The American Revolution began at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts in April of 1775, but it very nearly could have begun in Salem, Massachusetts two months earlier because of Sarah Tarrant.
On Sunday, February 26, 1775, Colonel Alexander Leslie made his way into Salem, Massachusetts with the intention of seizing weapons that were reported to have been hidden somewhere in the city. The Regulars waited in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the next city over, until the residents of Salem were in their afternoon church service. After an unsuccessful attempt, Colonel Leslie and his Regulars were heading out of the town when they were chastised by Sarah Tarrant.
Sarah Tarrant was born around 1743, although the location of her birth is no longer known. In February of 1775, she was approximately 31 years old and is referred to in multiple sources as a nurse.
According to the Account of Leslie’s Retreat by Charles Moses Endicott, “the feelings of the inhabitants [of Salem], not even excepting those of the gentler sex, were highly excited by this unceremonious appearance of the British troops in our streets on the Sabbath.” Tarrant, in a house on their route, sat in an upper story window “notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather,” yelled at the Regulars to go home and “tell your master he has sent you on a fool’s errand.” She also chastised them for interrupting the Sabbath.
She then asked the men, “what! Do you think we were born in the woods to be frightened by owls?” This phrase may seem confusing to modern readers, but this was a common phrase in the eighteenth century to express that, due to your previous experiences and everything else happening, you were fearless.
One of the Regulars pointed his musket at the unarmed Tarrant in response. Perhaps this was to call her bluff, to show that she had fear. However, the Regulars would again not find what they were looking for with Sarah. She stared down at the man and told him “fire if you have the courage, but I doubt it.”
No shots were fired and the Regulars left Salem.
Little is recorded pertaining to the rest of Sarah Tarrant’s life. She was married at one point, although it is no longer known to whom, but in her death record, she is regarded as a widow. Tarrant died in Salem, Massachusetts May of 1828, at the age of approximately 85.
Sources
- Ancestry.com. "Sarah Tarrant Death Record" in U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Available at: Ancestry.com.
- Endicott, Charles Moses. "Account of Leslie’s Retreat." Available at: Archive.org.
- Fischer, David Hackett. Paul Revere's Ride. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
- "Leslie’s Retreat or How the Revolutionary War Almost Began in Salem." Historic Ipswich. February 22, 2023. Available at: Historic Ipswich.
- "Leslie’s Retreat Marker." Historical Marker Database. Available at: HMdb.org
Edited by Alisa Grishin