Just picked up a new book "Parker's guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina" by John Parker,Jr. I ran across an account on a raid on British Magazine two days after the battle of Lexington. No way word could have travelled that fast.
Hobcaw Magazine Action: Two days after the battle of Lexington, the Americans in Charlestown broke into the british magazines at Cochran's and Hobcaw. In less than 3 hours, they removed all the weapons and ammunition in both magazines. Lt. Govenor William Bull was informed that cutlasses, cartridge boxes, matches, flints and 800 muskets were missing from the State Armory and magazines, along with 1,600 pounds of gunpowder from the magazines. Gov. Bull offered a reward for the theives, but no one would inform on them since they were men of high rank and many were in the South Carolina legislature. In addition, two of gov. Bull's nephews participated in the raid.