Salem Gunpowder Raid

The North Bridge in Salem is defined by the heavy iron plates that mark the location of the old drawbridge. On a Sunday in February seventeen seventy-five, British Colonel Alexander Leslie marched his men to this spot to seize a cache of military supplies hidden by the colonists. A group of locals raised the drawbridge, trapping the soldiers on the north side of the river. The two sides shouted insults across the water until a local minister negotiated a peaceful retreat for the troops.