	The Cape Mesurado colony faced many of the same barriers to success as the previous colony at Sherbro Island: little supplies, as well as swampy and unhealthy conditions. There was also conflict with local tribes, who resented the now Americo-Liberian residents - who had been slaves or the children of former slaves in the United States before their emigration to Africa - trying to put an end to the slave trade. Led by Lott Carey and Elijah Johnson, the Americo-Liberians organized their own defense against local attacks and rejected British military assistance in exchange for hoisting the Union Jack on Cape Mesurado. During the Battle of Fort Hill on 1 December 1822 colonist Matilda Newport is alleged to have repelled an attack by lighting a cannon with an ember from her pipe. The holiday Matilda Newport Day commemorated her action until its abolishment in 1980.