THE EARLY CAMPAIGNS: APRIL 1775-MARCH 1776
Great Britain Goes to War
-Britain entered conflict with the American colonies unprepared:
oPublic opinion was lukewarm
oLord North had been reluctant to reinforce General Gage
oThe army was understrength at only 50,000
oThe navy had been virtually mothballed since the end of the
Seven Years’ War
-The British did have significant advantages:
oA well-trained professional army
oThe largest, most powerful navy in the world when fully
mobilized
oA government bureaucracy experienced in handling the logistics
of fighting a war
oMany Americans were Loyalists (Tories)
-British were also faced with obstacles to victory:
oUnfamiliar with the details of colonial geography
oThe difficulties of supplying their forces across the Atlantic
oThey tended to treat all Americans (loyalist and rebel) as
enemies
oPolitical and military leadership of questionable quality
The Triumvirate of Reputation
-Even before the commencement of hostilities in April 1775, the North
Ministry decided to replace Thomas Gage
-Three major Generals were set to Boston:
oWilliam Howe
oHenry Clinton
oJohn Burgoyne
The Campaigns of 1775
-After the British retreat from Concord to Boston, the New England
militia army lay siege to Boston
-Awaiting reinforcements, Gage’s troops could do little but dig in
-Commanded by Gen. Artemas Ward of the Massachusetts militia, the
New Englanders wrestled with indiscipline, inexperience, and poor
logistics
Fort Ticonderoga
-To successfully invest the British defenses, the patriot forces needed
artillery
-Patriot leaders focused their attention on Fort Ticonderoga in upstate
New York
-The Connecticut colonial government detailed Ethan Allen of NH and
his Green Mountain Boys to capture the isolated outpost and seize its
guns
-The Massachusetts Committee of Safety dispatched Connecticut militia
officer Benedict Arnold on the same mission
-The two officers agreed to share command
-On 10 May 1775, the Patriot forces captured Ticonderoga without firing
a shot
The Second Continental Congress
-Convened on 10 May 1775
-Divisions quickly emerged among the delegates
oA conservative faction led by John Dickinson of PA
oA radical faction led by John Adams of MA
-Two documents exemplified these divisions:
oThe olive Branch Petition
oThe Declaration of Causes and Necessities of Taking Up Arms
-Congress also took charge of the New England army besieging Boston:
oThe force was christened the Continental Army
oCongress asked the other colonies to contribute recruits
The American War Effort
-The Americans entered the struggle with certain advantages
oGeographically, the colonies were a large area to conquer
oLeaders experienced in local governance
oThe militia could act as a means of control
-Yet they labored under significant difficulties
oA lack of supplies and resources
oNo navy
oThe leadership was inexperienced at running a large-scale war
oThe colonies had disparate viewpoints and goals
George Washington
-To draw Virginia into the war, Congress appointed George Washington
as commander-in-chief of all patriot forces with the rank of lieutenant
general
-Washington brought a strong background to the position:
oA “gentleman-farmer” of good reputation
oVeteran of the French and Indian War
oMember of the House of Burgesses
oThe wealthiest man in VA
-Born in 1732, the first son of his father’s second marriage
-his father, Augustine Washington, was a “second tier” VA aristocrat, of
modestly prosperous means
oWashingtons birthplace, Ferry Farm, reflected this
-Young George grew up on the frontier with only a rudimentary
education
oThe story of George and the Cherry tree was a legend invented
to illustrate the honesty he displayed in public life
-At age 11, Augustine Washington died, leaving George in the care of
his older half-brother Lawrence
- Lawrence eventually married into a wealthy “first tier” Virginia
aristocratic family, the Fairfax’s.
- This was young George’s first exposure to upper-class life.
- His strong, forthright personality and athleticism gained him the favor
of the head of the clan, Lord Thomas Fairfax.
- At the age of 17, Fairfax secured Washington a job as a surveyor on the
Virginia frontier.
- Washington proved such a good surveyor he was able to purchase his
first 1,400 acres only a year later.
- Washington’s next step up the social ladder was military service.
- At the age of 20, through Lord Fairfax’s sponsorship, he was made a
major of the Virginia militia.
- In 1754, he was sent on the ill-fated expedition which began the French
and Indian War.
- Following his survival of Braddock’s defeat, he commanded Virginia
troops on the frontier.
- Washington proved himself a capable officer and a strict disciplinarian.
- During the war, he was turned down for an officer’s commission in the
British regular army, due to his being a “mere colonial.”
- Upon Lawrence’s death in 1752, Washington inherited his estate at
Mount Vernon.
- The plantation prospered under Washington’s management.
- In 1759, Washington married a wealthy young widow, Martha
Dandridge Custis.
- Although initially a marriage of convenience, George and Martha
developed a strong loving bond.
- In personality, Washington was the “strong, silent” type, with great
self-control.
- His self-control concealed a fearsome temper.
- He was endowed with considerable common sense.
- He was also man of uncommon integrity, honesty, and humility.
- Washington’s strength of character would prove to be of great value as
the war dragged on through many disappointing defeats.
- On the other hand, he lacked the experience necessary for high
command, which led to serious mistakes early in the war.
Washingtons Officers
- Washington also had a group of trusted younger officers around him:
- Henry Knox (upper center right)
- Nathanael Greene (upper far right)
- Anthony Wayne (lower right)
- He proved willing to listen to and act on good advice.
- Over the course of the war, other men would join his “military family.”
Other Continental Army Generals
- The appointment of major generals and brigadiers was a volatile
political issue.
- Charles Lee (upper far left) and Horatio Gates (upper center left) were
former British army officers of the Whig faction.
- Philip Schuyler of New York (lower left) was a wealthy landowner with
much political influence.
Battle of Bunker Hill
- In June, the American commanders decided to occupy the hills on the
Charlestown peninsula overlooking Boston harbor.
- On the evening of the 16th and 17th, 3,000 Americans led by Gen.
Israel Putnam and Col. William Prescott marched to the position.
- After some confusion, they began digging in on Breed’s Hill.
- The British commander, General William Howe, had no choice but to
dislodge the Americans.
- Rather than outflanking the Americans, Howe, to better demonstrate
British power, favored a direct frontal assault against the position.
- Though eventually successful, Howe's tactics cost the British 1054
killed or wounded from a force of 2400--40% casualties.
- The battle was a shock to the British, who thought the Americans
would run.
Washington Takes Command
- The new commander-in-chief arrived at headquarters in Cambridge on
2 July 1775.
- The Continental Army was a shambles:
oPoor discipline
oNo significant training
oPrimitive logistical support
oAbominable sanitary conditions
oShort-term enlistments
oDesertion
- Washington set about the task of creating a real army.
- He also asked Congress to authorize long-term enlistments.
The Invasion of Canada
- Even before the war began, Patriot leaders hoped to win Canada to
their side:
- They saw French Canadian population as potential allies.
- They also sought to secure the northern flank of the colonies.
- After the fall of Fort Ticonderoga, Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen
called for a quick strike into Canada.
- Gov. Guy Carleton had only 1,000 men for the defense of Montreal and
Quebec.
- In June 1775, Congress authorized Gen. Philip Schuyler to mount an
expedition.
- In August, Major General Richard Montgomery led 1,200 troops from
Fort Ticonderoga toward Montreal.
- Congress passed over Benedict Arnold for a command in the
expedition.
- He went to Cambridge and offered his services to Washington.
- Washington placed 1,050 men under Arnold’s command.
- In September, Arnold’s force undertook a dangerous march through the
Maine wilderness toward Quebec.
- Montgomery captured Montreal on 13 November.
- Arnold’s force arrived outside Quebec the following day.
- He had only 600 men with him.
- Montgomery joined him with 500 troops on 2 December.
- On 31 December, the Americans launched a desperate night attack on
the fortress.
- The assault was a fiasco, with Montgomery killed in action (left).
- The wounded Arnold maintained a siege until May 1776, when the
arrival of British reinforcements forced him to retreat.
- Although the invasion of Canada was a failure, Arnold emerged as a
hero noted for his courage.
The War Outside of New England and Canada
- The royal governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, was determined to hold
out again Patriot militia.
- He issued a proclamation offering freedom to any slave willing to take
up arms for George III.
- In December 1775, his outnumbered force of “Loyal Ethiopians,” British
regulars and Royal Marines was routed near Norfolk.
- In North Carolina, Governor Josiah Martin’s force of 1,700 Loyalist
militia was crushed in February 1776 at Moore’s Creek Bridge.
The British Evacuate Boston
- As 1775 drew to a close, Washington faced a major crisis.
- Most of the army’s enlistments were due to run out.
- Although many men went home, enough re-enlisted to form a cadre
around which Washington could build a new army.
- In November, Washington dispatched Colonel Henry Knox to Fort
Ticonderoga to bring the heavy artillery from that post to Boston
(right).
- Knox arrived with the guns in late January.
- On 2 March 1776, the Americans mounted the guns on Dorchester
Heights overlooking Boston Harbor.
- Howe asked Washington for a truce so he could evacuate Boston.
- Washington thus scored a major morale-building victory for the
American cause.
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