S8 Ep330: THE BATTLE OF MENOTOMY AND INFORMATION WARFARE Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. Following the initial skirmishes, the conflict escalated into the Battle of Menotomy, where Marbleheaders engaged the retreating British column in brutal combat. O'Donnell highlig

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John Batchelor

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🗓️ 17 January 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

THE BATTLE OF MENOTOMY AND INFORMATION WARFARE Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. Following the initial skirmishes, the conflict escalated into the Battle of Menotomy, where Marbleheaders engaged the retreating British column in brutal combat. O'Donnell highlights a sophisticated "information warfare" campaign led by Elbridge Gerry, who compiled depositions to establish that the Crown fired first. The Patriots acquired a fast ship to rush this narrative to England, arriving two weeks before General Gage's official report and successfully swaying British public opinion. Additionally, this segment illustrates the civil war atmosphere, describing how Dr. Nathaniel Bond was threatened by neighbors for treating wounded British soldiers. NUMBER 2
1860

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0:53.0	This is CBS. I'm the world. I'm John Batcher. Patrick O'Donnell, his new book, The Indispensibles, the diverse soldier mariners who shaped the country, formed the Navy, and rode Washington across the Delaware.
0:55.3	Right now we want to discover Marblehead.
1:04.6	About 18 miles to the northeast of Boston on the water, and it is a prosperous town in the 18th century.
1:12.5	Patrick, you estimate about 5,000. Its business was fishing. What was its relation to Boston and Massachusetts' economy?
1:20.2	It's the second largest port city in Massachusetts, and it's a thriving cosmopolitan city.
1:29.8	And its fortunes are made on fish, specifically codfish. And the men of Marblehead fish the Grand Banks.
1:35.1	This is well over 1,000 miles to the north up near Nova Scotia.
1:40.6	But the Grand Banks are teeming with cod fish, in some cases which are, you know,
1:42.4	100 pounds or more, John.
1:46.0	And they fish the Grand Banks, bring back the cod, and then they trade the cod, which they put in salted barrels for other goods.
1:50.9	And they have a massive merchant fleet that they've developed,
1:55.9	where they trade around the world and bring goods in and out of Marblehead.
2:00.3	In 1774, October of 1774, Marblehead obeys the orders, the directions, the guidelines of the
2:08.7	Massachusetts Provincial Congress to form a militia.
2:13.1	These are the Minutemen that are at Lexington Concord.
	...

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