Tuesday, April 2 marked the fourth lecture in the Acton 250th series on events leading up to the American Revolution. Historian J.L. Bell presented a lesser-known piece of this history to an engaged audience at Town Hall and online through Zoom and ActonTV.
Bell’s talk focused on military maneuvers in Boston and nearby towns, including Acton, in the months prior to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. He offered insights into why Acton’s militia, among others, became convinced of the necessity of confronting the British occupiers.
During this period, two competing forms of government existed: one established by local towns and villages and the other imposed by the British Crown. Towns operated in a “bottom-up” manner with appointed and elected officials, and a yearly Town Meeting, much like Acton today. In contrast, the Crown exerted control “top down”, appointing the governor, judges, and military leaders, and overseeing the taxation system through institutions such as the Custom House in Boston.
Each town maintained its own militia, overseen by the British Military but effectively managed locally. This arrangement often led to tension, especially when colonists felt their interests were disregarded in favor of the Crown’s directives. Efforts by Parliament to strengthen its influence, such as paying local legislators in 1767, and subsequent measures like the Massachusetts Government Act in 1773, further alienated the colonists by restricting their governance and consolidating power under the Crown.
On September 1, 1774, General Thomas Gage, recently appointed Governor of Massachusetts by the King, ordered the removal of gunpowder from Charlestown to Boston’s Castle William, escalating tensions on both sides. This gunpowder belonged to the local militias, however, those militias were under the rule of the Governor and the Crown. This action created additional rumors of political crises, and the arrival in Boston of customs commissioners exacerbated the situation, leading to the mobilization of thousands of men from rural militias from across Massachusetts towards Cambridge and Boston.
In response, Gage took additional defensive measures, moving naval ships closer to the harbor – pointing their guns at Boston, and consolidating soldiers from all along the northeast, as far as Canada, into Boston as well. Attempts to remove or disable cannons controlled by the militias prompted secret relocation efforts by the colonists, further heightening tensions. Critically, four brass cannons were secretly removed from Boston by the colonists.
Gage’s failure to report these developments accurately to London, fearing repercussions for his leadership, led to an initial denial of additional assistance. Meanwhile, town governments bolstered their militias under the Provincial Congress, including forming Minute Companies in some towns, and providing supplemental pay for the additional time spent in training.
On February 21, 1775, Gage received intelligence about the four highly-prized brass cannons, along with other munitions, having been moved to Concord. Despite new orders from London instructing action against the Patriots on April 14, Gage remained focused on securing the cannons and other arms. He dispatched soldiers to Concord, where newly elected Minuteman Colonel James Barrett had already begun concealing the cannons on his farm.
On April 19, 1775 British soldiers advanced towards Concord, alarming the various militia companies, including those in Acton and Lexington. Skirmishes erupted, resulting in the deaths of Acton’s James Hayward in Lexington, and Captain Isaac Davis and Abner Hosmer in Concord. These battles marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War after months of tension, rule changes, and confrontations between colonial militias and British forces.
A lively Q&A session followed the formal presentation. Mr. Bill Klauer of Acton’s Historical Society asked if it was possible to differentiate between the four cannons, to which Dr. Bell answered that despite his research, it was extremely difficult to do so. Later, ceremonial markings were added to two of the cannons and they were then designated as the Adams and Hancock cannons.
This lecture is available for viewing on ActonTV.
Kimberly E. B. Hurwitz is the Acton Exchange’s Beat Reporter for Acton250 and history.