History:Â
Fort William and Mary was first constructed by the British in 1632 to defend the harbour at Portsmouth. On December 14, 1774, it was raided by locals led by John Langdon. The garrison of 5 men and one officer were easily overrun by Langdon's 40 volunteers who took 72 barrels of gun powder. A day later, another group of rebels, this time led by John Sullivan, again raided the fort taking all of the arms, supplies and some cannons.