-
2 The War against Britain, 1775–1783
- University of Nebraska Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
i In 1774 the North American colonies sent delegates to a Continental Congress that unsuccessfully petitioned George III to lift the Coercive Acts. It reconvened in 1775, soon after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, now facing not only the threat of expanded British military action but also serious potential opposition within the colonies. Many Americans did not want a confrontation with the king or Parliament. Resistance, moreover , would require the thirteen colonies to cooperate with each other, to cede some of their powers to Congress, and to raise money for self-defense, all of which was controversial. The most frightening aspect of the crisis was the danger that Britain would not agree to a peaceful resolution of the dispute, leaving the Americans to face the world’s most powerful navy and an experienced, powerful army. Not surprisingly, all but a few radicals like Patrick Henry hoped for an accommodation with the British government. Even Benjamin Franklin, newly returned to America after unsuccessful negotiations with intermediaries in contact with the British government, was willing to make a final effort to avert open warfare.1 The War against Britain, 1775–1783 two 18 the war against britain In previous crises, such as the 1765–66 Stamp Act dispute, the colonies had obtained concessions from the British government by boycotting British goods. Congress again petitioned the king for relief, while hoping that the progressive implementation of non-importation, non-exportation, and non-consumption of goods from Britain would exert enough economic pressure to cause the British government to back down. The effort was hopeless. The king, Parliament and even most of the British public were eager to restore the mother country’s authority over its colonies by whatever coercive methods were necessary. The king declared the colonies in rebellion, authorized seizure of their ships, and began assembling troops to reinforce those already in America. Most of them were in Boston; during the previous winter the British had even sent two of their four regiments in Canada to reinforce its garrison . The British navy could do little more than protect Boston Harbor and incoming ships; at the beginning of 1775, its North American squadron consisted of only three ships of the line, one 50-gun ship, one 28-gun frigate, and nineteen ships of 20 or fewer cannon, far too small a force to blockade the American coast.2 In the aftermath of Lexington and Concord, militiamen from New England began a blockade of Boston, a city on a peninsula connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. General Thomas Gage, the British commander, sought to break the blockade by seizing Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill on the Charlestown Peninsula north of the city. The June 17 attack was successful, but cost the British 1,000 casualties. The stalemate resumed; the Americans lacked cannon while the British did not have enough troops to risk another attack. Meanwhile, Congress was anxious to demonstrate that the struggle was [3.235.243.45] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 13:17 GMT) 19 the war against britain not New England’s alone, so it elected George Washington to command the Continental army opposite Boston. He arrived at the army’s headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in early July. Anxious to demonstrate that its cause was defensive , however, Congress delayed intercepting British shipping; Washington had to watch helplessly as the British received supplies from England and sent out a squadron that burned the port of Falmouth, some 100 miles northeast of Boston.3 Boston was not the only front, though. By withdrawing troops from Canada, the British had left exposed not only Canada itself but also the fortress of Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain . It was the major post along the Richelieu River to Lake Champlain to Lake George route by which troops could move between the St. Lawrence River and the Hudson River. Not only was it strategically important but it also had almost 100 cannon, which would be a priceless acquisition to the American army. What made it an even more tempting target was that its garrison had fewer than fifty men. On May 10 the fort was captured without bloodshed by a force of some eighty “Green Mountain Boys” led by Ethan Allen and Massachusetts troops led by Benedict Arnold. A smaller detachment sent to the southern end of Lake Champlain captured the boatyard at Skenesborough and a trading schooner, both of which were owned by a British supporter. Arnold embarked troops aboard the schooner, sailed...