Colonial Campaigns Club (CCC)

1775 - Salem had been a cause of constant distress to General Gage, Military Governor of Massachusetts. He learned in February that they had amassed a group of 19 cannons, and were building carriages to transport them. Knowing that the provincials were arming themselves, possibly against His Majesty's troops, he decided to destroy these arms.

Gage ordered Colonel Leslie with his 250 men of the <s>23 regiment (Royal Welch Fusiliers)</s> 64th Regiment of foot to sail to Marblehead, and march to Salem and destroy these armaments. The ship arrived at Marblehead on the 26th, and the column marched to Salem as fast as possible during the Sunday service in an attempt at secrecy. It failed. The Alarm riders bravely rode to Salem, and the cannons were brought to the opposite side of the Salem Forge. When Leslie marched into Salem he found all the cannons on the other side of the Forge, along with Militia led by Cpt. David Mason. The drawbridge had been raised, and most of the ships stove-piped so that the British could not get across. Eventually, the showdown was broken by a Tory who negotiated a deal stipulating that the militia would lower the bridge, but Leslie's men could march no more than 150 yards from the Forge. By the time Leslie reached the far bank, the cannons were well away. Keeping his word, Leslie showed his force on the far side, and then turned and marched back to Marblehead, satisfied that the rule of law and order remained intact. He narrowly avoided a more serious confrontation as the minutemen and the militia from the neighboring towns had just started to arrive at Salem as the British troops were leaving.

Cox
NJM

Known as "the Affair of North Bridge"

a couple of contemporary acccounts:

http://www.trubador.com/bibtext.htm

http://www.peabody.k12.ma.us/cullen/eppes.html

Mike,
It was the 64th Regiment of Foot that made the raid. (See the flag below) They were stationed at Castle William on what was then an island in Boston Harbor. They left the flank companies at the fort. Leslie was the Lt. Col. of the 64th at the time. There was one American casualty. He was ordered away from a boat which had not been stove in, but jumped in and did it anyway. A British private "pricked" him in the chest with his bayonet. Leslie took control and ordered his men back into formation. As happened at Concord 2 months later, he found the whole countryside had come running. By the time the 64th began marching back, there were upwards of 2 thousand militia surrounding his force. The site today has a small marker, but it is easily overlooked. Salem does not seem to have much pride in the fact that the event even took place. They get more tourist dollars from the witch stuff.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by ld5253</i>
<br />
It was the 64th Regiment of Foot that made the raid. (<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I stand correected. The snippet was edited from my usual source: us.military.history

Thanks for the details. Seems it was not quite as smooth as I thought.

Cox
NJ Militia

I smell a scenario developing here. Any ideas on a map? This would be an interesting "Battle Road"-esque situation.

I'll have to find that marker. I live only a few minutes from Salem.

Too bad there was not a way to destroy a bridge within a scenario.

I found one other related item in Gage's Papers. The 64th had been sent out around the same time to Ft. Pownal in Penobscot Me. with an armed schooner. In that expedition, they brought off several small ship's guns successfully.

The 64th was stationed at Castle William in July of 1772. There was apparently a small settlement there as well, probably to take advantage of the needs of the soldiers. Gage mentions that at least one shop keeper there was a spy for the Americans, and that he was later one of the engineers who helped design the emplacements on the hills surrounding Boston following Lexington and Concord. On the morning of the Salem raid, Leslie had a local milk delivery man arrested and held until the the 64th came back for fear that he was a spy. All ten companies of the 64th were at the fort. The two flank companies were the only ones not to participate in the raids at Lexinton and Concord, nor at Bunker Hill. At low tide, people could actually travel out to the fort on foot. One Lt. of the 64th was made prisoner shortly after April 19th as he walked from Boston out to the fort.