendment to the Constitution proclaimed:

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

More to come........

[xl_target]

A note about the Hessians:

The Hessians were 18th-century German soldiers hired through their rulers by the British Empire. About 30,000 German soldiers served in the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolutionary War; nearly half were from the Hesse region of Germany; the others came from similar small German states. In the context of the British service, they were all referred to as "Hessians." The American colonists called them mercenaries.

During the American Revolutionary War, Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel (a principality in northern Hesse or Hessia) and other German leaders hired out some of their regular army units to Great Britain for use to fight against the Patriots in the American revolution. About 30,000 of these men served in America. They were called Hessians, because the largest group (12,992 of the total 30,067 men) came from Hesse-Kassel. They came in entire units with their usual uniforms, flags, weapons and officers.

Quote from HERE

[xl_target]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…. (a little literary device familiar to fans of the Bonanza TV show)

The Crossing
Washington’s initial plans included support from General Gates and his troops but General Gates believed that such a sortie would not succeed and furthermore would leave Philadelphia open to attack. As Washington drew up his troops in preparation to embark their transportation across the river, an aide of General Gates drew up. Since there was ice and snow on the road, the aide had been able to find him by following the bloody trail left on the road by Washington’s bootless men. Regretfully handing Washington a note from General Gates refusing to comply with his orders, the aide; Major James Wilkinson, asked to join Washington’s command.
Commandeered flat bottomed barges, normally used to bring coal down the river were loaded up with men, horses and guns. The river was choked with ice floes that crashed into and battered the craft but the indomitable “Marblehead fishermen” of Col. John Glover’s amphibious unit would labor the night through rowing men and materiel, repeatedly, across the Delaware. These tireless men performed yeoman service that night and incredibly, they managed to ferry the troubled army across the river. Washington’s three hundred pound General of Artillery, General Knox, was in charge of the embarkation. His “stentorian lungs” could be heard throughout the night coaxing and chivvying the army across the river.
Before the men were embarked, Thomas Paine’s famous “Crisis” pamphlet, hot off the presses in Philadelphia, was read to them. He said:

These are time that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman………

By the light of great bonfires, the men stumbled and collapsed into the boats. With snow and sleet whipping around them, they were ferried across the swollen Delaware. More bonfires were lit on the other side and the half frozen men gathered there waiting for the rest of the army to cross. At three in the morning the move was completed and by four a.m. the men were started towards Trenton. Shoeless and wet through, the men staggered over the rutted track. Sharp ice shards cut into the men’s feet once again leaving a trail of blood in the wake of Washington’s army. Men stubbed their toes on the ruts but after a while many lost all feeling in their feet and it didn’t seem to matter so much anymore. Horses, pulling the guns, slipped and skittered across the icy road as they followed the ragged column.
Trenton was eight miles away and had to be reached before dawn otherwise all surprise would be lost. However, there was no way they could make it to Trenton by dawn. Now committed, Washington had no choice but to proceed. Even with all the secrecy surrounding Washington’s plans, they had leaked. Unknown to Washington, Col Rahl and his Hessians were aware of the attack. By an incredible coincidence, the attack of the local patriot band had taken place the night before. The hit and run raid which had inflicted some casualties on the Hessians had convinced Col. Rahl that this was the attack that he had heard about. Since it had failed, he allowed his cold, tired and soaked men to take it easy the next day.

Stay tuned, boys and girls. More to come…..

[prashantsingh]

PAUL REVERE'S RIDE.
by H W Longfellow.

"Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere".

A poem I read way back in school. In fact everyone who studied in an ICSE / ISC school would have read it in English literature.
Wonder why the British made it a part of the Indian syllabus?

OT
On one of my trips to "The Globe Theatre" in London I was pleasantly surprised to see a plaque dedicated to the "Citizens of India" who still study Shakespeare's works in school.
We had "Merchant of Venice" and "Macbeth" in school.

[xl_target]

The March
Unknown to Washington, two flood choked ravines lay in the way. While the men could scramble up and down the sides, the horses pulling the guns would have a hard time. There was no way the guns could be abandoned, for without them the attack would surely fail. Some horses, floundering in the waters are the bottom of the ravines, broke their legs and had to be put down but the men, now delayed even further, managed to get to guns over the road. It was touch and go but the guns were manhandled, with great effort, to the other side of the ravines. Men who succumbed to the conditions and fell by the roadside could not be helped and had to be left behind.
Dawn came and went and the men were still not at Trenton. Surely, the Hessian’s would be at Muster and would be armed and ready for any attack by now. Too late to make any changes, Washington divided his men into two groups. One was to attack the town from the North and one was to attack from the West. The western group included a brigade under Gen. Arthur St. Clair. The mist that formed that morning and the remnants of the storm served to hide and deaden the sounds of the men and guns advancing. Thanks to the diligence of Col. Rahl towards the well being of his men, most of them were indoors. There was one lone Hessian picket in a house outside the town.
There was another problem; the storm had wet the powder and many of the muskets on the American side would not fire. “What is to be done” asked one of his subordinates? The General replied: ”You have nothing for it but to push on and use the bayonet.” They would have to clear their muskets if they wanted to load and fire a volley.
As they approached Trenton, they ran into a man chopping wood by the side of the road. “I don’t know” replied the man when asked where the Hessian picket was. Then an artillery Captain, Thomas Forrest, who was with Washington approached the man and said: “You may speak for that is General Washington”. The amazed man raised his hands and exclaimed: “God Bless and prosper you, Sir! The picket is in that house and the sentry stands by that tree”.

More to come…….