250th Anniversary of the American Revolution’s Secret Start

If you’re interested in Salem History, or American History, and are anywhere within driving distance of Salem Massachusetts this coming February 22, you might be interested to know that there will be a Reenactment of Leslie’s Retreat. It’s the 250th Anniversary.

The National Park Service will also have a free exhibit exploring “why Crown soldiers under Lt. Col. Alexander Leslie came to Salem on February 26, 1775, who were the major players in the event, and how this event has been remembered and celebrated in Salem in the last 250 years.”

Leslie’s Retreat marks the beginning of the American Revolution. Yes, it ended with a clever–not to say sneaky, perhaps even Blackadder-ian–compromise, in which the British commander made sure both sides got what they wanted. But it was reported in Britain as the colonists agitating for liberty. And it could have easily led to bloodshed, as did the more commonly cited beginnings of the American Revolution, the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

Salem history books used to chortle, ‘We beat Colonel Leslie and he was never heard from again.’ Or words to that effect.

While he might not have been heard of in Salem again, Alexander Leslie was very busy fighting in the southern theater during the Revolutionary War–raiding Virginia, for example, participating in the siege of Charleston, and fighting in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Notably, he negotiated the peaceful evacuation of Charleston toward the end of the War. Not being an eldest son, he had entered the military as a career. One wonders what he might have accomplished as a diplomat, since he seems to have been a skilled negotiator.

If you’re interested in the subject, and you can’t get to Salem, you can discover more in my book Hidden History of Salem. It contains the saga of The Myrmidons of Colonel Leslie, which was incredibly fun to research and write.

Also happening on February 22, at the Peabody Essex Museum, is a discussion of “Fashion in the Season of Revolution, a dynamic exploration of the intersection between style, society, and conflict in the Revolutionary era.” This sounds fascinating! I’ll post the program below. In any case, Happy Anniversary.

Program for Fashion in the Season of Revolution (correct at time of posting, see link above for more):

2:30pm – Panel begins in Morse Auditorium – Welcome and panelist introductions – Petra Slinkard


2:40pm – Presentation: PEM Collection in Focus – Abigail Adams’ Petticoat – Paula Bradstreet Richter, Curator-at-Large, PEM


3:00pm – Presentation: Purchasing Patriotism: New England Shoe Stories During the Revolutionary Era – Dr. Kimberly Alexander, University of New Hampshire


3:20pm – Presentation: “I Dress as Genteel As Possible:”; Research and Context in Living History Interpretation – Dr. Emily A. Murphy, Curator, National Park Service


3:40pm- Presentation: Inspiration Up Close – A Story of Reenactment Dress – a conversation with Henry Rutkowski and Petra Slinkard


3:55pm – Invitation to reenactors to join on stage and audience to view costumes up close


4:10pm – Program concludes
The event is included with museum admission (which is free for Salem residents and employees).