Over the past few episodes, we’ve seen how Massachusetts troops drove the British back from Concord and Lexington to Boston, then created elaborate siege lines that kept the redcoats bottled up in the city, while the Americans controlled the surrounding countryside. 250 years ago this week, the focus of the war shifted from land to sea, with the British leveraging the immense tactical advantage that their navy gave them in projecting power on the ocean and along the coast. To try to offset the hardship of the American siege, the British used their naval power to find food in the Boston Harbor Islands, first on Grape Island, near today’s Weymouth and Hingham, then at Noddles and Hog Islands, which form most of today’s East Boston. At Grape Island, the Americans put up a spirited but largely ineffective defense, but the skirmish we remember as the battle of Chelsea Creek became an important turning point for the Americans. This was the first operation where soldiers from different colonies worked together in a coordinated effort; the first time the rebellious New Englanders used artillery in battle; and the first time Americans engaged and actually captured a British warship.

Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/327/

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Boston’s Forage War

• Our header image is a detail from this 1775 map of Boston.


• A series of panoramic views from the top of Beacon Hill that were painted by a British officer during the siege of Boston. Noddle Island is at 4, Hog Island is at 5, and the Winnisimmet ferry is at 3.


• This Documentary History of Chelsea includes excerpts from Amos Farnsworth’s diary.


• The Naval Documents of the American Revolution (vol 1) is an incredibly exhaustive collection of primary sources.


• Abigail Adams reports on the “battle” of Grape Island.


• Lt John Barker of the King’s own regiment kept a diary that covers both Grape Island and Chelsea Creek.


• The Committee of Safety orders all livestock off of Hog and Noddle Islands.


• A georeferenced 1776 map of Boston Harbor showing how the islands and Chelsea all fit together. Zoom in and out, then use the slider to adjust the opacity of the historic map to see the modern map below.


• We relied heavily on the account of the battle compiled in this 2011 report and a related 2009 article. A series of maps can help you understand how the battle unfolded.


• HMS Diana grounded on the ferry way at Winnisimmet. What is a ferry way?


• Why do we keep calling it “the engagement that’s now remembered as the Battle of Chelsea Creek”? Because Chelsea Creek didn’t really exist at the time, as JL Bell tells us.