That was basically the message from London. King George wanted action! He wanted General Gage to march his soldiers out of Boston and seize the military supplies that were being stored by local militias. He wanted Patriot troublemakers like Samuel Adams and John Hancock arrested and shipped to London in chains. Orders Are Orders Tensions in Boston were at record levels in the spring of 1775. General Gage was so worried about another Boston Massacre—type incident, he refused to allow his soldiers to carry their pistols in the street. For this sound judgment, the soldiers called Gage “the Old Woman.” Meanwhile, in the towns around Boston, thousands of militia members were just waiting for the British soldiers to make a move. Some militias even called themselves “minutemen,” because they could be called together at a minute’s notice (or pretty quickly, anyway). Gage was sitting on a time bomb—and everyone could hear the ticking. But orders are orders. The general considered his options.
