How a King Became 42,000 Bullets

For six years, a gilded statue of King George III stood in Bowling Green at the southern tip of Manhattan.

By the evening of July 9, 1776, it was scrap.

Earlier that day, the Declaration of Independence had been read to George Washington’s troops near today’s City Hall. Soon after, soldiers, sailors, and members of the Sons of Liberty marched down Broadway and pulled the king’s statue from its pedestal.

The statue weighed about two tons. Most of its lead was hauled by oxcart to Litchfield, Connecticut, where it was melted down and turned into musket balls.

By one count, the fallen king was hit by 42,088 bullets.

Not every piece made it to the furnace. The horse’s tail survived and is now on display at the New-York Historical Society.