We all know the Minutemen from Lexington & Concord and surrounding towns stopped the British and chased them back to Boston on April 19, 1775. Whats more remarkable is the siege of Boston that followed, as farmers abandoned their crops by the tens of thousands to join the battle. Militia and volunteers troops from other New England colonies had come by the thousands to join forces with the Massachusetts regiments -- 1,500 Rhode Islanders led by Nathaniel Greene, 5,000 from Connecticut, New Hampshires regiment of 1,000 had marched in snow and rain, without food or tents, 75 miles in three and a half days. Massachusetts regiments possibly numbered more than 10,000. By June, a sprawling, spontaneous, high-spirited New England army such as had never been seen was gathered about Boston. - David McCullough, from his book, 1776 George Washington arrived from Virginia in July to lead the siege. The Brits finally evacuated Boston on March 17, 1776 -- still a civic holiday in Boston, Evacuation Day.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 21:45:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015