250 years later, British ‘troops' retreat again from Salem
Related
:
'It's the Lexington and Concord that almost happened,' said Jonathan Lane, executive director of Revolution 250, a nonprofit group that helps Massachusetts communities tell their stories of rebellion and independence.
Colonists line up with guns at the ready before they confront the British troops.
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
Advertisement
Similar to the original retreat of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Leslie and 250 soldiers from the 64th Regiment of Foot, the British reenactors considered their dire options, accepted a face-saving compromise, marched a little farther, and then promptly turned around.
This time, the Redcoats headed to warmth, lunch, and a few nearby pubs. In 1775, they marched to Marblehead and sailed the short distance back to Boston, without the cannon that General Thomas Gage had dispatched them to discover, and without a shot being fired by either side.
'The reason more people don't know about this is that it was an event that ended peacefully,' Lane said. 'A lot of people respond to the events that raise our heart rate.'
Only 51 days later, British troops and Colonial militia exchanged deadly gunfire at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, where yet another North Bridge played a role in the 'shot heard 'round the world.'
But Leslie's Retreat was a tense foreshadowing of those hostilities and showed that Colonials, angered by years of punitive treatment from London, were willing to fight the vaunted British army, and that the spark could occur at any time.
'Something incredible happened right here in Salem,' said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, a former mayor of the city.
Advertisement
The British troops in 1775 had landed at Marblehead on a quiet Sunday morning when townspeople would be at church services and presumably less likely to notice. But they were discovered, and messengers sped the short distance to Salem to warn its residents that the regiment was afoot.
The drawbridge over the North River in Salem was raised to impede the British advance. Armed colonists gathered on the far side, where they admonished Leslie that he had no right to cross the bridge because it had been privately built and was not the king's property.
Charles Thorland of Salem, playing Leslie in the reenactment, indicated how close the resulting confrontation had come to bloodshed.
'It may be necessary to fire on the mob!' Thorland announced to militia Captain John Felt, portrayed by Jonathan Streff, a history teacher at St. John's Prep in Danvers.
'Fire, and you'll all be going to hell!' Streff angrily replied, standing his ground in the middle of the overpass.
'Do you apprehend the danger you are in?' Thorland asked.
'Do you apprehend the danger
you
are in?' Streff shouted.
According to a contemporary account in the Boston Gazette, Leslie told the Colonial militia that 'he had orders to cross ... and he would cross it if he lost his life with the lives of all of his men.'
Leslie, a Scottish aristocrat, also told the colonists that he would stay a month if necessary. The assembled people of Salem joked that Leslie 'might stay as long as he pleased; nobody cared for that.'
Drummer boy Myles Heinzman, 12, from Exeter, NH marches to the North Bridge with fellow British troops.
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
As in 1775, the Reverend Thomas Barnard, an Anglican minister portrayed Saturday by the Reverend Maxfield Sklar of Hamilton, helped broker a compromise in which the British would be allowed to cross the bridge, as Gage had ordered, and reverse course after marching a short distance.
Advertisement
The colonists lowered the drawbridge, and the set piece played out as negotiated. 'It's a Solomonesque moment where Leslie achieves the most basic part of his orders,' Lane said.
On Saturday, the British 'lobsterbacks' were booed as they marched away. 'I will see you all in Hades!' said George Weghorst of Litchfield, N.H., dressed in Colonial garb as he taunted the Redcoats.
Although Salem has marked Leslie's Retreat with a small annual ceremony since 2017, the 250th anniversary featured a large commemoration, including reenactor groups such as the Lexington Minute Men and the British 10th Regiment of Foot.
'The story of Leslie's Retreat has been pretty well known within Salem, but it really hasn't escaped from the community. It's our little secret that we want to share with the rest of the world,' said Virginia Cherol, coordinator of Salem 400+, which commemorates the settlement's founding in 1626 and the Indigenous people who preceded them.
Colonist Captain John Felt confronts the British troops on the North Bridge.
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
'Since we were able to talk everyone off the ledge, we don't have the flash and the pomp of the war starting. It easily gets forgotten and glossed over,' Cherol said.
Still, Leslie's Retreat can resonate in these contentious times, she said, showing 'how important it is to to be able to come together during periods of heightened emotions ... and actually listen and come to middle ground and compromise.'
'People were able to come together and see the benefits of diplomacy and tact.'
Colonial reenactors stopped for a photo before the start of the confrontation.
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
Feathers graced the caps of British troops as they retreated down Federal Street after the confrontation with colonists on the North Bridge.
John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
19 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Killer Whales Attack Boat Again
Two French sailors were rescued off the coast of northern Spain after their boat was rammed by orcas. They were taken safely to shore by the Spanish coastguard after the killer whales attacked their boat's rudder around two miles from the town of Deba, near Bilbao, according to several local media reports. A pod of orcas made headlines in 2023 for their repeated attacks off the Strait of Gibraltar at Spain's southern tip. Rescuers have said orca attacks like this are uncommon in the Basque region, close to France, where they had never before been called to assist in such circumstances. This has sparked questions about whether this is a one-off or the start of more attacks. The recurrence of these encounters is raising questions about animal behavior, the risks for boaters, and the future of human-orca interactions in a rapidly changing sea environment. Newsweek has contacted the Spanish coastguard, via email, for comment. On July 21 two French sailors were rescued off the coast of Deba, in Spain's Basque Country after their 10-meter yacht lost steering following an encounter with two killer whales, said the sources, including Cadena SER. According to the Spanish maritime safety agency Salvamento Marítimo, the sailors issued a distress call when their rudder was broken, leaving them adrift, though they did not take on water. The rescue vessel Salvamar Orión towed them safely to the port of Getaria. Researchers and sailors have reported a pattern of orcas approaching from behind and targeting boat rudders. If the vessel is immobilized, the whales often lose interest. British wildlife conservation professor Volker Deecke warned British sailors to be cautious, especially in orca hotspots like the "orca alley" of the Strait of Gibraltar. "For some unknown reason, the killer whales have developed a penchant for breaking the rudders of sailboats and once they have achieved this, they leave the boat alone," he told The Telegraph. Orcas have been causing problems for years in the Strait of Gibraltar and around the Iberian coast, but these attacks have intensified and spread in recent years. Data shows the attacks peaking in 2022 and making headlines in 2023 but have been common since 2020. Captain Dan Kriz, who has been ambushed at least twice by the same pod of orcas, previously told Newsweek: "There is not much one can do. They are very powerful and smart … First time, we could hear them communicating under the boat. This time, they were quiet, and it didn't take them that long to destroy both rudders. Looks like they knew exactly what they are doing. They didn't touch anything else." Biologist Alfredo López Fernandez, from the University of Aveiro in Portugal and a representative of the Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica (Atlantic Orca Working Group), previously told LiveScience: "The orcas are doing this on purpose, of course, we don't know the origin or the motivation, but defensive behavior based on trauma, as the origin of all this, gains more strength for us every day." Spanish authorities continue to monitor incidents, issue advisories during peak activity periods from May to August, and advocate boaters' compliance with best-practice guidelines to avoid escalating confrontations. Scientists remain divided on the causes behind this pattern, proposing theories from learned behavior due to trauma, playful social learning, or even practice for hunting. Both researchers and conservationists continue to emphasize the importance of protecting the endangered orca subpopulation while safeguarding sailors. Increased surveillance, further study, and public education campaigns are anticipated as both communities seek sustainable coexistence. Related Articles Viewers in Awe at What Man Spots on Relaxing Stroll Along Vancouver BayKiller Whales Caught Harvesting Organs From Largest Fish in the SeaOrca Matriarch Seen Throwing Dolphin Into Air During HuntOrca Ship Attacks Spark New Danger Map and Safety Guidelines 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
CNBC
20 hours ago
- CNBC
I've coached kids who got into Harvard, Stanford and Princeton—I recommend 5 'essential' books for raising successful kids
Walk into the parenting section of any bookstore and you will be bombarded by prescriptive books, old and new. It can be hard to parse which are worth reading. But over the last 10 years, as a coach to high-achieving high school students who have gotten into selective colleges like Harvard, Stanford and Princeton, I've come across a few that have been invaluable. These books, written by educators, scientists, journalists, and parents, have helped me better empathize with my students — and better support them and their parents in navigating competitive academic environments. I recommend five books for parents who want to raise highly successful "Never Enough," journalist Jennifer Breheny Wallace explores modern toxic achievement culture and the problems it can lead to. The central issue is what she calls the "excessive pressure to excel." This undue stress negatively affects a child's health and emotional wellness. So how do you defend against that pressure and help your kids thrive? Wallace proposes constructive ways to circumvent this culture, whether it's tamping down on the anxiety you as a parent may inadvertently be creating, or building support systems for yourself and your kid. In "The Happiest Kids in the World," authors Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison explore the facets of Dutch culture that contribute to The Netherlands consistently ranking as one of the happiest countries in the world for children. Acosta is Filipino-American and Hutchison is British. They are both married to Dutch men, and are raising their kids in the Netherlands, so they approached the topic from a uniquely cross-cultural perspective. What I like about this book is that while the authors focus on larger societal norms that are common in the Netherlands, they also share practical takeaways for parents, such as the value of letting kids be heard or of eating meals together as a way to bond. In "The Self-Driven Child," authors Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson — Stixrud, a clinical neuropsychologist and professor at George Washington University School of Medicine, and Johnson, the founder of tutoring service PrepMatters — detail how parents can support their children in becoming more independent. Many parents would probably agree that they want to raise self-sufficient children, but they often see motivation as innate, as opposed to a trait that can be learned. This book corrects a lot of misconceptions about the use of incentives to motivate kids (e.g. compensating your kids for good grades is harmful in the long-term), highlights key pitfalls to avoid, and arms parents with evidence-based recommendations and conversation starters to help their kids build independence and resilience. "Who Gets In And Why" offers an illuminating look at college admissions in America. While researching the book, education reporter Jeff Selingo followed admissions officers at three top colleges to give a transparent account of how admissions decisions are really made. He explores how factors like geography, demonstrated interest, and the specific needs of a school can have an outsize influence on the acceptance or rejection of a student's application. With clarity, Selingo does a great job at helping parents understand the competing forces that make this process about so much more than just the merit of any one applicant: "College admissions is a constant balancing act," he writes, "to please the bosses, as well as other constituents — faculty, coaches, alumni, donors, and at public universities, politicians." "How to be a High School Superstar" was first published 15 years ago, but I find that it is more relevant today than ever. Author Cal Newport, now a professor of computer science at Georgetown University, shares tools to make college admissions less stressful for everyone involved. He offers strategies on how students can stand out, and none of them involve taking the most AP classes or getting the highest SAT scores. Instead, he recommends genuinely cultivating one's passions by going deep into one specific area of interest no matter how weird or niche. While written for high school students, it provides a valuable roadmap for parents as well.
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Tom's Guide
I just discovered this centuries-old technique that uses fish heads in the garden, and I can't wait to try it
Every gardener has the same aim — they want their garden to flourish. And, if like me, you are always looking for ways to boost the nutrition of your soil, you'll be prepared to give even the most bizarre hacks and expert tips a go. But, while this centuries-old hack may be familiar to some, I've only just heard of it. At first, I didn't know how I felt about the idea of burying fish heads in my yard. Would it not attract pests, or create a nasty smell? But after doing a bit of research, it makes a lot of sense. This is a gardening hack I'm going to have to try myself. So, once you've grilled those sardines and snappers on one of the best outdoor grills and enjoyed a delicious fish supper, here's why adding fish heads to your soil is one of the easiest ways of giving your plants a boost. Apart from being nutritious for us to eat, fish make surprisingly good fertilizer and can benefit your plants. It's a tradition that goes back to Native American growers, who used the "Three Sisters Method" of growing plants in a symbiotic relationship. They planted corn, pole beans, and squash together, in a manner that we would refer to as companion planting. Fish were placed under the plants to add nutrients to the soil, and they would decompose over time, feeding the crop until harvest. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. I'm British, so while this technique may be familiar to some readers, it's new to me. Fish fertilizer is rich in nutrients and includes nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, along with other micronutrients. It helps to improve the soil's structure, enhance water retention, and improve aeration. It's also an eco-friendly and organic option that uses a product that would otherwise end up in your garbage bin. Plus, it's an easy way to make homemade fertilizer, without spending out. Rather than placing fertilizer on top of your soil, the benefit of planting fish below the ground is that the nutrients released are deposited directly within the soil and the roots, where all the action happens. What's more, digging deep disguises the smell that would otherwise attract unwanted pests. Fish fertilizer is known to work particularly well for tomato plants, with one Reddit user excitedly saying, 'Whoa — our plants are way bigger so far this year compared to last year.' He shares a photo that shows a small tomato plant in the foreground, which didn't have a fish head planted below, unlike the larger surrounding plants. So, if you fancy giving this fish fertilizer hack a go, you could start by burying the remaining fish from your supper underneath your tomato plants. The phosphorus alone in the fish will boost root and stalk development. These garden gloves are made of nylon and nitrile and come in three sizes — small, medium and large. They offer excellent non-slip properties, are comfortable around the wrist, breathable and machine washable. At Tom's Guide, we recommend them as the best overall gardening glove. Plants with a deep root system will benefit the most, and apart from tomatoes, citrus, and other fruit trees, will appreciate a fishy treat. Although one user on the Tropical Fruit Forum recommends burying the fish remains at least a foot deep, where dogs and other mammals are unlikely to dig them up. Although, of course, if you don't fancy burying the remains of your fish supper underground, you could always use an off-the-shelf organic fish fertilizer, such as Neptune's Harvest Fish Fertilizer, $39 at Amazon. Despite this garden tip having lots of benefits, would you be up for planting fish heads in your soil? Well, you might be surprised at the benefits that these nutritious 'leftovers' can bring to your garden. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
