The early stages of the American Revolution were hamstrung by shortages of gunpowder. At the battle of Bunker Hil the colonists did not have enough to repel the third British charge. A survey by George Washington at the time showed army stockpiles were sufficient for 9 rounds per man.
The British had been careful to restrict the manufacturing of gunpowder in the colonies. British gunpowder was supplied by the Board of Ordnance.
The three main magazines were located at Palace Yard, Westminister, the Tower of London, and the largest at Greenwich. From these main magazines, naval supplies were distributed to Ordnance yards close to main dockyards. Overseas bases included Jamaica, Antigua, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
George Washington’s armies totaled about 11,000 men. At the same time there were 11,000 privateers at sea intercepting British shipping in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and even between Ireland and England.
Washington ’s schooner fleet and privateer raids were directed toward establishing a supply of the precious war commodity as their main objective.
By 1777, the privateers and merchantmen brought in over 2 million pounds of gunpowder and saltpeter.
Privateer John Manley captured the Nancy, supplying the American army with 2,000 muskets, 31 tons of musket shot, 7,000 round-shot for cannon, and 12 other ammunition. Captain Jonathan Haraden from Salem, Massachusetts, who captured 1,000 British cannons, was considered one of the best sea fighters, successful y taking on three armed British ships at the same time. Privateers captured countless British reinforcements and over 10,000 seamen, keeping them out of the British Navy.
The capture of the British ship, Margaret a, is a true incident. Below is a short description of how the cutter, Margaret a, was taken.
Machias, just east of the Mid-coast region of Maine, was already well-populated by June 1775 when a British ship arrived in port accompanied by a cutter, the British warship Margaret a. The ships were to return with lumber for the British. The citizens of Machias who met at a town meeting, declared they would never contribute lumber to the British and erected a liberty pole in the town square to emphasize their declaration. The next day, the Patriots attempted to capture the Margaret a’s captain, but he stood fast until he was hit by two musket bal s. The Margaret a surrendered and the captain died.
The Margaret a was appropriated by the Patriots and was renamed the Machias Liberty.
There was a proposal to invade Nova Scotia but not by privateers. It was submitted to General George Washington for action provided there were not more than 200 British troops at Halifax. This can be found on the web at History of Nova Scotia-Communications and Transportation, Chapter 4, 1776, Jan-Dec.