epidemics of smallpox among Boston citizens and British troops had ravaged the occupied city. Many in Boston feel that Gage initiated the agreement because he fears an uprising among the city’s Whig inhabitants who are angered at the Lexington massacre. The agreement also provides that Loyalists who evacuated the city before Gage’s arrival be allowed to return unmolested by the rebels.
Though rebel leaders acknowledge it is to Gage’s advantage that his troops are quartered in a city populated by people friendly to the Crown, they argue that many Patriot sympathizers have been harassed and threatened by Boston Loyalists close to Gage and his officers. They also contend that the poor in Boston, who suffered extreme hardships during the winter months, now have an opportunity to leave the city under the blanket agreement.
The rebel Massachusetts’ Provincial Congress has directed towns within its jurisdiction to supply refugees with transportation and money to sustain themselves during relocation. It is estimated the population of Boston, which numbered over 15,000 before Gage and his troops arrived, will shrink to a few thousand after the exodus is completed.
REBELS CAPTURE TICONDEROGA
Strategic Fort Falls to Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys
Colonel Arnold came to us with his orders and demanded the command of our people, as he said we had no proper orders. We told him we could not surrender the command to him, as our people were raised on condition that they would be commanded by their own officers.
Captain Edward Mott, Connecticut Militia
May 8, 1775
Colonel Allen is a proper man to head his own wild people, but entirely unacquainted with military service; and as I am the only person who has been legally authorized to take possession of this place I am determined to insist on my right and I think it my duty to remain here against all opposition until I have further orders.
Colonel Benedict Arnold
To the Massachusetts Committee of Safety
May 11, 1775
Ticonderoga, New York: May 10, 1775. A British garrison of 42 officers and men stationed at Fort Ticonderoga was overwhelmed by 250 New Hampshire Green Mountain Boys early last week.
Captain William Delaplace surrendered the fort to rebel leader Ethan Allen, who reportedly accepted in the name of “The Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress.”
Allen and his men were accompanied by rebel Colonel Benedict Arnold, who was commissioned to lead an assault on the fort by the Massachusetts Committee of Safety. Colonel Arnold had ridden ahead of his 50 volunteers when he learned that Allen’s Green Mountain Boys were preparing to attack. The two men agreed that Allen’s mountaineers would storm the fort, and Arnold’s party would dismantle the heavily armed fort after its capture.
Ticonderoga is situated on the Hudson River, 180 miles northeast of Boston. Built by the French in 1755, it was once considered the gateway to the continent. Because the Hudson River divides the northern colonies in half and flows south into New York, control of Ticonderoga guarantees a flow of supplies in the event of major actions in Canada and south to the middle colonies.
In other news, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, the celebrated inventor and author of Poor Richard’s Almanac returned from England on the 5th of this month. Dr. Franklin has resided in London, acting as the colonies’ unofficial ambassador for nearly 15 years. His homecoming marks the end of an unsuccessful campaign to resolve a land dispute between the Pennsylvania colony and its founder, William Penn.
GAGE GETS HELP FROM HOME
Howe, Clinton, Burgoyne Accompany Fresh Troops
I am in no doubt you will be able to conquer America at last, but a horrid bloody scene will be opened here as never was in New England before.
Peter Oliver, Loyalist Sympathizer
To His Brother in England
June 1, 1775
Boston, Massachusetts: May 25, 1775. Loyalist citizens in Boston breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw a large fleet of British troops and warships sail into the harbor late this morning. The ships carried 4,000 additional troops under Major Generals William Howe, Henry Clinton and John Burgoyne. Commanding General Thomas Gage now has 10,000 trained, well equipped British regulars at his disposal. Estimates of militiamen camped in and around rebel headquarters at Cambridge vary between 8,000 and 13,000.
The lack of unity or cohesiveness among the rebels prompted the Massachusetts Provincial Congress to request that the Continental Congress sitting in Philadelphia assume responsibility by creating and controlling an army of all the militia around Cambridge. Many in Massachusetts fear the large, disorganized militia as much as they do Gage’s regulars, encamped in Boston.
The arrival of William Howe has caused speculation that Parliament might be leaning toward reconciliation. General Howe served the British for nine years in the colonies during the French and Indian wars. He is known to have affection for New England. Colonists erected a monument in Westminster Abbey honoring his older brother, George Augustus, who was killed at Ticonderoga in 1758.
In related news, Lord Dunmore, Royal Governor of Virginia, seized 20 barrels of gunpowder from military magazines in Williamsburg. Dunmore took the powder in retaliation against a series of resolutions enacted by the Virginia Convention held at Richmond in March. Patrick Henry set the tone of the convention when he rose on the floor and condemned the British Ministry, suggesting the attack on Lexington was an act of war. “Our chains are forged,” he was reported saying. “Their clanking can be heard on the plains of Boston. The war is inevitable and let it come!”
The convention delegates resolved that a well regulated militia should be raised to relieve England of any responsibility in protecting the colony.
WASHINGTON NAMED REBEL COMMANDER
Virginia Farmer to Lead Continental Army
Pennsylvania State House
I beg it may be remembered by every gentleman in the room, that I this day declare with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the Command I am honored with.
George Washington
To Members of Congress
June 16, 1775
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: June 16, 1775. Many followers of the Second Continental Congress were surprised today when delegates announced their choice to head the newly formed Continental Army. Although George Washington was on the short list, his chances seemed remote. Washington’s military experience is not as extensive or as successful as other candidates, including two fellow Virginians, Charles Lee and Horatio Gates. Lee, Gates and Philip Schuyler, Commander of the New York militia, were appointed Major Generals and will accompany their new leader to rebel headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Washington’s
