 Drawing of the octagonal Williamsburg Magazine The Gunpowder Incident (also known as the Gunpowder Affair) was a conflict early in the American Revolutionary War between Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of colonial Virginia, and militia led by Patrick Henry. Image File history File links Williamsburg_magazine_drawing_exterior. ...
Image File history File links Williamsburg_magazine_drawing_exterior. ...
Combatants American Revolutionaries, France, Netherlands, Spain, Native Americans Great Britain, German mercenaries, Loyalists, Native Americans Commanders George Washington, Comte de Rochambeau, Nathanael Greene William Howe, Henry Clinton, Charles Cornwallis (more commanders) The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence,[1] was a conflict that...
Lord Dunmore John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore (1730–February 25, 1809) was the British governor of the Province of New York from 1770 to 1771 and the Virginia Colony, from September 25, 1771 until just before the American Revolutionary War began in June 1775. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 35th 110,862 km² 320 km 690 km 7. ...
Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 – June 6, 1799) was a prominent figure in the American Revolution, known and remembered primarily for his stirring oratory. ...
The incident began on April 20, 1775, a day after the Battle of Lexington and Concord, an event with some parallels. Lord Dunmore attempted to remove the gunpowder where it was stored in a magazine in Williamsburg, Virginia to an armed British ship in the James River. Dunmore saw rising unrest in the colony and sought to deprive Virginia militia of supplies needed for insurrection. 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 and the accompanying resolution calling for forming an armed resistance made Dunmore think "think it prudent to remove some Gunpowder which was in a Magazine in this place.”[1]. Dunmore gave a key to Lieutenant Henry Colins, commander of H.M.S. Magdalen, and ordered him to remove the powder. April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ...
1775 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...
The Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 was the first battle of the American Revolutionary War and was described as the shot heard round the world in Emersons Concord Hymn. ...
Nickname: The Burg Motto: Official website: http://www. ...
The James River is the name of at least two rivers in the United States. ...
The Virginia Conventions were a series of five political meetings in the state of Virginia in response to British colonial rule. ...
The Continental Congress is the label given to three successive bodies of representatives: The First Continental Congress met from September 5, 1774 to October 26, 1774. ...
On the night of April 20, royal marines loaded fifteen half barrels of powder into the governor's wagon before they were discovered. Local militia rallied to the scene, and riders spread word of the incident across the colony. Dunmore, who had only recently gained some popularity from victory in Dunmore's War against Shawnee Indians in the Ohio Country, feared for his personal safety. He warned the colony that if he were attacked he would “declare Freedom to the Slaves, and reduce the City of Williamsburg to Ashes.” 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.” Dunmores War (or Lord Dunmores War) was the result of several collisions that took place in the spring of 1774, on the Ohio River above the mouth of the Little Kanawha River, between Native American peoples (particularly Shawnee, Miami, and Wyandot) and parties of Anglo_American settlers who were...
The Shawnee, or Shawano, are a people native to North America. ...
The Ohio Country, showing the present-day U.S. state boundaries The Ohio Country (sometimes called the Ohio Territory) was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake...
As word of the incident spread, militia from Hanover, Albemarle, Orange, and, under the advice of George Washington, Fredericksburg, began to move on Williamsburg. These militias learned of the events in Lexington and Concord at about the same time they began to march. The Hanover militia, led by Patrick Henry, reached Williamsburg first, arrving outside of the city on May 3. That day Dunmore's family escaped to the H.M.S. Fowey and the governor sent a request for reinforcements to Boston. George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783, and later the first President of the United States, an office to which he was twice elected unanimously (unanimous among the Electoral College) and...
Boston is a town and small port c. ...
For several days, a standoff ensued. Henry waited outside Williamsburg with between 150 and 500 militia while Dunmore threatened to destroy Williamsburg and have the Navy fire on Yorktown if there was an attack. Carter Braxton negotiated a resolution to the Gunpowder Incident by agreeing to have £330 in royal funds transferred from the accounts managed by his father-in-law, Richard Corbin, Deputy Collector of the Royal Revenue in Virginia, as payment for the powder. The militia left, and Henry joined the rest of Virginia's delegation at the Continental Congress. Dunmore issued a proclamation condemning Henry as a criminal on May 6. York Hall is a government building on Yorktowns historic Main Street. ...
Painting thought to be of Carter Braxton Carter Braxton (September 16, 1736–October 10, 1797), was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and a representative of Virginia. ...
The incident exacerbated Dunmore's declining popularity. He fled the Governor's Palace to the British ship Fowey at Yorktown on June 8. On November 7, Dunmore issued a proclamation declaring Virginia in a state of rebellion.
See also Powder House on the seal of the City of Somerville. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Largest city Boston Boston Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 44th 10,555 sq mi 27,360 km² 183 miles 295 km 113 miles 182 km 13. ...
External links - Old Virginia Gazette article on the Gunpowder Incident
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