John Crane – the man who could “see cannon ball on its passage through the air”

John Crane was a remarkable person in several respects. Like many of the Boston Tea Party participants he served in artillery and reportedly was so good at aiming that he “could see cannon ball passing through the air”. He quickly advanced in ranks and became the general in command of American artillery forces. Curiously ten years earlier during his participation in the Tea Party Crane was knocked unconscious by a falling tea crate.

Crane was born in on December 7th, 1744 in Braintree, MA just a dozen miles south from the place where the Boston Tea Party occurred. His received his first military experience towards the end of the French and Indian war that started in 1756 when young John was only twelve. The war lasted for seven years.

Before joining artillery militia in Boston, the future general worked as a carpenter (housewright). Like many patriots who participated in the Tea Party he was also a member of the Sons of Liberty chapter in Boston. But it was his artillery career that brought him the rank of brigadier general. Some clarification may be needed on exactly which artillery company Crane served during the Revolutionary War. The most famous one in Boston was the artillery militia unit known as “the Train” which was composed mostly of skilled artisans and Sons of Liberty. Other famous revolutionaries such as Paul Revere were also among its ranks. The unit’s first commander was Adino Paddock who had received extensive training from British artillery in the 1760's. The company was later commanded by another Boston Tea Party participant, Thomas Craft. John Crane in fact started his service in Paddock’s Train but later moved to Rhode Island and took command of a different unit called Rhode Island Train of Artillery. But in 1775, both units merged and became known as the Continental Artillery Regiment.

Besides the anecdotal incident with the tea crate, the other interesting detail was the Cane’s house (or shop) was used by patriots as a gathering place before heading to the Griffins’ wharf.

This story of the injury during the destruction of tea, has been reproduced in several sources and is even being used as a trivia question – who was the only man injured during the Boston Tea Party? The most noteworthy mentioning was by Samuel Adams Drake in the book "Old landmarks and historic personages of Boston" published in 1873. According to his version, after being knocked unconscious by a falling tea crate, Crane was carried to the docks by his comrades and put on a bed of wood shavings.

Historians are inclined to believe that this episode actually occurred on the ground that why would somebody make up such a story. But then again, some of the most common myths about this landmark event have been proven to be less than accurate, such as the one about colorful Indian disguise worn by the participants as depicted in many drawings and texts.

But it is very intriguing to find out what actually happened to John Crane that night. Even if the patriots thought that Crane was dead, it’s hard to believe that they left him laying on the street instead of carrying him to his home. This does not look very heroic, especially considering the fact that they used his shop just before the tea party to gather and to disguise their faces before marching to Griffin’s Warf.

Shortly after the protest John Crane left Boston, but most likely not because of fear of persecution but simply looking for a better job. He ended up in Providence, Rhode Island where he joined Rhode Island Artillery. He quickly moved up the ranks due to his remarkable skills in artillery. One of his contemporaries described Crane as being able to see a cannon ball on its passage through the air. There were also stories of Crane’s remarkable aiming abilities. Unfortunately Crane was seriously injured during one of the battles, had to leave the army, but eventually he recovered and continued his service in artillery (sounds familiar?). He gained the rank of brigadier general in 1783, only 10 years after the tea party ending up his truly remarkable military career as the top commander of US Corps of Artillery. He retired and died in Maine in 1805.

< Other participants of the Boston Tea Party