On this day 250 years ago in New Hampshire, during the early morning hours New Hampshire militia commanded by Major John Sullivan removed 16 cannon (15 four-pounders and a nine pounder), 10 carriages, approximately 50 damaged muskets in need of repair, 42 serviceable muskets with shot, one barrel of gunpowder and other miscellaneous military supplies from the newly-captured Fort William and Mary. The Patriots were unable to remove 70 heavier cannon and left them behind in the fort along with the fort’s 6-man Royal Army garrison. The militia loaded the captured arms and supplies into boats and rowed them up the Pascataqua River to try to get them out of reach of the Royal Navy. The Patriots were expecting Royal Navy ships to arrive at any moment to relieve Fort William and Mary and to protect the Royal Governor. By nightfall the flotilla of boats had rowed upriver from Portsmouth to safety, and the Royal Navy had still not arrived.
Although most of the militia were rowing the cannon and arms up the Pascataqua River, more than 100 men from the Exeter militia commanded by Colonel Nathaniel Folsom and the militia from Portsmouth and other towns patrolled the streets of Portsmouth. They intimidated Royal Governor Wentworth, the sheriff and other Loyalists officials and guarded the town against the expected attack of the Royal Navy.

Governor Wentworth had written General Gage in Boston on the 14th about the initial assault on Fort William and Mary, but delivery of the letter was delayed so General Gage did not learn until late on this day that the Patriots

by violence carried away upwards of one hundred barrels of powder belonging to the King, deposited in the castle. I am informed that expresses have been circulated through the neighboring towns, to collect a number of people to-morrow, or as soon as possible, to carry away all the cannon and arms belonging to the castle which they undoubtedly will effect, unless some assistance should arrive from Boston in time to prevent it. This event too plainly proves the imbecility of this government to carry into execution his Majesty’s order in Council, for seizing and detaining arms and ammunition imported into this Province, without some strong ships of war in this harbor

General Gage immediately ordered two ships to sail to Portsmouth, one of which, the HMS Canceaux, was already scheduled to sail there and would be ready to go first thing in the morning.

Source: https://nhsar.org/the-raid-on-fort-william-and-mary-in-1774/#[72];