Gunpowder Incident

Gunpowder Incident
Part of the American Revolutionary War
The powder magazine in Williamsburg from which the gunpowder was removed
Date April 21, 1775 Location Williamsburg, Virginia 37°16′14.66″N 76°41′59.98″W / 37.2707389°N 76.6999944°W / 37.2707389; -76.6999944 Result British sailors remove military supplies Militia uprising peacefully resolved

The Gunpowder Incident (or Powder Alarm or Gunpowder Affair) was a conflict early in the American Revolutionary War between Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of the Colony of Virginia, and militia led by Patrick Henry. On April 21, 1775, two days after the Battles of Lexington and Concord (and well before news of those events reached Virginia), Lord Dunmore ordered the removal of the gunpowder from the magazine in Williamsburg, Virginia to a Royal Navy ship.

This action sparked local unrest, and militia companies began mustering throughout the colony. Patrick Henry led a small militia force toward Williamsburg to force return of the gunpowder to the colony's control. The matter was resolved without conflict when a payment of £330 was made to Henry. Dunmore, fearing for his personal safety, later retreated to a naval vessel, ending royal control of the colony.