The Best Laid Plans...!

Most of our founding fathers thought very much alike! How much alike is shown by this little tidbit of history I ran across over at Listverse.

It's good to know that great minds often do think alike, and in this case it worked out for the good guys!

Washington Tried To Steal Gunpowder Franklin Had Already Stolen

In October 1775, a small flotilla of American ships slid silently into the waters off Bermuda. They had been sent by George Washington himself on a top-secret mission of the utmost importance. The Continental Congress was running dangerously low on gunpowder and other vital supplies, but Washington knew that there was a well-stocked British arsenal in Bermuda. He also knew that the people of Bermuda were suffering terribly from the British embargo on American exports, especially foodstuffs. Washington decided to gamble that the Bermudans would be willing to look the other way while his men stole the gunpowder.

The plan seemed to go wrong from the start. Washington’s men found that Bermuda, usually an ignored backwater, was swarming with British ships. When they managed to make contact with some locals, they discovered the reason: the gunpowder had already been stolen—by the Americans.

As it turned out, while Washington had been hatching his scheme, Ben Franklin had been doing exactly the same thing. Conspiring with the father of Bermuda’s governor, Franklin had arranged for food to be smuggled from South Carolina to Bermuda. In exchange, the Bermudans agreed to look the other way while Franklin’s men looted the arsenal. Secretly breaking a hole in the armory roof, they lowered in an American sailor, who opened the doors from the inside. Washington’s gamble would have paid off—he was just a month too late.

I do wonder if these two had words about this little foul up in covert operations. I have a feeling that the communications might have been just a tad better, if you know what I mean! Oh well, guess that all's well that ends well!

Coffee out on the patio this morning! Look...I'm not even wearing a jacket!