After the Battle of Bunker Hill in June, the siege of Boston reverted to a stalemate through the summer of 1775. While Benedict Arnold would lead some of the Continentals north from Cambridge into Canada and Henry Knox tried to wrestle Fort Ticonderoga’s cannons south from upstate New York to Cambridge, there was not a lot of action around Boston. Instead, as we’ll explore in this episode, the focus shifted to preparation, with riflemen from the far western frontier in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland joining the lines, with Continentals building new forts to consolidate their siege lines, and with the redcoats venting their frustrations on Boston’s Liberty Tree. We’ll also see how the new Continental commander in chief, George Washington, could barely be restrained from ordering a direct, frontal assault on the superior British force in Boston, even though there wasn’t enough ammunition in the Continental camp to go around.

Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/334/

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Hot Siege Summer

• Historic Shepherdstown’s story map of the Bee Line March


• More on Daniel Morgan’s Virginia riflemen


• Redcoats overrun the main Continental force, breaking the siege of Boston (fake news!)


• Pennsylvania visitor describes the Continental siege lines


• British Lt. John Barker’s diary entry describing the cancelled attack on Dorchester Heights


• Caleb Haskell’s diary entries describing the new fort on Ploughed Hill


• JL Bell on the death of Billy Simpson at Ploughed Hill


• James Warren to John Adams, September 11, 1775


• August 28, 1775 Boston Gazette (new fort on Ploughed Hill, Caesar Marion’s protest, riflemen arrive)


• September 4, 1775 Boston Gazette (Liberty Tree chopped down, Ploughed Hill)


• August 31, 1775 New England Chronicle (Liberty Tree chopped down, Ploughed Hill)


• September 7, 1775 New England Chronicle (Redcoat killed in chopping down Liberty Tree)


• George Washington’s July 9 council of war


• George Washington’s September 11 council of war (and the Sept 8 letter spelling out the agenda)


• George Washington’s October 18 council of war


• George Washington’s January 16 council of war


• George Washington’s February 16 council of war


• Our header image is a 1775 view of Boston from Dorchester by Joseph FW Des Barres