USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Metropolitan Boston; a modern history; Volume I > Part 15
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37
Governor Shirley's War-In 1744, England and France were again at odds in the war called abroad "The War of the Austrian Succession," but
-
I26
METROPOLITAN BOSTON
known on this side of the sea as "King George's War," or sometimes as "Governor Shirley's War." Whatever the name it is notable prin- cipally for the taking of Louisburg. This great fortress was one of the strongest of the many which the French had extended in a long line from the St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico. It was called the "Gi- braltar of America" and had been built at a cost of $5,000,000. Its walls were twenty to thirty feet high, forty feet thick; they were surrounded by a ditch eighty feet wide and defended by 183 cannon, besides 60 more in two outlying batteries.
To attack such a place seemed but another of the ill considered grand- iose schemes that had so cluttered the record of the French and Indian wars with failures. It is not surprising that the approval given by the Massachusetts Legislature was by a majority of only a single vote. As always, there was no experienced leader to take command. Lacking which, one prominent in other activities was chosen, William Pepperell, a prosperous merchant and colonel of the York County militia. The soldiers were the customary poorly drilled, undisciplined group which had fought from time to time, having only the pride of race and colony, courage, and religious enthusiasm.
The Fall of Louisburg-The transports sailed from Boston before there was any assurance of help from the mother country, although a fleet under Sir Peter Warren did join the Provincials at Canso. On April 30, 1745, the combined forces came in sight of Louisburg. With eighteen cannon and three mortars, the invaders began the reduction of the great fortress with its 240 guns, and high massive walls. In little more than six weeks, Louisburg was in the hands of the American and English troops. How it was done, is still unexplained. Voltaire, in writing about it, ranks it as one of the greatest events of the period. Our own historian, Parkman, thought it the result of "mere audacity and hardihood backed by the rarest good luck."
Whatever the explanation of the taking of the Cape Breton "Gibral- tar," much of the credit for this conspicuous act of military prowess must be given to Boston, for it was very much a "Boston undertaking." It meant a great deal to the Province as a whole, for it gave them an increasing confidence in their ability to protect themselves against any foe, particularly one more civilized and better drilled and armed than the Indian. If one cares to see the only tangible result of the victory now within our State, one has but to go to the University Library of Harvard where, carefully preserved, is the iron cross that some iconoclast in the besieging forces pried from the walls of the garrison chapel at Louisburg and brought home with him.
The provinces, flushed with success, were eager to seize the whole of
127
REVIEW OF EARLY MILITARY HISTORY
Canada. Plans were projected by which the Americans would supply the land forces and England the needed fleet. The plan failed, however, through the objections raised by the Duke of Bedford because of "the independence it might create in the provinces when they shall see within themselves so great an army, possessed of so great a country by right of conquest." The English authorities, however much they wanted to defeat the French in Europe, evidently did not think the French owner- ship of a part of the New World something to be deplored. Three years later, 1748, for no apparent reason, Louisburg was given back to France.
The Last Phase of the French Wars-The last phase of the French and Indian Wars was the most severe of them all, and the one which at one period of it held the greatest danger to the continuance of the Eng- lish colonies in this country. The excuse for another conflict grew out of the indefiniteness of the boundaries of Acadia (Nova Scotia) which by the treaty of Utrecht had been awarded to the British. Both French and English laid claim to the north shore of the Bay of Fundy, and in pro- tection of their claim, the French had built forts Beau-Sejour and Gas- pereau. The English had also erected forts at Windsor, Minas and Hali- fax. In 1755, before any declaration of hostilities, the British seized the two small French fortifications and attempted to set up their rule over the whole peninsula. In this campaign, John Winslow of Boston, grand- son of the Winslow who commanded the New England force in the famous "swamp fight" of Philip's War, was the leader in the foray. The most of the troops under him came from Boston. They numbered three thousand, too few by far to control a thoroughly French colony of fifteen thousand. A cruel but effective method was used in the subjection of Acadia; the whole French population was seized by a stratagem and deported to the English provinces. More than a thousand of these exiles were brought to Massachusetts, and distributed among the towns.
The opening victory in Acadia, if such a term may be applied to the event, was the only one for some time. Braddock, sent from England, made plans for a wide spread campaign. Of his own ill-fated effort and death every school boy is informed because of Washington's connection with it. One-fifth of the able-bodied men in Massachusetts, 7,500, were partly employed in Sir William Johnson's expedition against Crown Point. Governor Shirley built, during his unsuccessful campaign against Niagara, 1755, a fort at Oswego, New York, which was taken by Mont- calm the next year. A year later, this same seemingly invincible leader seized Fort Henry, where a number of the Massachusetts troops were foully murdered after a promise of safety. The French extended their holdings until the valleys of the St. Lawrence, the Ohio, and the Missis- sippi were theirs; the English held only the land along the sea, and this
I28
METROPOLITAN BOSTON
hold was extremely insecure. The winter of 1757 was a dismal season for the provinces.
Light pierced the darkness when early in 1757 William Pitt promised the Governors of the American provinces the aid of a large force to cooperate with them if they would raise as large a military force "as the number of inhabitants would allow," 20,000 being suggested as a mini- mum number. The Crown would furnish equipment and supplies, the provinces the troops and their pay. Massachusetts voted 7,500 men, and, during the year, a million dollars. The most complete union of all the colonies came at this time, and the part Boston and Massachusetts played in the war thereafter was only that of one among many. Her troops were at the failing attempt to take Ticonderoga, "with Bradstreet when he took Fort Frontenac, and with Prideaux when he took Niagara." Louisburg fell again, Ticonderoga was later seized, and Crown Point was taken. The French were about exhausted, Montcalm alone enabling them to keep up what was now an unequal contest. Quebec was taken in 1759 and Montreal the next year.
The Peace of Paris-The Peace of Paris, 1763, brought to a close the French and Indian Wars, that for eighty-five years had been harassing the colonies. What is more, it ended forever the French domination of a large part of America. Danger from the Indians was also ended, for in the east they had been almost annihilated. The provinces had been put to a great expense; 25,000 men had been furnished during the last few years ; many had been slain and many suffered wounds. But all was well. More land had been settled than ever before, there were more people than ever in America, there was more wealth, actual and potential. The colonies, for the most part, were thoroughly English, and, as members of one family, rejoiced that now, with England the sole important nation in the New World, America would be a vital, strong part of the English Empire. American troops had gained this great territory for the mother country, and the men were justly proud of the prowess that had made this possible. The colonies were even ready to send some of their experi- enced soldiers to the aid of the mother country if needed. This conceit was excusable in view of the military progress the colonies had made. Whatever may have been the thought of the leaders in this country, the vast majority of its people were feeling a deeper unity with Britain, wait- ing only a just recognition of that oneness by the King and Parliament.
The Prelude to the Revolution-An account of the events that led to the rude awakening of the colonies is not a part of this chapter. They were merely the inevitable happenstances growing out of a failure on the part of an obstinate, narrow-minded, selfish, stupid King and ministry to understand and appreciate a lusty, proud and independent colony. Thir-
BIRTHPLACE OF FRANKLIN
129
REVIEW OF EARLY MILITARY HISTORY
teen children had been allowed to grow up as they willed away from the parental authority and guidance. Now, when they were approaching maturity, was not the time to treat them like children ; it was no longer wise to attempt to teach them blind obedience, to tell them they could do only what they were permitted to do by authorities who cared only for what could be gotten from them. The children had tasted the joys of a freedom purchased at a great price. If ever there was a time when the Crown needed to be as "wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove" it was at the close of the French and Indian Wars. It was the irony of Fate that George III should have the shaping of the destinies of England and her colonies when the greatest delicacy of governmental action was needed. A succession of blunders by a pompous King and a servile min- istry brought about the division of a kingdom.
Two lines of policy practiced by the British were the main sources of difficulty with this country. The Acts of Trade rule reserved to Eng- land the larger and better share of shipping and exchange. Second, English troops were quartered in the colonies, which were taxed for their support. This, while irritating, had been necessary while there was war, but was decidedly objectionable when the strife was at an end and the provincials felt capable of taking care of their own military affairs. Per- haps these policies might have been practiced without giving great offense if they had not been enforced with such brutal stupidity.
Repressive Measures Multiplied-Although wars had ceased, new restraints of navigation were established. More troops, rather than fewer, were sent to be cared for. Taxes were increased, and insult was added to injury by the supercilious statement that these taxes were not imposed for the revenue they brought, but to make clear that America was the subject of Britain. A Stamp Act was imposed in 1765. There was rioting in Boston and elsewhere. For a time the law courts were suspended, and shipping was brought to a standstill by the inability of the masters of vessels to get clearance papers. The act was repealed the ยท next year ; Boston celebrated with bon-fires and banquets. It was real- ized by the English ministry that the principle of the taxation of colonies could not be given up without putting the English government in the wrong, so a new method was chosen. Import taxes were placed on cer- tain articles, one of which was tea. These were not large and the pro- ceeds were to be used in paying the salaries of the provincial governors and judges, but the provincials took the stand that there must be no taxation without representation.
Lord North, in 1770, had the odious taxes removed from everything but tea; beyond this the ministry would not go. Late in November, 1773, three ship loads of tea arrived in Boston. The climax to five years Met. Bos .- 9
130
METROPOLITAN BOSTON
of controversy over import duties was reached on a mid-December night. Fifty men dressed as Indians, known to history as "The Mohawks," swarmed over the vessels and within three hours had unloaded 342 chests of very good tea into the harbor. Parliament retaliated by annulling all of Boston's privileges as a seaport, even communication with Dorchester and Charlestown by water was cut off. The seat of government was changed to Salem, and Marblehead became the port of entry.
Then came the Regulation Acts, providing for the appointment by the royal Governor of local officers hitherto elected ; the abolishment of town meetings except under severe restrictions; the trials of officials charged with capital offenses were transferred to England or Nova Scotia; and additional troops were quartered on the towns of Massachusetts. Mean- while Hutchinson, the last of the royal Governors, had been displaced by a military official, General Gage, in May, 1774. The principal outcome of all these acts, as far as this country was concerned, was to focus on Boston the sympathy of a rapidly uniting people, and to establish more firmly the idea that only by separation from the mother country could the interests of America be conserved.
The "Boston Massacre"-The second policy, that of quartering in- creasing numbers of British troops upon the Bostonians, was an added irritation and insult which led to several significant clashes at arms. Two regiments, the 14th and the 29th, had been in the town for a year and a half, when on the night of March 5, 1770, the increasing friction between the people and the soldiery culminated in the death of four citizens, and the wounding of eight more. The whole affair was the result of rowdyism, of a fist fight between soldiers and rope-makers, which had occurred a day or two before. On the fatal night a boisterous mob had been taunting and snowballing some of the Government troops. The crowd was thoroughly incensed when armed soldiers came to the aid of their comrades, who were quite capable of caring for themselves. Wiser heads, realizing the possibility of serious trouble, circulated through the crowd endeavoring to persuade them to break away and return to their homes. But it was to no avail; the excited soldiers fired- of those that were hit by the bullets, only one had taken a part in the disturbance.
This, in brief, is the story of the Boston Massacre, an event that never since has been forgotten. "The careless shooting of a dozen townsmen"- but it marked the shedding of the first blood of the Revolution. The next day, the people, with Samuel Adams at their head, demanded the removal of the troops from the town, a demand which, after argument, was acceded to by Governor Hutchinson. The two famous regiments, dubbed by Lord North when he heard of the procedure, "Sam Adams'
I3I
REVIEW OF EARLY MILITARY HISTORY
Regiments," went down into American history under their new title. The soldiers and their leader, Captain Preston, were brought to trial after the populace had cooled their passion. All but two of the common soldiers were acquitted, the punishment doled out to them being but the branding of a hand. Meanwhile, and possibly because of, the massacre, New England, and to a limited extent, many of the other colonies pre- pared for the inevitable break with England.
Preparations for Revolt-It was not until five years later that the Rubicon was crossed, and a war from which there could be no withdrawal begun. Military organization had been going on throughout Massachu- setts. The colony probably had at least 15,000 in its militia by 1775. Mili- tary supplies had been gathered in quantities, one of the principal of the magazines being located at Concord, another being at Worcester. Gage, who was now the Governor of the province, determined to destroy or seize these collected arms. Discretion decided him against sending his troops to the more distant Worcester. Concord, only eighteen miles away, seemed much the easier operation to perform. The rout of the British under Lord Percy on the memorable April 19, 1775, when "the embattled farmers of Middlesex" rudely hustled the best of the red- coated soldiers out of the county and into the safety of Boston, is more an event of national history than of Boston.
Two months later the British won the costly battle of Bunker Hill. The small town was burned, a section about a mile square was occupied by the victorious British troops. But the victory was like many of the late World War, the victors could neither advance nor retreat, the price had been too great-more than a thousand had been lost by the British, including an altogether too large proportion of their officers; and what was of more moment, the siege of Boston had not been in the slightest degree relieved.
The "Siege of Boston"-The long period lasting nearly a year and known to history as "The Siege of Boston," comprises the principal part of Boston's intimate connection with the Revolution. Men from the town were scattered through all the armies that fought in the long drawn out struggle; Boston men were leaders in the political direction of the united provinces, and officers in the military organizations. But the tide of war passed by the colony that for so many years had been a thorn in the side of England, the colony that had given the occasion, and prob- ably was the cause of the Revolution. The "Siege" came at the begin- ning of things when the colonials were fighting for their rights as Eng- lishmen. It brought home to Boston before the other parts of America had been aroused to the "horrors of war," what war could mean.
I32
METROPOLITAN BOSTON
There was no great bombardment of the town, even starvation was not the lot of any of its citizens, but Boston suffered none the less and was well shut off from the rest of the country. In the town were many who were sympathizers with the colonial cause, many who would have escaped to take an active part in the reduction of what had been their home, had not the Tory and English element felt safer from bombard- ment by keeping among them some of the friends of the besieging forces. A number did manage to leave before Gage established rules that rend- ered it almost impossible for anyone to leave. By June there were only 6,573 civilians in Boston and 13,500 soldiers.
Havoc Wrought in the Town-Food became scarce; only by way of the sea could provisions be brought in, and the "Yankee" sailors caught many of the supply vessels. In May, Boston had one of the great fires which seem to be a recurring part of its history. In November, the smallpox ravaged the town. Those who loved the place were heart- broken by the desecration or destruction of many of its choicest places. Churches were used for all sorts of purposes other than that for which they had been built. Two were made into barracks, two became store- houses, and one was turned into a stable. One of the houses of worship and a hundred homes were used for firewood. The Old South became a riding school of the Dragoons. The famous "Liberty Tree" was cut down, simply "because it bore the name of liberty." Sympathizers with the besieging army were hunted out and life made miserable for them by every means devised by the ingenuity of the military.
Meanwhile both England and America looked on wondering why month after month could pass without either of the belligerents making a decisive move. The forces within and without the city were about equal in numbers. If Howe, who was appointed to replace Gage after the disastrous victory of Bunker Hill, and was the commanding general and military governor of Boston, could not attack, why did he not aban- don Boston? If he had the transports to do so later, he must have had them at his disposal at an earlier period.
Washington at Cambridge-On the other hand, the Continentals had fortified their positions very shortly after Bunker Hill. Washington had been commissioned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army on June 16, 1775, and on July 3 had taken over the command of his troops under the historic elm in Cambridge. Under him were fifteen or more thousand men. Why did he not attack? Why, if neither Gage nor Howe would fight, did Washington delay to do so? Questions like these have been asked in the early stages of every war in which the United States has engaged ; it was asked by our allies during the late World War when
WASHINGTON AT DORCHESTER HEIGHTS AT THE EVACUATION OF BOSTON
I33
REVIEW OF EARLY MILITARY HISTORY
so much time elapsed after our declaration before a single division went into battle. The same answer can be given to all these questions; America was not ready, always she has declared for war and then had to spend all her energies in creating forces and making her preparations. It was so with Washington before Boston. This most impetuous of generals had to sit quietly while he gathered an army, taught it to fight and secure enough equipment, arms, and munitions. The years of war experienced by the provinces had left in their wake a number of men who had fought and could fight. There were many militia units which had received some drill in the art of marching. Of concerted action, of train- ing as united and large bodies, there had been none. When Washington took over the "army" which had gathered in Cambridge, he became the leader of a disorganized body of men, the most of whom were there under short enlistments that were about to expire. There were few arms; powder was very scarce, and there was little of this commodity made in the provinces. As for cannon, not until after General Knox had dragged a few from Fort Ticonderoga on Lake George and Captain Manley had captured the English transport "Nancy" filled with guns and ammuni- tion, was there anything that might be called artillery.
Why the Siege was Prolonged-Washington wrote of the extraordi- nary situation : "It is not perhaps in the power of history to furnish a case like ours-to maintain a post within musket-shot of the enemy for six months together without (powder) and at the same time to disband one army and recruit another within that distance of twenty-odd British regiments is more than probably was ever attempted." The historian of the siege described conditions: "Officers were slowly learning their duties; discipline was growing more firm and steady, the whole army settling down into habits of military life. Every hill and projecting point from the Mystic River to Dorchester Neck had been made impregnable, stretching around Boston in a vast semi-circle of redoubt and breast- works of fifteen or twenty miles in length, until at last Knox's precious convoy of cannon and mortar arrived, and the almost priceless stores of Manley's fortunate capture transported to camp, and a moderate supply of powder gathered up-the decisive move was made."
Dorchester Heights Seized-The key to the defense of Boston was Dorchester Heights, a fact realized by both sides. For some strange reason, Howe had failed to take and fortify the position. On the night of March 2, 1776, and continuing for several nights after, the town was bom- barded from East Cambridge. While Howe puzzled over the matter, on the morning of the fifth he awoke to see that Washington had braved the hazard, and was entrenching on the principal hill of what is now South Boston. The artillery bombardment had been but to cover the
I34
METROPOLITAN BOSTON
preparations of the Continentals. The military works were not com- plete, and Howe, realizing that once his enemy became securely en- trenched upon the Heights, he would be compelled to abandon Boston, and preparations were made for an assault on Washington's position.
It was the anniversary of the Boston Massacre, and the "Virginian" mingled with his men, saying to them "Remember the fifth of March; avenge your brethren." But Howe hesitated, delayed until the ebb tide left an exposed muddy shore which prevented the landing of his troops. That night Nature fought on the side of the patriots ; there came a great storm which gave them time to consolidate their fortifications against the possibility of capture. A few days of uncertainty, a hurried departure of the red-coats, the Tories and their families to Halifax, and the tedious dismal siege of Boston came to its undramatic end. It was now March 17. Many a visitor to Boston on this day, seeing flags a-flying, thinks the feast of St. Patrick is being celebrated. It is, but the true Bostonian knows that the city is also celebrating the anniversary of the final de- parture of British troops from the peninsula.
In 1778, a French fleet entered the harbor, the officers of which were feted, and the soldiers and sailors received with rejoicing. But this was about all that the town saw of soldiery and warfare for the remaining years of the Revolution. Ships were built, outfitted and manned by Boston men. Her citizens served in Congress and in the armies until Cornwallis made his last retreat and was brought to earth at Yorktown.
The Revolution over, Boston returned to its original place among the principal towns in America and the foremost seaport on this continent. It had received a severe setback to its supremacy in the loss of so much Tory wealth and numbers. But new families came in from other parts of New England ; it was many years before the town was as populous and as wealthy as before the Revolution. Massachusetts formed a State gov- ernment, and Boston became the capital. Politically she was as inde- pendent as always, a condition that stood her in poor stead when once again our country was at war.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.