Over at Boston 1775, J.L. Bell is in the midst of a short series of posts on how, in April 1775, the patriot majority in the town of Groton, MA tried to get rid of their loyalist minister, Samuel Dana, and replace him with a more patriot-friendly clegyman. Here is a taste:
According to historian Caleb Butler, local tradition held that at some point, probably after war began at Lexington and Concord, “the inhabitants were so enraged, that they shot bullets into Mr. Dana’s house, to the great danger of his life and the lives of his family.” Nevertheless, the minister didn’t leave town and seek the protection of the British army in Boston.Â
I have never heard of another case where the local patriots fired bullets into the home of a Loyalist minister, but we do know that many of these pro-British ministers, especially in 1775 and 1776, were often driven out of their parishes by force and intimidation.
Get the entire story here.
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