Independence Flashcards
Lexington
April 1775: Gage sent 700 men from Boston to Concord to seize rebel arms and arrest the leaders of the Provincial Congress. Members of the Boston Committee of Safety (including Paul Revere) heard of the planned operation and alerted the Massachusetts militia.
Lexington: The British troops were met by 70 minutemen. Shots were fired and eight colonists were killed.
Concord
The British troops encountered a larger militia force and there was an exchange of heavy gunfire. The troops succeeded in destroying the military stores but failed to arrest any rebel leaders.
The British troops were subjected to frequent and constant gunfire from the cover of woods and behind walls as they retreated to Boston. By the time they arrived in Boston, 273 British soldiers had been killed or injured.
Aftermath of Lexington and Concord
Within a week 20,000 New England militia besieged Boston.
Lexington and Concord transformed the political dispute into a military struggle. Military preparations were galvanised throughout the colonies. Militiamen seized the British outposts Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point in New York.
Second Continental Congress 1775
Control of the war: 65 delegates attended, with all thirteen colonies represented. Congress:
Took control of the conduct of the war after Lexington and Concord, assuming responsibility for the army around Boston.
Established a quota on each colony sufficient to raise an army of 20,000 men.
Issue £2 million in paper money to pay for the Continental army.
Appointed Washington to command the Continental army.
Reconciliation efforts
Congress adopted a Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of Taking Up Arms, listing colonial grievances but distancing itself from demands for independence.
Congress also adopted the Olive Branch Petition, which professed loyalty to George III and begged him to prevent further hostile British actions so that a plan of reconciliation might be worked out.
British response to Lexington and Concord
Following the Battle of Bunker Hill, George III dismissed the Olive Branch Petition; declared the colonies to be in a state of open rebellion; called on all loyal subjects to suppress the rebellion; and passed the Prohibitory Act, prohibiting all imperial trade with the colonies and withdrawing British protection of American shipping on the open seas.
British reinforcements
In May 1775 the British generals Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne arrived in Boston with thousands of reinforcements. Gage now had a force of 6500 men.
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The rebels moved to occupy Bunker Hill, which overlooked Boston from the Charlestown peninsula.
A force of 1500 men occupied Breed’s Hill by mistake. General Howe launched a frontal attack on the rebel defences. The rebels were forced to flee but Howe lost over 1000 of his 2500 men in the process. American casualties were less than half those incurred by the British forces.
The battle was the bloodiest of the war. One-eighth of the British officers killed in the entire war were lost at Bunker Hill.
American military
Washington takes command: Washington took command of the Continental army in July 1775.
He was not impressed by what he found:
only 15,000 poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly disciplined men were fit for duty
the army had less than 50 cannon, hardly any powder, and few trained gunners
the army lacked any kind of military order
the officers, most of whom had been elected by their own men, failed to inspect troops or supervise their food and quarters.
Washington realised he must transform what was essentially a militia force into a professional army.
Washington’s changes
Washington decided that improving the officer corps was his key priority:
democratic processes for selecting officers were ended
incompetent officers were removed; officers found guilty of misconduct were removed
special insignia distinguished the remaining officers from ordinary soldiers
officers instilled discipline by flogging men guilty of offences including card playing and desertion.
Siege of Boston
Washington was eager to attack Boston but was discouraged by:
politicians who feared the town’s destruction
the strength of the British fortifications
the Continental Army’s shortage of munitions.
The Continental Army, living in poor conditions, suffered from outbreaks of illness; many of the rebels returned to their families as winter set in. Nevertheless, the British forces were effectively trapped in Boston. Howe replaced Gage in October 1775 and failed to take advantage of the rebels’ weakness at this point.
Invasion of Canada
Winter 1775-76
Congress decided to invade Canada, hoping the French population would join the rebellion. Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold led 2 forces, with the aim of combining to attack Quebec.
Montgomery captured Montreal, before joining with Arnold’s sickly force outside Quebec in December. Enlistments expired at the end of the year, so a hasty attack on Quebec was made.
Failure of invasion of Canada
The attack on Quebec failed. The attack was made in the middle of a heavy snowstorm.
Montgomery was killed and Arnold wounded.
The rebels besieged Quebec but suffered from a lack of supplies and smallpox. Many rebels deserted. British reinforcements arrived in the spring. The rebel siege ended and Montreal had to be abandoned as the rebels retreated in chaos.
Dunmore’s slave proclamation
Lord Dunmore (Governor of Virginia), launched raids on Virginian coastal towns. He issued a proclamation promising freedom to slaves who fled their rebel masters and aided the British. This had a unifying effect on the rebel cause: Southerners, who may have resisted involvement in what was primarily a conflict between New England and Britain, were stirred into action.
Loyalist efforts in North Carolina
Loyalists and British forces planned to crush the rebellion in the Carolinas and Georgia. However, the loyalists acted before British support could be organised, and in February 1776 they were defeated by the rebels at Moore’s Creek.
