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| In the middle of the night of April 20, 1775, Royal Governor Lord Earl Dunmore, following the precedent of other Crown leadership in Massachusetts and chose to send Royal force ashore to confiscate Virginia’s gunpowder stored in the "publick magazine" at Williamsburg. Excepting a few like Patrick Henry, many Virginia leaders were very moderate and hoped for continued peace, but this act flew many Virginians under arms to rally against the governor
To many who shouldered their muskets, it was "this first publick insult" that made them consider a form of rebellion as a protest against unfair governmental policy. This was days before they knew of the shots fired in Massachusetts on April 19. Once that news reached Virginia, there would be no turning back. |
