In April 1775, shortly after the Battle of Lexington and Concord, as militiamen from surrounding towns gathered to surround Boston, beginning the Siege of Boston, the British troops had not yet been completely recalled to Boston. With many of the able-bodied men serving in the militia, some of the women were concerned with their vulnerability, and at least in Pepperell, MA figured out that they would need to take care of their own defense.