Boston Campaign (1775–1776)
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The Boston campaign was the opening campaign of the American Revolutionary War, taking place primarily in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The campaign began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, in which the local colonial militias interdicted a British government attempt to seize military stores and leaders in Concord, Massachusetts. Subsequently, accumulated militia forces surrounded the city of Boston, beginning the siege of Boston. In the aftermath of the failed Concord expedition, the thousands of militiamen that had converged on Boston remained. Over the next few days, more arrived from further afield, including companies from New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Under the command of Artemas Ward, they surrounded the city, blocking its land approaches and putting the occupied city under siege. The British regulars fortified the high points in the city. The Machias townspeople rose up, seizing the merchant vessels and then the schooner after a short battle in which its commander was killed.
Their resistance and that of other coastal communities led Graves to authorize an expedition of reprisal in October whose sole significant act was the Burning of Falmouth. The outrage in the colonies over this action contributed to the passing of legislation by the Second Continental Congress that established the Continental Navy. The colonial army also had issues with supply, and with command. Its diverse militias needed to be organized, fed, clothed, and armed, and command needed to be coordinated, as each militia leader was responsible to his province's congress. Washington wanted to both retaliate for the British Burning of Falmouth as well as interrupt and acquire British armaments approaching Boston. Toward this end, in October 1775, General Washington ordered the first American naval expedition. Washington borrowed two vessels from John Glover's Marblehead Regiment.
Glover recruited Captain Nicholson Broughton in the Hancock and Captain John Selman (privateer) in the Franklin. Their expedition north led to capturing fishing vessels off Canso, Nova Scotia, and the Raid on Charlottetown (1775). By early March 1776, heavy cannons that had been captured at Fort Ticonderoga were moved to Boston, a difficult feat engineered by Henry Knox. When the guns were placed on Dorchester Heights in the course of one day, overlooking the British positions, the British situation became untenable. While General Howe planned an attack to reclaim the high ground, a snowstorm prevented its execution. The British, after threatening to burn the city if their departure was hindered, evacuated the city on March 17, 1776, and sailed for temporary refuge in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The local militias dispersed and, in April, General Washington took most of the Continental Army to fortify New York City and the start of the New York and New Jersey campaign.
Their resistance and that of other coastal communities led Graves to authorize an expedition of reprisal in October whose sole significant act was the Burning of Falmouth. The outrage in the colonies over this action contributed to the passing of legislation by the Second Continental Congress that established the Continental Navy. The colonial army also had issues with supply, and with command. Its diverse militias needed to be organized, fed, clothed, and armed, and command needed to be coordinated, as each militia leader was responsible to his province's congress. Washington wanted to both retaliate for the British Burning of Falmouth as well as interrupt and acquire British armaments approaching Boston. Toward this end, in October 1775, General Washington ordered the first American naval expedition. Washington borrowed two vessels from John Glover's Marblehead Regiment.
Glover recruited Captain Nicholson Broughton in the Hancock and Captain John Selman (privateer) in the Franklin. Their expedition north led to capturing fishing vessels off Canso, Nova Scotia, and the Raid on Charlottetown (1775). By early March 1776, heavy cannons that had been captured at Fort Ticonderoga were moved to Boston, a difficult feat engineered by Henry Knox. When the guns were placed on Dorchester Heights in the course of one day, overlooking the British positions, the British situation became untenable. While General Howe planned an attack to reclaim the high ground, a snowstorm prevented its execution. The British, after threatening to burn the city if their departure was hindered, evacuated the city on March 17, 1776, and sailed for temporary refuge in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The local militias dispersed and, in April, General Washington took most of the Continental Army to fortify New York City and the start of the New York and New Jersey campaign.
