Just saw a nice cannon yesterday at the National Park Service Museum by the North Bridge in Concord.
To sum up a long story:
Before the War the British gave the Colony in Boston four brass cannon. At the time Boston had threats from Indians, Pirates (sigh), Spanish, French, etc. However, in 1774 tensions with the British themselves were high, and the cannon were stolen.
It was these cannon (and other weapons) that the British were intent on recovering on April 19, 1775 - the day of The Shot Heard Round the World. The Revolutionary War had begun.
The cannon were used by the Patriots and General Washington for several years. Two were lost forever; the other two survived.
The remaining pair Washington had engraved with a brief history and the names of two patriots. HANCOCK and ADAMS.
For many years both were displayed at the peak of the Bunker Hill Monument, until vandals dismounted one and threw it out the window.
Afterwards they spent decades in storage, and were essentially lost. But finally a resident historian recognized them in some state storage facility, and they were restored and given back to Bunker Hill,
Bunker Hill has ADAMS on display in their ground-level museum, and the NPS has Hancock (the one I saw) in Concord.
LESLIES RETREAT
Two months prior to "The Shot Heard Round The World", there was an encounter in Salem that easily could have begun the Revolutionary War a bit early.
Colonel Leslie was tasked to confiscating weapons in Salem.
But the hidden weapons were on North Street, on the other side of a Drawbridge - which the colonists had raised.
After much discussion, Leslie said "Just lower the bridge. I will walk 100 paces north, turn around, and leave. Then I can report that I fulfilled my duty. I crossed the bridge, failed to find anything, and left".
The colonists agreed, and Leslie was good to his word.
No blood was shed that day.
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