800 French convicts led by an American who spoke no French. What could possibly go wrong? A shipment of Portuguese wine, for one thing.
On Feb 22, 1797, the "last invasion of mainland Britain" commenced.
During the civil war, the manufacture of powder and explosives was often handled by the most vulnerable, young women and children, whose labor was needed when so many men had been sent off to war. On March 13, 1863, the confederacy experienced a munitions disaster, in the confederate capitol of Richmond.