Howe’s Masquerade
Howe’s Masquerade: A Tale of Folklore and Defiance
In the annals of U.S. history and Revolutionary folklore, the story of Howe’s Masquerade stands as a vivid symbol of defiance and mockery amidst the tumult of 1776. The event took place during the American Revolution, when Boston was under siege by colonial forces. British General Sir William Howe (1729–1814), commander-in-chief of the British army, sought to assert his dominance and show his contempt for the colonial insurgents with an opulent masked ball.
The masquerade, held in the grandeur of Boston’s colonial mansions, was designed as a spectacle of British superiority. The ballroom shimmered with candlelight, the attendees clad in elaborate costumes, masks hiding their faces. Among the revelers, Howe had orchestrated a particular mockery—several guests were asked to don costumes representing George Washington and his generals, caricaturing the leaders of the colonial rebellion.
As the night progressed and the festivities reached their zenith, a strange and chilling interruption occurred. A somber funeral dirge began to play outside the ballroom, its haunting notes piercing through the merriment. The revelers paused, their laughter fading into uneasy whispers. The grand doors of the ballroom creaked open, and a spectral procession entered, their presence casting a palpable chill over the room.
The procession was a macabre parade of figures from the colonial past, each one representing the resilience and determination of the American spirit. They moved silently through the ballroom, their faces veiled in shadows. At the end of the line came a tall, imposing figure cloaked entirely, its face obscured. The mysterious figure radiated an aura of foreboding, drawing all eyes.
General Howe, enraged by what he perceived as an insult to his authority, stormed toward the cloaked figure, determined to unmask and confront the intruder. As he reached for the figure’s veil, the cloak fell away to reveal a grotesque caricature of himself. The figure was depicted as the last royal governor, a symbol of the British crown’s impending loss of control over the colonies. The crowd recoiled in shock, and Howe stood frozen, humiliated by the eerie and prophetic display.
The legend of Howe’s Masquerade did not end with that fateful night. According to tradition, the ghostly procession returns each year on the anniversary of the ball, marching through the remnants of colonial Boston. The cloaked figure, representing Howe’s folly and the inevitable triumph of the colonial forces, serves as a haunting reminder of the Revolution’s turning tide.
Nathaniel Hawthorne immortalized this tale in his short story “Howe’s Masquerade,” part of his Twice-Told Tales. Hawthorne’s retelling weaves together the historical and the supernatural, highlighting the tension between the British occupiers and the burgeoning American rebellion. The story remains a poignant example of how folklore can encapsulate the spirit of a people striving for independence.
The grim procession, both a literal and symbolic manifestation of colonial resistance, continues to capture the imagination, serving as a testament to the enduring power of American Revolutionary folklore.
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow-Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante
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