How the Shooting Began in 1774: The Start of the Revolutionary War in New Hampshire

Officially the Revolutionary War began with the Battle of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, but the first exchange of fire between the king’s government and the Patriots came the previous December in New Hampshire. The bloodless fight over Fort William & Mary in Portsmouth harbor was one stage of a months-long “arms race” as New England’s royal governors and political resistance vied to seize cannon and other artillery supplies in preparation for a war. This talk explores the mass demonstrations, armory break-ins, shadow governments, and espionage that brought on the war.

About the presenter: 

J. L. Bell is the author of The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War. He maintains the Boston1775.net website, offering daily doses of history, analysis, and unabashed gossip about Revolutionary New England. His work has appeared in books, scholarly journals, museum exhibits, television shows, and even comics about the American Revolution.