American Revolution in Massachusetts

Old Powder House, Somerville

Incident
Thousands of militia men from all over New England gathered in Cambridge after hearing rumors of British military action against Boston. Several Loyalists were forced to flee to the relative safety of Boston, including Thomas Brattle and Lieutenant Governor Thomas Oliver (who was also forced to resign.) The rumors were eventually proven false and the men dispersed, thus avoiding any battles for the time being.

Causes
General Thomas Gage ordered a unit of British soldiers to remove a supply of gunpowder from a powder house in what is now Somerville and bring it to Fort William on Castle Island. The gunpowder was at that time the largest such supply in Massachusetts. Locals who had noticed the movements of the troops were alarmed, and rumors quickly began to spread that the British had attacked Boston, one such rumor even going so far as to say that six people had been killed. It was thought by many that war had finally begun.

Effects
Although a serious fight had been averted (due largely to Oliver advising Gage not to send troops out,) Patriots were still displeased by Gage’s actions in taking the gunpowder and saw it as yet another example of tyranny. In preparation for a war that seemed inevitable, militias in the region started taking more care in guarding their own supplies and in trying to keep a closer eye on Gage and the movements of British troops.