American Revolution Podcast

By the end of 1774 Britain had banned all munitions imports to the colonies.  After fearing that the British Navy might seize munitions at Fort William and Mary in New Hampshire.  Paul Revere rides from Boston to alert the local militia.  The militia attack the fort the following day.  There is an exchange of gunfire, but no one is killed. The militia quickly capture the small garrison, remove the gunpowder, and then release their prisoners to take control of the fort again.

The following day, more militia arrive and decide to take the fort a second time, this time to remove cannon.  The garrison surrenders, under an agreement to release colonial property only.  Once they take the fort, the militia take the cannon and just about anything else of military value that they can carry.  

Although the royal goverment knows the who led the attack on the King's fort, they are unable to make any arrests.  Patriots have effectively taken control of the colony.

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In February 1775, Gage attempts to grab a cache of Patriot cannon in Salem. Col. Alexander Leslie leads a regiment of regulars on what is supposed to be a surprise sail up the coast and a fast dash to Salem to grab the guns.  Alert patriots run ahead of the soldiers and remove the weapons before the regulars arrive.  After a brief standoff, the regulars return to Boston empty handed.

A few weeks later, Boston commemorates the 5th anniversary of the Boston Massacre.  Interaction with soldiers leads to panic and fear of arrest.  As spring approaches, everyone awaits the beginning of the fighting season.  On the eve of war, a majority of the colonies have begun governing themselves under illegal Provincial Congresses.  The separation from Britain widens as London prepares to intervene.

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As Gen. Gage prepares to deploy a brigade of regulars to Concord, the Patriots activate their warning system.  Joseph Warren deploys William Dawes and Paul Revere to alert countryside.  The riders alert the militia and reach Lexington, while avoiding British patrols.  They warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock at Lexington before continuing their ride.

On the road to Concord, a British patrol captures Revere.  Dawes gets thrown from his horse during his escape.  But a third rider, Samuel Prescott, completes the mission to warn Concord.  The British detain Revere for a while.  They release him near Lexington after hearing gunfire.  Revere returns to Lexington on foot where he helps a dawdling Hancock and Adams get out of town.  Once they are gone, Revere returns again to Lexington where he attempts to secure some of Hancock's secret papers.  While doing so, the British arrive at Lexington Green.  Revere at a distance, hears the first shots of the American Revolution.

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By the afternoon of April 19, 1775, having completed his search and destroy mission to Concord. Lt. Col. Smith finds himself facing a twenty mile gauntlet back to Boston. Thousands of angry militia stand ready to attack.  His men are exhausted and running low on ammunition.  His column barely makes it back to Lexington, where Lord Percy's relief column saves them from surrender.  The combined force then faces its own running battle before finally returning to the safety of Charlestown.  The regulars are impressed by the colonial militia's ability to stand up to them.  Gen. Gage can no longer deploy soldiers from Boston.  His only access in or out is by sea.  The Provincial army grows into the tens of thousands as they lay siege to Boston.

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The Seige of Boston begins as soon as the regulars retreat back to Boston following the battles at Lexington and Concord.  The New England Provinicial army springs up overnight from minutemen and militia units throughout New England.  In the days that follow, Patriots and regulars record their accounts of the battles.  The Patriots rush their accounts across the continent and over to London, spreading their version of events first.  Word of the fighting encourages Patriots across the continent that it was time to take up arms and go to war.

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As the Siege of Boston opens in 1775, this episode takes a look at the command structure and life as a British Regular, and compares that to the Provincial army of militiamen around Boston.

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For most of the colonial period, slavery is surprisingly uncontroversial.  As the American Revolution begins, colonists start to question the institution of slavery 

In the north broad acceptance of slavery evaporates quickly after Patriots demand that all men are born basic rights to liberty.  Even in the north, slavery would not end for many more years though. 

In the south, where slave are much more critical to the economy, colonists prove unwilling to bend on the issue.  Many in the deep south support the Patriot movement out of concern that Parliament might someday try to emanciapte slaves in the British colonies.

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Visit my site at https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com for more text, pictures, maps, and sources on this topic.

Visit my site at https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com for more text, pictures, maps, and sources on this topic.

In the first weeks of the Siege of Boston in 1775, the Provincial Army appears to be more of a disorganized mob than an army.  Men do not obey officers.  Units from one colony would not obey orders from another.  No real chain of command exists.  Further, the lack of uniforms, supplies, ammunition, and other logistical problems created their own problems.  Soldiers on both sides begin to die from disease.

The only real fighting at this time is over islands in Boston Harbor that contain food and hay.  The Provincials attempt to remove or destroy items of value on Hog and Noddle Islands.  When the British navy tries to stop them, a small battle leads to several casualties.  The British navy ship Diana gets stuck in the mud during the fight.  Overnight, the Provincials force the crew to abandon ship.  The colonials loot and burn the ship in their first small victory over the navy.

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Even before word of Lexington and Concord reached London, the Ministry decided they would need to up their game in the colonies.  They did not send Gen. Gage all of the reinforcements he wanted, but they did send some soldiers and marines for the start of the 1775 fighting season.  Along with them, the Ministry sent three new Major Generals to support Gage, traveling together aboard the HMS Cerberus.  All three men, William Howe, Henry Clinton, and John Burgoyne would go on to play larger roles in the War.

General Haldimand received orders at the same time and pack his bags to go home. Because he was senior to all three Major Generals, London did not want this foreign born general to assume command should something happen to General Gage.  The Cerberus also carried news that Admiral Graves received a promotion and would have expanded duties in the colonies.

With the arrival of these new soldiers, London expected more aggressive enforcement of its policies.

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With the British army sitting in Boston, the navy needs to provide supplies and prevent supplies from reaching the Provincials.  An attempt to capture a ship at Buzzard's Bay fails as locals overtake the small British task force and take them prisoner. Similarly, when the British send a ship to protect two merchant vessels providing firewood for Boston, locals again capure the ships.  They kill several of the British and take the rest prisoner.

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In May 1775, the Second Continental Congress begins after the war has already started.  Delegates must play catchup.  They have to decide whether they will support the war and what their goals are. 

Delegates agree to send one more petition to the King in hopes of pulling out a peace deal. Most delegates though, realize this is pointless. 

Congress supports the war.  The only debate is whether victory means full independence, or simply a better guarantee of colonial rights. Congress creates a Continental Army and selects Virginia Delegate George Washington to lead it.

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When the Provincials get word that the British plan to occupy the no man's land at Bunker Hill and Dorchester Heights, they send Massachusetts and Connecticut militia to build defenses on Bunker Hill.  The soldiers instead build the defenses on Breed's Hill, a smaller hill just next to Bunker Hill.  

The British take most of the following day moving regulars across Boston Harbor to attack the defenses with overwhelming force.  The provincials use the extra time to reinforce and extend their defenses, but get no significant reinforcements all day.  

A cannon duel over the day accomplishes little except to show how amateurish and incompetent the provincial artillery really is.  By late afternoon, British General William Howe is prepared to take the hill with overwhelming force.

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Newly appointed General George Washington arrives in Cambridge to take command of what is now the Continental Army.  He is shocked by the lack of discipline and the fact that his army has almost no ammunition. He quietly attempts to rebuild his army and collect more arms and ammunition.  His hopes of a quick and successful offensive against the regulars on Boston are quickly dashed. 

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In the summer of 1775, after creating a the Continental Army and making Washington its commander, Congress makes one final effort for peace, sending the King the Olive Branch Petition. After that, Congress focuses on the war at hand, drafting a Declaration on the Necessity of Taking up Arms.  It organizes committees to run military affairs and creates a new Post Office.  Congress also rejects Parliament's Conciliatory Proposition before it adjourns for the rest of the summer.

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Over the summer of 1775, the southern colonies throw out their royal governments and take control.  Virginians fight off a British raid on Hampton.  Carolinians capture forts and munitions.  The Mecklenburg Resolves declare independence. Georgia patriots fight loyalists for control of the colony.

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Active patriot groups shut down all royal control of all colonies and arrest or expel their royal governors.  The colonies also conduct a raid on Bermuda to acquire more gunpowder for the cause.

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Over the winter of 1775-76, the Ministry in Britain decides to use overwhelming force to put an end to colonial resistance.  The King refuses to receive the Olive Branch Petition makes clear that he supports Parliament in this fight and calls for the use of force to suppress colonial treason.  He also starts recruiting German speaking mercenaries to supplement the British Army.  The ministry also dumps General Gage and Secretary Dartmouth, replacing them with General Howe and Secretary Germain.  The ministry also implements a blockade of North America.

Meanwhile France begins to pay attention to the rebellion.  It sends its first unofficial envoy to Philadelphia to see if it makes sense to provide some covert assistance.

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Generals Schuyler and Montgomery launch an attack from Fort Ticonderoga into British controlled Canada.  They lay siege Fort St. Jean.  After several months they capture the fort and take prisoner nearly all British regulars in Canada.  Afterwards, the Americans capture Montreal without a fight.

British Commander Guy Carleton dons a disguise and escapes back to Quebec.  He prepares to defend the city against the American forces.

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General Washington gets frustrated by the lack of a plan to attack Boston.  He also squelches his first mutiny. He sends Col. Benedict Arnold to Quebec and Col. Henry Knox to Fort Ticonderoga.  He uncovers a British spy among one of the most trusted patriot leaders.  Most of all he struggles with how to keep the army from going home over the winter.

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The British in Boston suffer through a miserable winter.  The Continental Army keeps them stuck in the city.  New England privateers make it extremely difficult to receive food and supplies from the sea.  Hundreds die of disease as everyone suffers greatly.  The British navy does little to provide assistance.  Its destruction of the village of Falmouth only enrages the Americans.

Britain recalls General Gage and Admiral Graves putting General Howe and Admiral Shuldham in charge.

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Congress accepts that it is in for a long term fight.  It creates a Navy and Marine Corps and a southern army.  It explores diplomacy with France and sends a diplomat to work with the Iroquois.  It also recommends that the colonies create forms of government based on the will of the people.  To pay for all this, it prints lots more paper money.

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Benedict Arnold leads a force across the New England wilderness to attack Quebec from an unexpected direction.  More than half of his force does not make it through the deadly march.

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Virginia Governor Lord Dunmore proclaims that slaves who abandon their rebel masters and join the British army can earn their freedom.  Dunmore attempts to recruit a loyalist army of both black and white Virginians.  He fights a pitched battle at Kemp's Landing and Great Bridge.  Unable to hold land, his forces retreat to ships offshore.  At the end of 1775, the British also burn and abandon Norfolk.

In South Carolina, patriots attack and scatter loyalist militia around Ninty-Six i the western interior.  They also fight with naval forces supporting Royal Governor Campbell in Charleston Harbor.  Patriots succeed in forcing the navy to leave the colony as well.

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General Arnold demands the surrender of Quebec, but the last minute arrival of local defenders gives them the courage to hold out.  Arnold pulls back and links up with General Montgomery so that the combined force can assault the city together.

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General Montgomery and Colonel Arnold make a desperate attempt to take Quebec City before their soldiers' enlistments expire at the end of 1775.  Despite a brave attack, the attack fails, leaving the Continental Army in Canada in tatters.

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General Washington appoints Henry Knox Commander of Artillery.  His first mission is to find some artillery to command.  Knox hauls 59 artillery pieces from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston.  These will prove instrumental in ending the Siege of Boston.

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Thomas Paine arrived in America in 1774 with a head full of radical ideas: abolition, women's rights, republicanism, and independence.  This British immigrant was more radical than most Americans.  His publication of Common Sense in January 1776 is widely credited with pushing public opinion in favor of independence.

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General Henry Clinton leaves Boston to secure the southern colonies.  His plan is to meet up with a fleet of regulars coming from Britain under the commend of General Cornwallis.  These regulars will serve as a rally point for loyalists to enlist and reclaim the colonies for the King.

The British send two recruiting officers to western North Carolina, where they raise several thousand recruits.  The Patriots learn of the organization of loyalist regiments.  They send Continentals under Col. James Moore, along with patriot militia to prevent the loyalists from reaching the coast and joining with the regulars.  

The parties meet at Moore's Creek Bridge.  The loyalists attack, but fail and flee.  The patriots capture most of the militia and disperse any loyalists.  When Clinton and Cornwallis arrive in North Carolina, they find nothing but hostile patriot regiments to oppose them.  They give up on North Carolina move on to South Carolina.

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Delegates to the Continental Congress, including conservatives, begin to consider independence as a realistic option.  Lord Drummond sails to Philadelphia in a well intentioned but poorly conceived attempt to broker a peace deal.  Congress blames General Schuyler for the failures in Canada and moves around some of its generals.  It sends Silas Deane to France to open up diplomatic negotiations with the new King Louis XVI of France.

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The Continental Congress builds a small fleet to take on the British Navy.  The new Commander of the Continental Navy begins his command by disobeying orders to confront the British Navy directly.  Instead, he launches a raid on the Bahamas to collect needed arms and ammunition.

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The Continental Army occupies Dorchester Heights overnight, surprising the British and forcing them to evacuate Boston.

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After the Continentals capture Dorchester Heights, the British Army and Navy must leave Boston right away.  Loyalists crowd onto ship and escape to Halifax. Gen. Howe spares the city in exchange for the Continentals not firing on the city or the fleet during the evacuation.

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Following the failed attempt to take Quebec City, the Continentals keep a token force around the city.  General Benedict Arnold recovers from his wounds while he fights with his fellow officers over what to do next.  General David Wooster pulls rank and takes command of Quebec, forcing Arnold to leave.

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The North Ministry settles on a plan to send an overwhelming force.  They will shock and awe the colonists into submission.  General Howe will command an army of 32,000 regulars and Hessians supported by his brother Admiral Howe commanding over 10,000 sailors and Marines.  A secondary force of 8000 under General Burgoyne will go to Quebec and fall under the command of General Carleton.

The Howe brothers will capture and occupy New York City, then expand out from there.  They also will serve as Peace Commissioners, with limited authority to grant pardons once the rebels submit to proper authority in London.

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In the months between the time the British evacuate Boston and land in New York, Washington had plenty of time to work with his army to build up defenses around New York City and to confer with leaders in Philadelphia.  

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General John Thomas takes command of Continental forces around Quebec.  Despite his efforts, the Continentals must withdraw as the British relief fleet arrives in spring 1776.  An American force surrenders to an inferior force at an outpost known as the Cedars, leading to scandal and courts martial.

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In 1775 and 1776, even before officially declaring independence, the colonies begin adopting constitutions.  We see many of the principles later found in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution showing up in these first attempts at self-government.

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Following the Declaration of Independence, most of the remaining States adopt new Constitutions.  We examine why Massachusetts took so long and why Connecticut and Rhode Island did not even bother with one.

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General Washington struggles to set up defenses in New York despite Tories all around him.  The Continental army riots with NY Prostitutes after they murder two soldiers.  The Army discovers and shuts down a plot to murder Washington ahead of the British invasion.  One soldier is hanged and mayor David Mathews is taken into custody.

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Elements of the Continental Navy as well as a hoard of privateers harass and battle with the British Navy up and down the East coast. Naval Commodore John Barry emerges and an early naval hero.

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General Sullivan takes command in Canada, only to be overwhelmed by the British reinforcements commanded by Generals Carleton and Burgoyne.  The Continentals attack the British at Three Rivers, only to be repelled.  Even more devastating is smallpox still ravaging the army.  With General Arnold's assistance the Army successfully retreats back to New York largely intact.

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General Henry Clinton and Commodore Peter Parker attempt to capture Fort Sullivan in the harbor of Charleston South Carolina.  Although Continental General Charles Lee attempts to abandon the fort, the fort commander Colonel William Moultrie refuses.  The British fail take the fort and must retreat back to New York without any military success.

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Book Recommendation of the Week Crescent Moon Over Carolina: William Moultrie and American Liberty, by C. L. Bragg, 2013.

Online Recommendation of the Week: www.carolana.com

Radicals in Philadelphia overthrow the conservative colonial government.  They install radicals just in time to get Pennsylvania to support independence.

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Book Recommendation of the Week: The Revolution Is Now Begun: The Radical Committees of Philadelphia, 1765-1776, by Richard Alan Ryerson 

Online Recommendation of the Week archive.org

In the spring of 1776, the Second Continental Congress struggles to reach a unanimous vote on independence.

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Book Recommendation of the Week: Signing Their Lives Away, by by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D'Agnese

Online Recommendation of the week: Online Liberty Library oll.libertyfund.org

The Continental Congress appoints a committee headed by Thomas Jefferson to draft a declaration while debate over independence continues.  After Congress approves the Declaration with modifications, it is distributed to the world, then later signed.

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Book Recommendations of the Week: What Did the Declaration Declare, by Joseph Ellis (ed) &
The Fourth of July and the Founding of America, by Peter de Bolla

Online Recommendation of the Week: Ben Franklin's World Podcast with Liz Covart

We review the Declaration line by line and explain what it means.

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Book Recommendation of the Week: American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence, by Pauline Maier 

Online Recommendation of the Week: Revolutions Podcast, by Mike Duncan