Siege of Boston

Until 1775, the British introduced taxes and duties on importation into the American colonies, which the inhabitants objected to, since they did not have a British parliamentary representation. In response to the Boston Tea Party and other protests, 4,000 British soldiers commanded by General Thomas Gage were sent to occupy Boston and calm the restless province of Massachusetts. ^[2] Parliament authorized Gage and disbanded the local provincial government (led by John Hancock and Samuel Adams ). It was transformed into the Continental Congress ( Eng. Continental Congress ) and continued to gather. ^{[3] The} Continental Congress called for the organization of local militias and coordinated the accumulation of weapons and other military supplies. Under the terms of the Boston Port Law of 1774, Gage closed the Boston port, which caused a lot of unemployment and discontent. ^[four]

When the British troops were sent on April 19, 1775 to capture military supplies from the city of Concord, militia from the surrounding cities fought against them in the battles for Lexington and Concord. ^[5] Commander-in-Chief John Pitkern ordered the patriots to fire. In Concord, parts of the British forces were defeated in a standoff at the North Bridge. The British troops, returning to Boston, were then involved in the battle, suffering heavy casualties. ^[6] In response to these actions, all the colonies of New England gathered militias and sent them to Boston. ^[7]

•  

  " Boston Tea Party " December 16, 1773

•  

  " Battles of Lexington and Concord " April 19, 1775

Immediately after the fighting on April 19, the Massachusetts militants under the free leadership of William Heath , who was replaced by General Artemus Ward , formed the siege line from Chelsea, around Boston and Charlestown and Roxbury, surrounding Boston from three sides. ^[8] In particular, they blocked Charlestown Neck (the only access to land in Charlestown) and Boston Neck (the only access to Boston, which was then a peninsula), leaving only harbor and access to the sea under British control. ^[9]

Immediately after creating the siege line, the number of colonial forces increased when militiamen from New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut arrived at the scene of the incident. ^{[10] The} Continental Congress decided to recognize the militia and create a Continental Army on its basis, as well as to appoint George Washington commander in chief. General Gage wrote about his surprise at the number of insurgents surrounding the city: “ The rebels are not the disgusting scum that many thought so ... In all their wars against the French, they never showed such behavior, attention and perseverance as they do now " . ^[11] General Gage turned his attention to the strengthening of easily defended positions. In the south, at Roxbury, Gage appointed a line of defense with 10 guns at twenty-four pounds. In Boston itself, the four hills were quickly fortified. They were supposed to be the main defense of the city. ^[12] Over time, each of these hills was fortified. ^[13] Gage also decided to leave Charlestown, sending the besieged forces (retreating from Concord) to Boston. In November, Washington sent former bookseller Henry Knox to bring heavy artillery to Boston, which was captured at Fort Ticonderoga. ^[14] During a technically challenging and responsible operation, Knox managed to get a lot of guns, weighing 60 tons by January 1776. In March 1776, these guns were used in the fortification of Dorchester Heights , from where there was a good view of the harbor and the city, as well as the opportunity to bombard Boston with guns. ^[15]

•  

  1776 Siege Card

•  

  Neighborhoods of Boston 1775-1776

The city of Charlestown itself was completely empty, and the hill of Charlestown (Bunker Hill and Brides Hill) was left unprotected, as were the heights of Dorchester, from which the harbor and the city looked out. ^[16] The British at first severely restricted movement into and out of the city, for fear of penetration of weapons. The besieged and besiegers eventually reached an informal agreement allowing movement along the Boston isthmus, provided that the residents did not have firearms. Residents of Boston surrendered almost 2,000 muskets, and most patriotic residents left the city. ^[17] Many loyalists who lived outside the city of Boston left their homes and hid in the city. Most of them believed that living outside the city was not safe, because the patriots now controlled the countryside. ^[18] Some of the men, after arriving in Boston, joined the loyalist regiments of the British army. ^[nineteen]

Since the siege did not block the harbor, the city remained open to the Royal Navy under the command of Vice Admiral Samuel Graves to deliver cargo from Nova Scotia and other places. The colonial forces could do little to stop these supplies due to the naval superiority of the British fleet. However, American privateers managed to intimidate supply vessels, and food prices rose rapidly. Now, the deficit meant that British troops were on lowered “short rations”. As a rule, American troops could collect information about what was happening in the city from people fleeing in Boston, but General Gage did not have effective information about the activities of the rebels. ^[20]

On May 3, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress authorized Benedict Arnold to gather forces to capture Fort Ticonderoga at the southern edge of Lake Champlain in New York Province, which, as we know, had heavy weapons but defended poorly. Arnold arrived in Castleton (present-day Vermont; the disputed territory between New York and New Hampshire), where he joined Ethan Allen and a militia company from Connecticut, all of whom came to the idea of ​​taking Fort Ticonderog independently of each other.

•  

  Engraving of Ethan Allen demanding the surrender of Fort Ticonderoga

This company, under the joint leadership of Arnold and Allen, captured Ticonderoga Fort and Crown Point Fort . They also captured a large warship on Lake Champlain during a raid on Fort Saint-Jean . ^[21] They found more than 180 cannons, as well as other weapons and supplies, which the nascent Continental Army would find useful to increase control over Boston. ^[22] Boston lacked a regular supply of fresh meat, and many horses needed hay. On May 21, Gage ordered the group to go to Grape Island in the outer harbor and bring hay to Boston. ^[23] When the continental army on the mainland noticed this, they sounded the alarm. When the British side arrived, they came under fire from the police. Police set fire to a barn on the island, destroying 80 tons of hay, and prevented the British from taking more than 3 tons. ^[24]

Continental forces, partly in response to the incident on Grape Island, worked to clear the port islands of livestock and supplies useful to the British. On May 27, in the battle for Chelsea's stream, the British marines tried to stop the removal of livestock from some islands. The Americans resisted, and during the action the British schooner "Diana" ran aground and was destroyed, but not before the continental army regained its weapons. ^[25] In an attempt to help quell the uprising, Gage issued a proclamation on June 12, offering to pardon all those who lay down their arms, with the exception of John Hancock and Samuel Adams . ^[26] This provoked anger among the patriots and, instead of suppressing the uprising, more and more people began to take up arms. ^[27]

During May, the British had to recruit about 6000 people. On May 25, three generals, William Howe , John Bergoin and Henry Clinton , arrived. Gage began to plan how to escape from the city. ^[28]

The plan adopted by the British command was to strengthen Bunker Hill and Dorchester Heights.

They set a date for June 18th taking Dorchester Heights. On June 15, the Colonists' Security Committee found out about the plans of Britain. In response, they sent General Artemus Ward an instruction to reinforce Bunker Hill and the heights of Charlestown; He ordered Colonel William Prescott to do this. On the night of June 16, Prescott led 1,200 people across Charlestown Neck and built fortifications on Bunker Hill and Brides Hill. ^[29]

On June 17, in the battle for Bunker Hill, British troops under the command of General Howe captured the Charlestown Peninsula. ^[30] The British succeeded in their tactical goal - to occupy high positions on the Charlestown Peninsula, but they suffered significant losses. Approximately 1,000 people were killed or injured, including 92 officers killed, the British losses were so great that there were no further direct attacks on US troops. ^{[31] The} Americans, having lost the battle, again with some success came out against the British regular forces, as they successfully repulsed two attacks on Brides Hill during the battle. From that moment on, the siege essentially became a stalemate.

General George Washington arrived in Cambridge on July 2. He established his headquarters at the home of Benjamin Wadsworth at Harvard College. The next day, he took command of the newly formed Continental Army. By this time, forces and supplies were arriving, including detachments of shooters from places as far away as Maryland and Virginia. Washington began work on forming militias into something more like an army, appointing senior officers (where militias usually elected their leaders), and introducing additional organizational and disciplinary measures in militia camps.

Washington demanded that officers of different ranks wear different clothes so that they could be distinguished from their subordinates and superiors. On July 16, he moved his headquarters to the home of John Vassall, also in Cambridge, which would later become known as the home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . By the end of July, about 2,000 riflemen arrived in troops raised in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. The accuracy of the rifle was previously unknown in New England, and these forces were used to pursue to prosecute the besieged forces.

Washington also ordered better defenses. The trenches were dug on the isthmus of Boston, and then stretched in all directions of Boston. However, these actions had little impact on the British occupation. From time to time working groups were fired, as well as sentinels. On July 30, in response to the American attack, the British rejected the American avant-garde and burned several houses in Roxbury. Four days later, on August 2, the American shooter was killed and his body was hanged. In response, other American gunners stepped on the line and began firing at British troops. They continued to shoot all day, killing and wounding many Britons, losing only one person.

On August 30, the British made an unexpected breakthrough on the Boston isthmus, set fire to the tavern and retreated to defense. That night, 300 Americans attacked Lighthouse Island and burned the lighthouse, killing several British soldiers and capturing 23 soldiers in response to the death of one person. On another August night, Washington sent 1,200 people to dig trenches on a hill near Charlestown-Neka. Despite the British bombing, the Americans successfully dug trenches.

In early September, Washington began making plans for two moves: first, send 1,000 people from Boston and invade Quebec , and second, launch an attack on Boston. Washington believed that he could afford to send some troops to Quebec, as he received information from British deserters and American spies that the British are not going to launch an attack from Boston until they are strengthened. On 11 September, about 1,100 troops under the command of Benedict Arnold traveled to Quebec. Washington convened a military council and put forward an argument in favor of a full-scale amphibious assault on Boston, sending troops through Back Bay in boats capable of holding 50 people each. Washington believed that when winter comes, it will be extremely difficult to keep people together. In the military council, the plan was unanimously rejected, and it was decided not to attack " at least as long as possible ."

In early September, Washington authorized the allocation and equipment of local fishing vessels to gather intelligence and prohibit deliveries to the British. This activity was the forerunner of the Continental Fleet , which was created after the British burning of Falmouth (modern Portland, Maine). Connecticut and Rhode Island provincial assemblies had also begun to arm ships and allow private activities by then.

In early November, 400 British soldiers set off to Lehmer Cape on a raid expedition to collect livestock. They killed 10 cattle, but lost two lives in a skirmish with the colonial troops sent to defend the point. On November 29, the colonial captain John Manley , commander of the schooner “Lee”, captured one of the most valuable siege prizes - the British brigantine “Nancy”, not far from the Boston harbor. She carried a large stock of ammunition and military warehouses destined for British troops in Boston.

With the approach of winter, both sides faced their problems. The Americans had so little gunpowder that the soldiers were given spears to fight in the event of an attack by the British. Many US troops did not receive service fees, and most of the enrollment would be ready by the end of 1775. On the British side, Howe, who replaced Gage as commander in October, ran into various problems. The wood was so small that they began to cut down trees and destroy wooden buildings, including the Old Northern Assembly House.

The supply of the city was becoming increasingly difficult due to the winter storms and the growing number of rebels. British troops were so hungry that many were ready to leave the country as soon as they could. Worse, scurvy and smallpox flared in the city. The Washington Army faced similar problems with smallpox, as soldiers from rural communities were exposed to the disease. Washington has moved infected troops to a separate hospital, the only available option, given the public stigma against vaccinations.

Washington again offered to attack Boston in October, but his officers decided that it was better to wait until the harbor freezes. In February, when the water froze between Roxbury and Boston Common, Washington thought that, despite the lack of powder, he would try to attack by darting through the ice; but his officers again advised against it. Washington’s desire to launch an attack on Boston arose from his fear that his army would desert in the winter, and how easily he knew that Howe could break the line of his army in its current state. He has not yet understood how fully he can trust the inaction of Howe; he reluctantly refused to attack on the ice in exchange for a more cautious plan to strengthen the fortifications of Dorchester Heights with the help of a cannon arrived from Fort Ticonderoga.

In mid-January, on orders from London, British Major General Henry Clinton and a small fleet went to Carolina with 1,500 people. Their goal was to join forces with additional troops arriving from Europe, and to occupy the port in the southern colonies for further military operations. In early February, a British raider group crossed the ice and burned several farm houses in Dorchester. ^[32]

Noble train of artillery

Between November 1775 and February 1776, Colonel Henry Knox and a group of engineers used sleds to pick up 60 tons of heavy artillery that was captured at Ticonderoga Fort . Crossing them over the frozen Hudson and Connecticut rivers in a complex operation, they returned to Cambridge on January 24, 1776. ^[33]

Dorchester Heights Fortification

Some of the guns captured in Tikonderoga, which measured and range (previously inaccessible to the Americans) were placed in fortifications around the city, and on the night of March 2, 1776, the Americans began to bombard the city with these guns, to which the British responded with powerful cannons. American guns under the leadership of Colonel Knox continued to carry on a shootout with the British until March 4. The shootout caused little damage to both sides, although it caused his homes and killed some British soldiers in Boston. ^[34]

On March 5, Washington moved another gun from Ticonderoga and dispatched several thousand people overnight to occupy Dorchester Heights, overlooking Boston. Since it was winter, the ground was frozen, which made trenching inappropriate. Rufus Putnam developed a plan for heights using defenses made of heavy timber and fascines. They were made unattended by the British and brought overnight. It is said that General Howe exclaimed: " My God, these guys did more work in one night than I could have done my army in three months ." The British fleet was within reach of American guns on Dorchester Heights, putting themselves and troops in the city in danger.

The immediate response of the British was with a two-hour gunfire at heights, which had no effect, because the British guns could not reach the Americans at that height. After the failure of the barrier, Howe and his officers agreed that the colonists should be forced out of the heights if they wanted to keep Boston. They planned an assault on the heights; however, the attack did not take place because of the storm, and the British decided instead to leave.

On March 8, some prominent Bostonians sent a letter to Washington, stating that the British would not destroy the city if they were allowed to leave the city without return fire. Washington received a letter, but formally rejected it, since it was not addressed to him either by name or by name. However, the letter had the expected effect: when the evacuation began, there was no American fire that could have prevented British departure. On March 9, after seeing movement on the Nook hill in Dorchester, the British opened a massive fire, which lasted all night. He killed four people with one cannonball, but it was all the damage that was done that day. The next day, the colonists came out and collected 700 cannonballs, which were released on them.

Evacuation

On March 10, 1776, General Howe issued a proclamation ordering residents to throw away all linen and wool goods that could be used by colonists to continue the war. The loyalist, Crin Bruche , was authorized to receive these goods, in exchange for which he gave certificates, which were virtually useless. Over the next week, the British fleet sat in the Boston harbor, waiting for favorable winds, while the Loyalists and British soldiers were loaded onto ships. During this time, US naval activities outside the harbor successfully captured and diverted several British supply vessels to ports under colonial control.

On March 15, the wind became favorable, but before they could leave, he turned against them. On March 17, the wind became favorable again. The troops, which were allowed to burn the city, if there were any unrest when they went to their ships, began to depart at 4:00 in the morning. By 9:00 am, all the ships were in motion. The fleet departing from Boston numbered 120 ships, carrying more than 11,000 people. Of these, 9,906 were British troops, 667 were women and 553 were children.

American Cleaning

As soon as the British fleet sailed, the Americans moved forward to return Boston and Charlestown. At first they thought the British were still on Bunker Hill. Because of the risk of getting smallpox, at first only men selected because of their immunity entered Boston under the command of the Artemus Ward branch. Most of the colonial army entered on March 20, 1776, when the risk of the disease was assessed as low. Although Washington essentially agreed with the British threat to burn Boston and did not hinder their departure from the city, he did not make their escape from the outer harbor completely easy. He instructed Captain John Manley to pursue the departing British fleet. Manly captured the ship on which Captain Crin Bryush took the loot from Boston.

General Hau, when his fleet finally left the outer harbor, left behind a small contingent of vessels, the main purpose of which was to intercept any British ships arriving. While they successfully redirected numerous ships to Halifax with British troops originally destined for Boston, some unsuspecting British warships landed in Boston, thus falling into the hands of American colonists.

The British departure completed major hostilities in the New England colonies. Washington, fearing that the British are going to attack New York, went with his army to Manhattan on April 4, launching a campaign in New York and New Jersey.

There are six units of the National Guard Army (101st Englishman, 125th Deputy, 181st Inf., 182nd Inf., 197th and 201st Army) received from the American units that participated in the siege of Boston . The US Army currently has thirty units with lines dating back to the colonial era.

General Howe will be heavily criticized in the British press and parliament for his failures in the Boston campaign, but he will remain commander for another two years: for the campaign in New York and New Jersey and for the campaign in Philadelphia. General Gage will never get another combat command (squad). General Burgoyne will take command of the Saratog company, which he considers disastrous, as a result of which he will be captured, as well as 7,500 troops under his command. General Clinton will command British forces in America for four years (1778–1782).

Fate of the Loyalists

Many loyalists from Massachusetts left with the British when they were evacuated from Boston. Some went to England to restore life there, and some returned to America after the war. Many remained in Nova Scotia, settling in places such as St. John, and many became active in the future development of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Boston's Fate

After the siege, Boston actually ceased to be a military target, but continued to remain the center of revolutionary activity, and its port acted as an important point for fitting warships and marques. Its leading citizens will play an important role in the development of the future United States. Boston and other local communities mark the end of the siege on March 17 as the Day of Evacuation.

• Timothy Newell. A journalist kept it up during the time yt Boston was shut up in 1775-6 (Eng.) // Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society: journal. - 1852. - Vol. 1 .
• "Centennial Reading: The Siege of Boston" , Bulletin of the Boston Public Library , vol. 5, July 1883, p. 388–389  

• French, Allen. The Siege of Boston . - McMillan, 1911.
• McCullough, David. 1776. - Simon and Schuster Paperback, 2005. - ISBN 0-7432-2672-0 .