Ah a lovely and idyllic spot. And here is the informative historical caption to the photo:
The spark that ignited the Revolution in Virginia was struck where the colony stored its gunpowder, the Magazine in the middle of Williamsburg. The night of April 20, 1775, Lieutenant Henry Collins stole toward the capital with a squad of royal marines from the H.M.S. Magdalen anchored in Burwell's Bay on the James River. Their orders, straight from Governor Dunmore, were to empty the arsenal and disable the muskets stored there.
Wait, wait, there must be some mistake. Muskets stored COLLECTIVELY? How could that happen, because the colonies were all about INDIVIDUAL ownership?
Damn pesky facts.
But wait, there's more:
In 1715 he (the governor) had erected a tall octagonal tower admired by a visitor, Sir William Keith, as "an elegant safe Magazine, in the Centre of Williamsburgh." [Governor] Spotswood also designed Bruton Parish Church and landscaped the Governor's Palace. His Magazine safeguarded shot, powder, flints, tents, tools, swords, pikes, canteens, cooking utensils, and as many as 3,000 Brown Bess flintlocks--equipment needed for defense against Indians, slave revolts, local riots, and pirate raids.
Just think--3,000 muskets held COLLECTIVELY for the MILITIA.
Damn pesky facts.
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