British Evacuate Boston: Washington's Siege Wins Without a Battle
British forces evacuated Boston after George Washington's troops fortified Dorchester Heights overnight with cannons Henry Knox had hauled 300 miles from Fort Ticonderoga, making the harbor indefensible. General Howe loaded 11,000 troops and 1,000 Loyalist civilians onto ships without firing a shot, ending an eleven-month siege. The bloodless victory gave Washington his first major success and proved the Continental Army could outmaneuver a professional military force.
March 17, 1776
250 years ago
Key Figures & Places
United Kingdom
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George Washington
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American Revolution
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Boston, Massachusetts
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Henry Knox
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Boston
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artillery
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Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)
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siege of Boston
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fortifies
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United States
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Continental Army
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American Revolutionary War
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George Washington
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Boston
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Henry Knox
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British Army
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American Revolution
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Fortification of Dorchester Heights
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Siege of Boston
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Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)
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Suffolk County, Massachusetts
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Great Britain
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Halifax (Pensilvania)
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William Howe, 5. Viscount Howe
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