Following Lexington and Concord, Boston was quarantined by British soldiers, and General
Gage forced almost half of the population out of the city to conserve food.
The British Army found themselves trapped by the 10,000 colonial militia outside the
city.
Desperate for supplies to fulfill the needs of colonial troops, the Massachusetts Committee
of Safety sent Benedict Arnold and a force of 400 men to New York to attack a British
garrison at Fort Ticonderoga.
Samuel Adams, also realizing the opportunity, suggested trying to capture Ticonderoga as
soon as possible.
The colonists needed cannons, muskets, and ammunition, and the fort in northeast New
York was stocked with all of these things.
Ticonderoga was so important that it had often been referred to as the Gibralter of America.
The confusion resulted in another group led by Ethan Allen, known as the Green Mountain
Boys, marching for Ticonderoga.
After much arguing as to who was in charge, and the flaring of tempers, Allen and Arnold
captured the fort without firing a shot.
The successful campaign resulted in the Patriots capturing 78 cannons, 30,000 flintlock muskets,
and a stockpile of ammunition.
Yet, the much needed supplies were more than 300 miles away from Boston.
While the Patriots attempted to inventory and secure the haul from Ticonderoga, British
reinforcements under General Howe arrived in Boston with orders to drive the colonial
militia away from the city.
Before the British could formulate a plan, they awoke on the morning of June 17, 1775
to an awing sight.
During the night, the Patriot army had built substantial fortifications on nearby Breed's
Hill.
The British navy opened fire while their generals argued over what to do.
Before long, the June sun was at full steam and temperatures swelled into the upper nineties.
The British lined up in battle formation as Bostonians crowded rooftops to watch the assault.
The Redcoats approached in columns, their drums tapping out an ominous cadence.
Israel Putnam, commanding American troops inside the fortifications, declared, "Don't
fire 'til you see the whites of their eyes!"
The Patriots waited until the British were 50 yards away before firing a massive volley
that crippled the British forces.
Some units lost more than 3/4s of their men before fleeing.
A second British attempt was made, and it too was repulsed.
Many Patriot bullets were coming from snipers in nearby Charleston, and British officers
ordered the town to be bombarded by the navy, and before long, all 300 houses were ablaze,
making for an eerie backdrop as Howe ordered another assault.
Out of ammunition, the Patriot forces were forced to retreat.
The famous conflict is known as the Battle of Bunker Hill, although it actually occurred
on Breed's Hill.
The British won, but at a heavy cost.
A staggering 19 officers and 207 men had been killed.
Seventy more officers and 828 others were wounded for more than 40% casualties.
To the Americans, it ended up being a moral victory.
They had fought the best army in the world, toe to toe, and held their own.
Shortly after Bunker Hill, General Washington arrived to take command of the Continental
Army.
He dispatched Henry Knox, a 250-pound Boston book seller, to get the heavy cannons from
Ticonderoga.
Knox's men built 42 gigantic sleds and hired 160 oxen to pull 125,000 pounds of cannons
and lead to Boston.
When General Howe arose one morning to find the cannons setting atop Dorchester Heights
to the south of Boston, he knew he would have to retreat.
"The Rebels have done more in one night than my whole army could do in months," the general
declared.
Reluctantly, Howe decided to leave by way of Boston Harbor.
Massachusetts, the colony that started the Revolution, wouldn't see another British soldier
for the remainder of the war.