The Revolutionary War, Pt. 4. These are the times that try men’s souls. pt. 1

After Bunker Hill, the Continental Congress knew it had to act. It got right to work creating a Continental Army. John Adams, the always outspoken member of Congress, said that there would have to be a leader for this army chosen immediately. Adams’ choice was shocking. He announced a quiet member of Congress, George Washington, as the commander-in-chief of this new army.

Three days later, Washington took his first look at the army he now commanded. It was horrible. The 1,600 soldiers had no discipline, only limited amounts of food, clothing, and musket balls, and they had no training. The worst thing was that most of them had only signed up for a year. As soon as his soldiers would be ready to fight, Washington would get a new batch of recruits.

When the British got the news of a new Continental Army, they were furious. Not only had the colonists disobeyed the king’s orders, but now they had created an army to attack Great Britain. George III decided to sent 1,000 Grenadiers, the elite soldiers in the British Army, to help Howe crush the rebellion. Howe already had almost 5,000 regulars and was ready to crush the colonies. Howe knew that Washington had less experience than him, and that British soldiers had the best discipline and training in the world , but he still harbored doubts. In the area, there were almost 30,000 militia. There were only 1,600 Continentals, but by new year there were almost 14,000 of them. Howe was surrounded.

Meanwhile Washington got ready to attack Boston with his large army. Four months earlier, a very important man had stepped onto the stage; Benedict Arnold (see more about Arnold in my post The Life of Benedict Arnold). He stepped onto the stage when he helped Ethan Allen capture Fort Ticonderoga, but Arnold had gotten no credit for the victory. In December a former bookseller named Colonel Henry Knox dragged Fort Ticonderoga’s 70 cannon from the fort all the way to headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There Washington received the cannon, all of which were intact. Now Washington had what it would take to take Boston.

Early in 1776, Washington organized 2,500 men, along with half of Knox’s cannon, to go up to Dorchester Heights. At night they reached the heights. By dawn, they had all their cannon and trench systems set up. The British were stunned. When Howe woke up and saw the cannons on Dorchester Heights aiming down on Boston, he exclaimed “The Rebels have done something overnight that my soldiers couldn’t to in one month,”.

Just two weeks later, the British evacuated Boston, along with 4000 loyalists. John Burgoyne, who came to America with Howe and Clinton, decided to leave for Britain. Howe, however, started planning an attack. He decided he would leave behind Boston, and head for New York in the summer.

Meanwhile, Washington celebrated the first victory of his career. The war looked as if it would end by Christmas, but unknown to Washington, this would be his last victory in the year. 1776 would see 35,000 Redcoats, the largest sea campaign ever to happen until WWI.

The Revolutionary War, Pt. 3.

Before Lexington and Concord, a new group of people had met. It’s name was Continental Congress. Some of it’s main delegates were John Adams, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. There were 50 others. They met to figure out what to do about the taxes. While they met, The battles of Lexington and Concord happened.

This was bad for the British. Gage couldn’t figure out what to do to stop the rebellion. Three months after Lexington and Concord, Gage stepped down from his position, leaving William Howe in command. He was determined to crush the rebellion. He looked   just North of Boston to find an excellent place to show the rebels what they were up against; Charlestown.

An American colonel named Samuel Prescott decided to defend Breed’s hill. He had a little over 700 men. He was fortified on top of Breed’s hill. His orignal fort was Bunker hill, but the Prescott decided that it would be better if they were closer to Boston. Breed’s hill is only a few miles away from Boston.

Howe and 1,500 regulars attacked Breed’s hill. Henry Clinton would join him with 800 light troops. The attack was ment to show the rebels that trying to defeat the British army was suicidal. Howe led 200 troops up Breed’s hill in a head-on attack. Twice they charged. Twice the rebels held out against the British. Howe led 100 light troops plus 300 regulars in the final charge. The rebels were out of gunpowder, and as a result they were forced to flee.

The British had won, but at a high price. 500 British had died attacking Breed’s hill, while only 100 rebels fell. The British had lost so many soldiers that it seemed like a loss. The battle which had taken place on Breed’s hill would be known as the battle of Bunker hill, after the orignal British plans to take the nearby Bunker hill.

Even with all their training and discipline, the British couldn’t stop the rebels.

The Revolutionary War, Pt.2., The Shot Heard Round the World

Major General Thomas Gage

The colonists were not pleased with Gage. Gage wanted to make Boston into a large barracks. Only 7,000 out of the 20,000 people in the city were not rebels. The rebels were leaving the city in a steady stream. Soon, over 5,000 people had left Boston and went to either Charlestown (Just North of Boston), Philadelphia, New York, or the outskirts of Boston.

That didn’t stop Gage. He still had 5,000 troops in Boston, and was confident he could beat the local militia easily. But the rebels had created a new group of soldiers called minutemen. Unlike militia (Who met every other month), minutemen met every week. Minutemen took the oath to be ready in  a minute. Massachusetts and nearby states raised a total of 25,000 militia and minutemen. Gage knew now that he had to act.

In the middle of April 1775, Gage met with his officers. They decided that the best way to defeat the rebels was to take their weapons away from them. Most of their gunpowder and guns were made in England, so by taking them away Gage would disarm the rebels for good. The biggest hold of arms was at the town of Concord. Gage knew that if he was to go to Concord there would have to be absolute secrecy about it. Secrecy was not Gage’s thing. It only took a few hours for the rebel leaders to figure it out. They sent out Paul Revere to warn the Concord and the little town that was on the road to Concord, Lexington.

Gage sent 700 men commanded by Colonel Francis Smith, and by morning, they reached Lexington. Against them were 70 minutemen. The rebels faltered as the British advanced. One of Smith’s officers stopped the British advancing. He told the rebels to lay down their arms. Suddenly, a shot was fired. No one knows who fired the shot, but after that there was no going back. The British lines fired at the rebels and then charged them, killing eight men and injuring many more. The rebels fled Lexington and went to Concord. The British decided on sending 150 troops to Concord to finish off the rebels. Smith had no idea of what he was facing.

The rebels had gathered up 4,000 militia and minutemen to destroy Smith’s forces. The troops sent to Concord retreated with only 90 men. After hours of fighting, Smith finally ordered his men to retreat. The rebels sniped at the main British column when it retreated. When they were ten miles away from Boston, the British met Gage’s second in command, Brigadier General Lord Hugh Percy. He and his men covered the British retreat.

At nightfall, the British had reached Boston. They figured out that Gage, right before Lexington and Concord, had found a flaw in his plan. He had tried to order his men to come back to Boston. Now, 30,000 militia were closing on him. He sent a letter to his superiors in England. He requested a 20,000 man army, with 2,000 cavalry and 300 guns. It would to be transported to Boston by 50 ships of the line and 200 transports. They would attack New York soon.

In England, Gage’s reputation dropped after king George received his letter. The king didn’t believe that a large army was needed to defeat the rebels, so instead he sent 1,000 men and three major generals; Henry Clinton, William Howe and John Burgoyne. They were some of the best generals in England, and they had all fought in the French and Indian War. Gage instantly made William Howe his new second in command, and added Henry Clinton to his circle of officers, which included the second in command, the commander, and ten members. John Burgoyne was not put in a special position. He would soon be sent with 10,000 men to Canada to help General Guy Carlton.

Gage saw that his power was slipping away. He had to act fast, before the militia attacked. But all he could do was watch a disaster unfolded.