On the afternoon of July 14, 1789, a group of more than a thousand Parisians, composed of people of all social classes, but mainly composed of craftsmen, employees and traders arrive at the Bastille. , Legend claims that this group of angry Parisians attacked the Bastille with the sole purpose of rescuing prisoners only to discover that there were in fact only seven prisoners and that the Bastille was in fact a discreet prison reserved for people of influence and power. , which they themselves were not. In reality, the group of Parisian insurgents arrived at the Bastille demanding only that the governor hand over the weapons and ammunition stored there. That morning, the same group had demanded all the weapons they had been able to acquire at the Invalides hospital. For the most part, this group of Parsians were organizing what they saw as a defensive maneuver against the royal troops and cannons that they believed were threatening them and their city. If the governor had prepared enough provisions, the Bastille's high walls and wide motes would have easily protected it from attack. However, after one of the insurgents was allowed inside to converse and make deals with the governor and the drawbridge was finally lowered for the crowds outside, the defenders of the Bastille were ordered to shoot, making the Parisians fear having fallen into a trap and respond quickly. Throughout the mostly unequal battle, the crowd demanded that the second drawbridge be lowered, and in confusion and despite warnings, Governor de Launey acquiesced and the crowd rushed forward. The Bastille invasion actually had a few other causes besides defense and acquisition. weapons. On the one hand, the public faced a shortage of food...... middle of paper......11. "The French Revolution | The National Archives." The National Archives. Extract from a confidential report from the British ambassador, July 30, 1789 (FO 27/2). http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/lesson36.htm (accessed February 6, 2012).12. “The face of a 1789 Live Free of Die medal (commemorating the fall of the Bastille).” Vern McCrea, napoleonicmedals.com. American Social History Productions. Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/1150/ (accessed February 6, 2012).13. de Bailly, Jean Sylvain. “The mayor of Paris during the storming of the Bastille.” Memoirs of Bailly, with a notice on his life, notes and historical clarifications, vol. 1 (Paris: Baudouin Frères, 1882) 338-341. Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/304/ (accessed February 6, 2012).