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The Siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War, in which New England militiamen—and then the Continental Army—surrounded the city of Boston, Massachusetts, to prevent movement by the British Army garrisoned within. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1775 ( MDCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger Year 1776 ( MDCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The American Continental Army was an Army formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 Artemas Ward ( November 26, 1727 &ndash October 28, 1800) was an American Major general in the American Revolutionary George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Thomas Gage (1719 April 2, 1787) was a British general and commander in chief of the North American forces from 1763 to 1775 during the early days of the William Howe 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC ( 10 August 1729 &ndash 12 July 1814) was a British General who Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1775 ( MDCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger Year 1776 ( MDCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the The American Continental Army was an Army formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Garrison (various spellings (from the French garnison, itself from the verb garnir, "to equip" is the collective term for a body of Troops As a siege it was only partially successful, but it played an important role in the creation of the Continental Army and promoting the unity of the Thirteen Colonies. The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris (1783 recognized the It also served to shape the attitudes and character of participants on both sides. The most important single event of the siege was the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 on Breed's Hill, as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary
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Background
The Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 drew thousands of militia forces from throughout New England to the land surrounding Boston. The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the These men remained in the area and their numbers grew. At first, General Artemas Ward, as the head of the Massachusetts militia, was in charge of the siege. Artemas Ward ( November 26, 1727 &ndash October 28, 1800) was an American Major general in the American Revolutionary Militia of the Colony and later Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He set up his headquarters at Cambridge and positioned his forces at Charlestown Neck, Roxbury, and the Dorchester Heights. Cambridge Massachusetts is a City in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. Dorchester Heights is the central area of South Boston. It is the highest area in the neighborhood and commands a view of both Boston Harbor and downtown Initially, the 6,000 to 8,000 rebels faced some 4,000 British regulars under General Thomas Gage and had them trapped in the city. Thomas Gage (1719 April 2, 1787) was a British general and commander in chief of the North American forces from 1763 to 1775 during the early days of the General Gage wrote of his surprise of the amount of rebels that had surrounded the city:
| “ | The rebels are not the despicable rabble too many have supposed them to be. . . . In all their wars against the French they never showed such conduct, attention, and perseverance as they do now. [1] | ” |
Escalation
The British were surrounded on land north, west, and south of Boston, but the harbor side of the city remained open for the Royal Navy under Vice Admiral Samuel Graves to sail in supplies from Nova Scotia, Providence, and other places. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Admiral Samuel Graves RN (1713 - 1787 was a British Admiral who fought for the British in the American Revolution. Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Colonial forces could do little to stop these shipments due to the naval supremacy of the British fleet and the complete absence of a Continental Navy in the spring of 1775. A naval force has command of the sea when it is so strong that its rivals cannot attack it directly The Continental Navy was formed during the American Revolution in 1775 Nevertheless, the town and the British forces were on short rations, and prices rose quickly. Another factor was that the American forces generally had information about what was happening in the city, but General Gage had no effective intelligence of rebel activities.
On May 25, 1775, Gage received about 4,500 reinforcements and three additional Generals: Major Generals William Howe, John Burgoyne, and Henry Clinton. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Year 1775 ( MDCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a William Howe 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC ( 10 August 1729 &ndash 12 July 1814) was a British General who General John Burgoyne ( February 24, 1722 &ndash August 4, 1792) was a British army officer Politician Gage began plans to break out of the city.
On May 27, American forces strengthened the siege during the Battle of Chelsea Creek by removing British supplies of livestock from the islands of Boston Harbor. Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed The Battle of Chelsea Creek was the second military engagement of the Boston campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The Port of Boston is a major Seaport located in Boston Harbor and adjacent to the City of Boston. American fire prevented British Marines from landing to recover the animals, and the British schooner Diana was destroyed. The Royal Marines ( RM) are the marine corps and amphibious Infantry of the United Kingdom and along with the Royal Navy HM Armed Schooner Diana was the first British vessel captured and destroyed by colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War.
Bunker Hill
On June 15, the Committee of Safety learned of Gage's plans to attack at Dorchester Heights and the Base of the Charlestown Peninsula. The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 on Breed's Hill, as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. Charlestown is a part of the city of Boston, Massachusetts located on a peninsula north of Boston proper They sent word to General Ward to fortify Bunker Hill and the heights; he assigned Colonel William Prescott the Bunker Hill task. William Prescott ( February 20, 1726 &ndash 1795 was an American colonel in the Revolutionary War who commanded the rebel forces in the Battle
On June 17, as the result of the Battle of Bunker Hill, British forces under General Howe seized the Charlestown peninsula. Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 on Breed's Hill, as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary (The battle was somewhat misnamed since most of the fighting was done at Breed's Hill next to Bunker Hill. ) The British did take their objective, only after two failed charges, but did not break out of Boston because the Americans held the ground at the base of the peninsula. With some 1000 men killed or injured the British losses were so heavy that there were no more direct attacks on American forces. From this point, the siege essentially became a stalemate. Stalemate is a situation in Chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves
Fortification of Dorchester Heights
On July 3, George Washington arrived to take charge of the new Continental Army. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the The American Continental Army was an Army formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America Forces and supplies came in from as far away as Maryland. Trenches were built at the Dorchester Neck, and they were extended toward Boston. Washington reoccupied Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill without opposition. However, these activities had little effect on the British occupation.
On November 11, 1775, Washington wrote to Congress of an incident during the siege, in which Col. Woodbridge and part of his 25th Regiment (Massachusetts) joined with Col. William Thompson’s Pennsylvania Regiment, defending against a British landing at Lechmere’s Point, and “gallantly waded through the water, and soon obliged the enemy to embark under cover of a man-of-war…”[2]
Subsequently, in the winter of 1775–76, Henry Knox and his engineers used sledges to retrieve 60 tons of heavy artillery that had been captured at Fort Ticonderoga. Henry Knox ( July 25, 1750 &ndash October 25, 1806) was an American Bookseller from Boston who became the chief Fort Ticonderoga is a large Eighteenth-century Fort built at a strategically important narrows in Lake Champlain where a short traverse gives access Bringing them across the frozen Connecticut River, they arrived back at Cambridge on January 24, 1776. The Connecticut River is the largest River in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1776 ( MDCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Weeks later, in an amazing feat of deception and mobility, Washington moved artillery and several thousand men overnight to occupy Dorchester Heights, overlooking Boston. Since it was the middle of winter and the continental army was unable to dig into the frozen ground on Dorchester Heights, rather than entrenching themselves, Washington's men used logs, branches and anything else available to fortify the position overnight. General Gage observed that it would have taken his army weeks to build Washington's earth fort. The British fleet ceased to be an asset, because it was anchored in a shallow harbor with limited maneuverability, and the American guns on Dorchester Heights were aimed at the fleet.
Aftermath
The siege was over when the British sent a message to Washington stating that if the British troops were allowed to vacate the city and embark unchallenged, then the British would not destroy the town. Washington agreed and the British set sail for Halifax, Nova Scotia on March 17, 1776. The City of Halifax (est 1841 is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger Year 1776 ( MDCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The militia went home, and in April, Washington took most of the Continental Army forces to fortify New York City. The City of New York
Since 1901, Suffolk County, Massachusetts has celebrated March 17 as a holiday known as Evacuation Day. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Suffolk County is a County of Massachusetts. As of 2000 the population was 689807 Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger In Suffolk County Massachusetts, March 17 is Evacuation Day, an official holiday commemorating the evacuation of the city of Boston by British
References
- Boatner, Mark Mayo, III. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. New York: McKay, 1966; revised 1974. ISBN 0-8117-0578-1.
- Frothingham, Jr. , Richard: History of the Siege of Boston and of the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill, Second Edition, published by Charles C. Little and James Brown, Boston (1851). This historical book is available online via the Google Books Library Project at http://books.google.com/books?id=xl4sAAAAMAAJ.
Footnotes
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