The Powder Alarm of 1774 is one of those moments in American history that does not get the glory of Lexington and Concord, but in many ways it deserves it. It was the day New England almost went to war months before the Revolution officially began. It was loud, it was chaotic, and it was sparked by rumor. In the end, no one fired a shot, but the entire colony of Massachusetts got a crash course in how quickly they could turn into an army. If the Revolution was a fire, the Powder Alarm was the fire drill.