American victory
64-463: New England colonies (before May 1775) [REDACTED] George Washington [REDACTED] Artemas Ward [REDACTED] Israel Putnam [REDACTED] William Prescott [REDACTED] John Thomas [REDACTED] Henry Knox [REDACTED] John Stark [REDACTED] Thomas Gage [REDACTED] Sir William Howe [REDACTED] Sir Henry Clinton [REDACTED] Samuel Graves The Boston campaign
128-432: A "captain-general", the captain of an army in general (i.e., the whole army). The rank of captain-general began appearing around the time of the organisation of professional armies in the 17th century. In most countries "captain-general" contracted to just "general". The following articles deal with the rank of general, or its equivalent, as it is or was employed in the militaries of those countries: Some countries (such as
192-487: A consequence of these events, granting the Second Continental Congress (predecessor to the modern U.S. Congress ) sufficient authority and funding to conduct the revolution as a unified whole, including funding and outfitting the military forces that formed as a result of this campaign. New England colonies The New England Colonies of British America included Connecticut Colony ,
256-480: A new colony which he named Providence Plantations in recognition of the intervention of Divine Providence in establishing the new colony. It was unique in its day in expressly providing for religious freedom and separation of church from state. Other dissenters established two settlements on Rhode Island (now called Aquidneck Island ) and another settlement in Warwick ; these four settlements eventually united to form
320-469: A running battle back to Charlestown against an ever-growing number of militia. Subsequently, accumulated militia forces surrounded the city of Boston , beginning the siege of Boston . The main action during the siege, the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, was one of the bloodiest encounters of the war, and resulted in a Pyrrhic British victory. There were also numerous skirmishes near Boston and
384-429: A trio of generals who would play a vital role in the war: William Howe , John Burgoyne , and Henry Clinton . They formulated a plan to break out of the city, which was finalized on June 12. Reports of these plans made their way to the commanders of the besieging forces, who decided that additional defensive steps were necessary. On the night of June 16–17, 1775, a detachment of the colonial army stealthily marched onto
448-815: The Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770, and the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. In response to the Tea Party and other protests, Parliament enacted the Intolerable Acts to punish the colonies. With the Massachusetts Government Act of 1774 it effectively abolished the provincial government of Massachusetts. General Thomas Gage , already the commander-in-chief of British troops in North America,
512-782: The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , Massachusetts Bay Colony , Plymouth Colony , and the Province of New Hampshire , as well as a few smaller short-lived colonies. The New England colonies were part of the Thirteen Colonies and eventually became five of the six states in New England , with Plymouth Colony absorbed into Massachusetts and Maine separating from it. In 1616, Captain John Smith authored A Description of New England , which first applied
576-521: The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations . Thomas Hooker left Massachusetts in 1636 with 100 followers and founded a settlement just north of the Dutch Fort Hoop which grew into Connecticut Colony . The community was first named Newtown then renamed Hartford to honor the English town of Hertford . One of the reasons why Hooker left Massachusetts Bay was that only members of
640-718: The Connecticut River as far as Hartford, Connecticut . By 1623, the Dutch West India Company regularly traded for furs there, and they eventually fortified it for protection from the Pequot Indians and named the site "House of Hope" (also identified as " Fort Hoop ," "Good Hope," and "Hope"). A group of Puritans commonly called the Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower from England and
704-587: The Continental Army to fortify New York City and the start of the New York and New Jersey campaign . The British were essentially driven from New England as a result of this campaign, although there (as elsewhere in the colonies) they continued to receive support from local Loyalists , especially in Newport, Rhode Island , from which they drove most of the local Patriots . The campaign, as well as
SECTION 10
#1732772019150768-660: The Continental Navy . The colonial army also had issues with supply, and with command. Its diverse militias needed to be organized, fed, clothed, and armed, and command needed to be coordinated, as each militia leader was responsible to his province's congress. Washington wanted to both retaliate for the British Burning of Falmouth as well as interrupt and acquire British armaments approaching Boston. Toward this end, in October 1775, General Washington ordered
832-666: The London Company . The Plymouth Company ships arrived at the bay of the Kennebec River (then called the Sagadahoc River) in August 1607 where they established a settlement named Sagadahoc Colony, better known as Popham Colony (see symbol "Po" on map to right) to honor financial backer Sir John Popham . The colonists faced a harsh winter, the loss of supplies following a storehouse fire, and mixed relations with
896-767: The Pequot War (1636–1638) and King Philip's War (1675–1678), were sometimes sold into slavery. Utilizing captured prisoners of war as a source of forced labor was common in Europe; during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms , prisoners of war were frequently indentured and transported to plantations in Barbados and Jamaica . Plymouth Colony ranger Benjamin Church spoke out against the practice of enslaving Indians in
960-702: The restoration of the monarchy , the English government considered the Boston mint to be treasonous. However, the colony ignored the English demands to cease operations until at least 1682, when Hull's contract expired as mint master, and the colony did not move to renew his contract or appoint a new mint master. The coinage was a contributing factor to the revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter in 1684. American Indians who were captured during various conflicts in New England, such as
1024-535: The 1620s. A larger group of Puritans arrived in 1630, leaving England because they desired to worship in a manner that differed from the Church of England. Their views were in accord with those of the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower , except that the Mayflower Pilgrims felt that they needed to separate themselves from the Church of England, whereas the later Puritans were content to remain under
1088-586: The Atlantic coast where there was an abundance of marketable sea life. Excellent harbors and some inland waterways offered protection for ships and were also valuable for freshwater fishing. By the end of the 17th century, New England colonists had created an Atlantic trade network that connected them to the English homeland as well as to the Slave Coast of West Africa , plantations in the West Indies, and
1152-516: The Battle of Bunker Hill, the siege was effectively stalemated, as neither side had either a clearly dominant position, or the will and materiel to significantly alter its position. When Washington took command of the army in July, he determined that its size had reduced from 20,000 to about 13,000 men fit for duty. He also established that the battle had severely depleted the army's powder stock, which
1216-497: The Bible for themselves. Depending upon social and financial status, education was taught by the parents home-schooling their children, public grammar schools, and private governesses, which included subjects from reading and writing to Latin and Greek and more. General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies , and in some nations' air and space forces , marines or naval infantry . In some usages,
1280-487: The British Royal Air Force and many current and former Commonwealth air forces—e.g. Royal Australian Air Force , Indian Air Force , Royal New Zealand Air Force , Nigerian Air Force , Pakistan Air Force , etc. In most navies , flag officers are the equivalent of general officers, and the naval rank of admiral is equivalent to the specific army rank of general. A noteworthy historical exception
1344-581: The British continued to control the seas, and had military successes on the ground (notably in New York, New Jersey , and Pennsylvania ), their actions that led to these conflicts had the effect of uniting the Thirteen Colonies in opposition to the crown. As a result, they were never able to marshal enough support from Loyalists to regain meaningful political control of the colonies. The colonies, in spite of their differences, united themselves as
SECTION 20
#17327720191501408-500: The British. One of these actions was contested by the British in the Battle of Chelsea Creek , but it resulted in the loss of two British soldiers and the British ship Diana . The need for building materials and other supplies led Admiral Samuel Graves to authorize a Loyalist merchant to send his ships from Boston to Machias in the District of Maine , accompanied by a Royal Navy schooner. The Machias townspeople rose up, seizing
1472-573: The Charlestown peninsula, which the British had abandoned in April, and fortified Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill . On June 17, British forces under General Howe attacked and seized the Charlestown peninsula in the Battle of Bunker Hill . This battle was technically a British victory, but losses (about 1/3 the attacking forces killed or wounded, including a significant fraction of the entire British officer corps in all of North America) were so heavy that
1536-493: The Iberian Peninsula. Colonists relied upon British and European imports for glass, linens, hardware, machinery, and other items for the household. The Southern Colonies could produce tobacco, rice, and indigo in exchange for imports, whereas New England's colonies could not offer much to England beyond fish, furs, and lumber. Inflation was a major issue in the economy. During the 18th century, shipbuilding drew upon
1600-450: The May 10 capture of Fort Ticonderoga , the need for unified military organization became clear. Congress officially adopted the forces outside Boston as the Continental Army on May 26, and named George Washington its commander-in-chief on June 15. Washington left Philadelphia for Boston on June 21, but did not learn of the action at Bunker Hill until he reached New York City . Following
1664-602: The Netherlands to establish Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, the second successful English colony in America following Jamestown, Virginia . About half of the 102 passengers on the Mayflower died that first winter, mostly because of diseases contracted on the voyage followed by a harsh winter. In 1621, an Indian named Squanto taught the colonists how to grow corn and where to catch eels and fish. His assistance
1728-610: The Plymouth Company) established a small fishing village at Cape Ann under the supervision of the Dorchester Company . The first group of Puritans moved to a new town at nearby Naumkeag after the Dorchester Company dropped support, and fresh financial support was found by Rev. John White. Other settlements were started in nearby areas; however, the overall Puritan population remained small through
1792-469: The United States) use the general officer ranks for both the army and the air force , as well as their marine corps ; other states only use the general officer ranks for the army, while in the air force they use air officers as the equivalent of general officers. They use the air force rank of air chief marshal as the equivalent of the specific army rank of general. This latter group includes
1856-612: The abundant lumber and revived the economy, often under the direction of the British Crown. In 1652, the Massachusetts General Court authorized Boston silversmith John Hull to produce local coinage in shilling, sixpence, and threepence denominations to address a coin shortage in the colony. The colony's economy had been entirely dependent on barter and foreign currency, including English, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, and counterfeit coins. In 1661, after
1920-589: The age of fourteen years should reside in the colony." Margret Ellen Newell estimates that hundreds of Indians were enslaved during the colonial conflicts, while Nathaniel Philbrick estimates that at least 1,000 New England Indians were sold into slavery during King Philip's War, with more than half coming from Plymouth. In the New England Colonies, the first settlements of Pilgrims and the other Puritans who came later taught their children how to read and write in order that they might read and study
1984-440: The air force, fleet admiral) being used only in wartime or as honorary titles. In some armies, however, the rank of captain general , general of the army , army general or colonel general occupied or occupies this position. Depending on circumstances and the army in question, these ranks may be considered to be equivalent to a "full" general or to a field marshal five-star rank (NATO OF-10). The rank of general came about as
Boston campaign - Misplaced Pages Continue
2048-527: The attack was not followed up. The siege was not broken, and General Gage was recalled to England in September and replaced by General Howe as the British commander-in-chief. The Second Continental Congress , meeting in Philadelphia , had received reports of the situation outside Boston when it began to meet in May 1775. In response to the confusion over command in the camps there, and in response to
2112-527: The authority of the King of France. Nearly half the settlers perished due to the harsh winter and scurvy , and the survivors moved north out of New England to Port-Royal of Nova Scotia (see symbol "R" on map to the right) in the spring of 1605. King James I of England recognized the need for a permanent settlement in New England, and he granted competing royal charters to the Plymouth Company and
2176-478: The capture of Ticonderoga, authorized an invasion of Canada , after several letters to the inhabitants of Canada were rejected by the French-speaking and British colonists there. In September, Benedict Arnold led 1,100 troops on an expedition through the wilderness of Maine , which was drawn from the army assembled outside Boston. Washington faced a personnel crisis toward the end of 1775, as most of
2240-542: The church could vote and participate in the government, which he believed should include any adult male owning property. He obtained a royal charter and established Fundamental Orders , considered to be one of the first constitutions in America. Other colonies later merged into the royal charter for the Connecticut Colony, including New Haven Colony and Saybrook Colony . The earliest colonies in New England were usually fishing villages or farming communities on
2304-404: The coastal areas of Boston, resulting in loss of life, military supplies, or both. In July 1775, George Washington took command of the assembled militia and transformed them into a more coherent army. On March 4, 1776, the colonial army fortified Dorchester Heights with cannon capable of reaching Boston and British ships in the harbor. The siege (and the campaign) ended on March 17, 1776, with
2368-516: The command of Artemas Ward , they surrounded the city, blocking its land approaches and putting the occupied city under siege . The British regulars fortified the high points in the city. While the British were able to resupply the city by sea, supplies in Boston were short. Troops were sent out to some of the islands in Boston Harbor to raid farmers for supplies. In response, the colonials began clearing those islands of supplies useful to
2432-481: The countryside, and when the British troops entered Lexington on the morning of April 19, they found 77 minutemen formed up on the village common. Shots were exchanged, eight Minutemen were killed, the outnumbered colonial militia dispersed, and the British moved on to Concord. At Concord, the troops searched for military supplies, but found relatively little, as the colonists, having received warnings that such an expedition might happen, had taken steps to hide many of
2496-428: The days ahead, and essentially provided a "dress rehearsal" for events seven months later. Partly in response to this action, the colonists carried off military supplies from several forts in New England and distributed them among the local militias. On the night of April 18, 1775, General Gage sent 700 men to seize munitions stored by the colonial militia at Concord . Several riders — including Paul Revere — alerted
2560-474: The early 17th century, with the French constructing Fort Pentagouet near Castine, Maine in 1613. The fort protected a trading post and a fishing station and was the first longer-term settlement in New England. It changed hands multiple times throughout the 17th century among the English, French, and Dutch colonists. In 1614, Dutch explorer Adriaen Block traveled along the coast of Long Island Sound and then up
2624-489: The final result of the war as a whole, were a significant blow to British prestige and confidence in its military. The senior military leaders of the campaign were criticized for their actions (Clinton, for example, while he went on to command the British forces in North America, would take much of the blame for the British loss of the war), and others either saw no more action in the war (Gage), or were ultimately disgraced (Burgoyne, who surrendered his army at Saratoga ). While
Boston campaign - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-721: The first American naval expedition. Washington borrowed two vessels from John Glover's Marblehead Regiment . Glover recruited Captain Nicholson Broughton in the Hancock and Captain John Selman (privateer) in the Franklin . Their expedition north led to capturing fishing vessels off Canso, Nova Scotia , and the Raid on Charlottetown (1775) . Late in May, General Gage received by sea about 2,000 reinforcements and
2752-420: The goods subject to the duty, and they harassed and threatened the customs personnel who collected the duties, many of whom were either corrupt or related to Provincial leaders. Francis Bernard , then Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay , requested military forces to protect the King's personnel. In October 1768, British troops arrived in the city of Boston and occupied the city. Tensions led to
2816-560: The guns were placed on Dorchester Heights in the course of one day, overlooking the British positions, the British situation became untenable. While General Howe planned an attack to reclaim the high ground, a snowstorm prevented its execution. The British, after threatening to burn the city if their departure was hindered, evacuated the city on March 17, 1776, and sailed for temporary refuge in Halifax , Nova Scotia . The local militias dispersed and, in April, General Washington took most of
2880-551: The local Indian tribes. Colony leader Captain George Popham died, and decided to return to England to take up an inheritance left by an older brother— at which point, all of the colonists decided to return to England. It was around August 1608 when they left on the ship Mary and John and on a new ship built by the colony named Virginia of Sagadahoc . The 30-ton Virginia was the first sea-going ship ever built in North America. Conflict over land rights continued through
2944-473: The merchant vessels and then the schooner after a short battle in which its commander was killed. Their resistance and that of other coastal communities led Graves to authorize an expedition of reprisal in October whose sole significant act was the Burning of Falmouth . The outrage in the colonies over this action contributed to the passing of legislation by the Second Continental Congress that established
3008-506: The more fertile land along the rivers. The rocky soil in the New England Colonies was not as fertile as the Middle or Southern Colonies, but the land provided rich resources, including lumber that was highly valued. Lumber was also a resource that could be exported back to England, where there was a shortage of wood. In addition, the hunting of wildlife provided furs to be traded and food for the table. The New England Colonies were located along
3072-482: The most senior chaplain, (chaplain general), is also usually considered to be a general officer rank. In the old European system, a general, without prefix or suffix (and sometimes referred to informally as a " full general "), is usually the most senior type of general, above lieutenant general and directly below field marshal as a four-star rank (NATO OF-9). Usually it is the most senior peacetime rank, with more senior ranks (for example, field marshal, marshal of
3136-614: The permanent withdrawal of British forces from Boston. To this day, Boston celebrates March 17 as Evacuation Day . In 1767–68, the British Parliament passed the Townshend Acts , which imposed import duties on paper, glass, paint, and other common items imported into the American colonies . The Sons of Liberty and other Patriot organizations responded with a variety of protest actions. They organized boycotts of
3200-466: The road. A running fight ensued, and the British detachment suffered heavily before reaching Charlestown . With the Battle of Lexington and Concord — the " shot heard 'round the world " — the war had begun. In the aftermath of the failed Concord expedition, the thousands of militiamen that had converged on Boston remained. Over the next few days, more arrived from further afield, including companies from New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Under
3264-577: The summer of 1675, describing the practice as "an action so hateful... that [I] opposed it to the loss of the goodwill and respect of some that before were good friends." However, Church was not opposed to black slavery , owning black slaves like many of his fellow colonists. During King Philip's War, some captured Indians were enslaved and transported aboard New England merchant ships to the West Indies , where they were sold to European planters. Various colonial councils decreed that "no male captive above
SECTION 50
#17327720191503328-526: The supplies. During the search, there was a confrontation at the North Bridge . A small company of British troops fired on a much larger column of colonial militia, which returned fire, and eventually routed the British, who returned to the village center and rejoined the other troops there. By the time the " redcoats " or "lobster backs" (as the British soldiers were called) began the return march to Boston, several thousand militiamen had gathered along
3392-530: The term " New England " to the coastal lands from Long Island Sound in the south to Newfoundland in the north. England, France, and the Netherlands made several attempts to colonize New England early in the 17th century, and those nations were often in contention over lands in the New World. French nobleman Pierre Dugua Sieur de Monts established a settlement on Saint Croix Island, Maine in June 1604 under
3456-406: The term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel . The adjective general had been affixed to officer designations since the late medieval period to indicate relative superiority or an extended jurisdiction. Other nomenclatures for general officers include the titles and ranks: In addition to militarily educated generals, there are also generals in medicine and engineering. The rank of
3520-405: The troops in the army had enlistments that expired at the end of 1775. He introduced a number of recruitment incentives and was able to keep the army sufficiently large to maintain the siege, although it was by then smaller than the besieged forces. By early March 1776, heavy cannons that had been captured at Fort Ticonderoga were moved to Boston , a difficult feat engineered by Henry Knox . When
3584-531: The umbrella of the Church. The separate colonies were governed independently of one another until 1691, when Plymouth Colony was absorbed into the Massachusetts Bay Colony to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay . The Puritans also established the American public school system for the express purpose of ensuring that future generations would be able to read the Bible for themselves, which
3648-591: Was a central tenet of Puritan worship. However, dissenters of the Puritan laws were often banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. John Wheelwright left with his followers to establish a colony in New Hampshire and then went on to Maine. It was the dead of winter in January 1636 when Roger Williams was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony because of theological differences. One source of contention
3712-400: Was also appointed governor of Massachusetts and was instructed by King George's government to enforce royal authority in the troublesome colony. However, popular resistance compelled the newly appointed royal officials in Massachusetts to resign or to seek refuge in Boston. Gage commanded four regiments of British regulars (about 4,000 men) from his headquarters in Boston, but the countryside
3776-414: Was eventually alleviated by powder shipments from Philadelphia. The British were also busy bringing in reinforcements; by the time of Washington's arrival the British had more than 10,000 men in the city. Throughout the summer and fall of 1775, both sides dug in, with occasional skirmishes, but neither side chose to take any significant action. Congress, seeking to take some initiative and to capitalize on
3840-496: Was his view that government and religion should be separate; he also believed that the colonies should purchase land at fair prices from the Wampanoag and Narragansett tribes. Massachusetts officials intended to forcibly deport him back to England, but he escaped and walked through deep snow from Salem, Massachusetts to Raynham, Massachusetts , a distance of 55 miles. The Indian tribes helped him to survive and sold him land for
3904-566: Was invaluable and helped them to survive the early years of colonization. The Pilgrims lived on the same site where Squanto's Patuxet tribe had established a village before they were wiped out from diseases. The Plymouth settlement faced great hardships and earned few profits, but it enjoyed a positive reputation in England and may have sown the seeds for further immigration. Edward Winslow and William Bradford published an account of their experiences called Mourt's Relation (1622). This book
SECTION 60
#17327720191503968-520: Was largely controlled by Patriot sympathizers. ON September 1, 1774, British soldiers removed gunpowder and other military supplies in a surprise raid on a powder magazine near Boston. This expedition alarmed the countryside, and thousands of American Patriots sprang into action, amid rumors that war was at hand. Although it proved to be a false alarm, this event—known as the Powder Alarm —caused all concerned to proceed more carefully in
4032-639: Was only a small glimpse of the hardships and dangers encountered by the Pilgrims, but it encouraged other Puritans to immigrate during the Great Migration between 1620 and 1640. The Puritans in England first sent smaller groups in the mid-1620s to establish colonies, buildings, and food supplies, learning from the Pilgrims' harsh experiences of winter in the Plymouth Colony. In 1623, the Plymouth Council for New England (successor to
4096-421: Was the opening campaign of the American Revolutionary War , taking place primarily in the Province of Massachusetts Bay . The campaign began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, in which the local colonial militias interdicted a British government attempt to seize military stores and leaders in Concord, Massachusetts . The entire British expedition suffered significant casualties during
#149850