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It's J 1787 at the Springfield Arsenal in Massachusetts, and a battle is about to begin.

General William Shepard grits his teeth as he sits on his horse in front of his troops.

1,200 militiamen, American veterans of the Revolutionary War.

Shepherd watches as his gun crew hauls cannon to the front of the line,

directly in the center of his ranks.

He hopes not to use them today.

On the other side of the battlefield, about 150 yards away,

the enemy stands at the ready.

But they're not redcoats. The British have long since left these shores. The enemy today is a rag-tag group of 1,500 other Americans, rebels, led by a disgruntled farmer named Daniel Shaves.

Since the Revolutionary War, America has been suffering an economic crisis.

Farmers like Shays have been crushed under the weight of high taxes and rising inflation.

Last year, Shays went broke. And when the taxman threatened to take his farm away,

Shays took up arms, formed a militia, and started training for combat. Now, Shays and his

rebels are here today to sack the Springfield Armory, seize the weapons inside, and march on

Boston. The only thing standing in his way is General William Shepard. Shepard hoped for

peaceful resolution. And a few moments ago, Shepard sent aides to meet Shepard hoped for a peaceful resolution.

And a few moments ago, Shepard sent aides to meet Shays men for a parley in the middle of the field, hoping to avoid combat.

Shepard's aides warned the rebels that if they advanced, they would be fired on.

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