Revolutionary War Historical Article
The American Revolution Month-by-Month May 1775
By Compatriot Andrew "Andy" Stough
Editor's Note: This article was reprinted by Permission of the Gold Country Chapter No. 7 of the CSSAR and was slightly edited by the Sons of Liberty Chapter of the CSSAR
The euphoria following the exciting activity at Concord on April 19th and it’s follow up in the siege of the city of Boston gradually wore thin. Sitting around bottling up British General Sir Thomas Gage in Boston was not what most of the army had expected when they enlisted. When things were the most boring and many soldiers pondered going home, enlistment or no enlistment, there came the news that Ticonderoga had fallen on 10 May, 1775 to Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys. Capture of what was thought to be an impregnable fortress came just in the nick of time to revive the morale of soldiers and civilians alike. While it was a lift to American morale; it also turned the tenor of the uprising from objection to revolution. The result was a strengthening of resolve on both sides.
Ticonderoga was seen as the Gateway to the North; with it secured it would take a strong force to attack the colonies from Canada. Congress mistakenly thought that the Canadians, so recently French subjects, would rally to an American attack Congress began to see possession of Ticonderoga as an open the door for an attack to the North.
The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 to March 17, 1776) was the first intentional act of war on the part of the colonists. Begun on the night of April 19 as a logical follow up on the day's battle begun at the old north bridge in Concord. Up to the beginning of the siege, all action had been unplanned, simply a reaction to the movement of British troops. When the Minutemen found themselves surrounding Boston and all British troops inside the city, reality set in. The action of April 19 and the night following placed the Minutemen in a state of open rebellion against the British Crown.
The new situation was apparent to the local leaders but not to the Minutemen whose organization to this point had been strictly reactionary - to guard and defend - but not to oppose the King in open rebellion. The Minutemen, relatively leaderless, began to disperse as rapidly as they had come; farmers for the most part, they began to return to their farms and families, for this was the season to begin preparation for the year’s crops.
The local leaders realized that whether they had intended rebellion or not, that the actions of the day and night of the 19th of April had created a declaration of war. A message made more forceful by the large losses suffered by the British and subsequent bottling up of their forces within the city of Boston.
Fortunately, the British Commander, General Gage, was impressed by the effectiveness of the Minutemen on the way back to Boston and their seemingly determination to continue the conflict by their effective and timely occupation of the area around the city. The actual turmoil within the colonist’s ranks was not observable to him. All he saw was the continued fortification and strengthening of the rude forts surrounding his position indicating that they were in place and planned to stay there. Additionally, there was the cutting off of all supplies from the countryside upon which the citizens of Boston and British defenders were totally dependent.
Neither, the British or Americans were prepared for the situation in which they now found themselves. Adding to the confusion was the failure of both the Americans and the British to properly assess the others actual capabilities. The Americans underestimated the British capability and fortunately for the Americans, General Gage, vastly under-estimated the American forces and their ability to fight.
In the beginning the Americans lacked weapons, ammunition and any commitment by the Minutemen to serve beyond an emergency. Above all, there was no central leadership to direct and support troops in the enforcement of a siege. There wasn’t any preparation to feed, clothe and house a large force even by the day, not to mention the requirement for an extended siege. If there ever was an army whose motto should be "In God We Trust" this was it.
The siege bumbled along until leaders appeared on the scene. Colonies rallied to the cause, committing interim funds, supplies and bodies. The so-called "rabble" that Major Pitcairn had dispersed at Lexington was on it's way to becoming an army sufficiently formidable to not only defy the vaunted British Regulars but thirteen months later on March 17, 1776, see the last British soldier board ship and sail away.
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