The
Siege of Boston (
April 19,
1775 –
March 17,
1776) was the opening phase of the
American Revolutionary War, in which
New England militiamen—and then the
Continental Army—surrounded the city of
Boston, Massachusetts, to prevent movement by the
British Army garrisoned within. As a
siege it was only partially successful, but it played an important role in the creation of the Continental Army and promoting the unity of the
Thirteen Colonies. It also served to shape the attitudes and character of participants on both sides. The most important single event of the siege was the
Battle of Bunker Hill.
The Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 drew thousands of militia forces from throughout New England to the land surrounding Boston. These men remained in the area and their numbers grew. At first, General Artemas Ward, as the head of the Massachusetts militia, was in charge of the siege. He set up his headquarters at Cambridge and positioned his forces at Charlestown Neck, Roxbury, and the Dorchester Heights. Initially, the 6,000 to 8,000 rebels faced some 4,000 British regulars under General Thomas Gage and had them trapped in the city. General Gage wrote of his surprise of the amount of rebels that had surrounded the city
The British were surrounded on land north, west, and south of Boston, but the harbor side of the city remained open for the Royal Navy under Vice Admiral Samuel Graves to sail in supplies from Nova Scotia, Providence, and other places. Colonial forces could do little to stop these shipments due to the naval supremacy of the British fleet and the complete absence of a Continental Navy in the spring of 1775. Nevertheless, the town and the British forces were on short rations, and prices rose quickly. Another factor was that the American forces generally had information about what was happening in the city, but General Gage had no effective intelligence of rebel activities.
On May 25, 1775, Gage received about 4,500 reinforcements and three additional Generals Major Generals William Howe, John Burgoyne, and Henry Clinton. Gage began plans to break out of the city.
