Boston Under Siege: The Revolutionary War Escalates
Colonial militia surrounded British-held Boston on April 20, 1775, the day after the battles of Lexington and Concord, beginning an eleven-month siege. General Thomas Gage's garrison of 6,500 British troops was bottled up in the city by approximately 15,000 New England militia who occupied the surrounding hills and roads. Neither side had the strength to break the stalemate until Colonel Henry Knox hauled 60 tons of artillery captured at Fort Ticonderoga 300 miles through winter snow to Boston. When these cannons appeared on Dorchester Heights overlooking the city on March 4, 1776, General Howe evacuated by sea on March 17 rather than face a bombardment. The British never returned to Boston.
April 20, 1775
251 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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