Thirteen gunshots were fired in each salute at Bristol’s 1777 Independence Day celebration.
Bristol, Rhode Island, recorded thirteen gunshots at morning and again at evening on July 4, 1777. The number represented the thirteen former colonies that had declared independence and formed the original union. The salute came just one year after the Declaration of Independence was approved.
The event is part of the early history of Independence Day observances that America250 commemorates. Philadelphia hosted a large organized celebration that same year, featuring a dinner, toasts, speeches, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Bristol’s gun salutes provide a particularly clear link between the number thirteen and revolutionary-era symbolism.
The thirteen-shot salute should not be confused with the 21-gun salute used in modern military honors. A 21-gun salute is an international ceremonial standard, while Bristol’s thirteen shots reflected the political geography of the United States in 1777.