British Evacuate Boston

British Evacuate Boston
On March 17, 1776, 250 years ago, the British soldiers began to evacuate Boston under the watchful guns of patriots watching from above.
This an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the
Time Line of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left hand side of the home page.
A box set that includes all six volumes of the series is available at that link at an economical price.

Transcript:

Greetings, on March 17, 1776, 250 years ago, the British soldiers began to evacuate Boston under the watchful guns of patriots watching from above.

This is an excerpt from my book, 1776.
I am still writing this book, which I hope to release in April or May of this year. It will be part of the
Timeline of United States History Series
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the book 1775, which is available on the website, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. Just click the “Timeline of United States History” on the lower left-hand side of the home page. The books include many more details than the summaries included with this podcast.

The British evacuation began at four o’clock AM. By ten o’clock AM they had loaded 10,000 troops and about 1500 Loyalist citizens that wished to depart Boston on ships. Howe issued orders when the evacuation began to burn the city if the rebels interfered with the evacuation. The British had 120 ships on hand to use to transport the people and soldiers to a temporary sanctuary in Halifax, in Nova Scotia. They left a large quantity of supplies behind. A short time after the Union Jack had disappeared; soldiers of the Continental Army marched into Boston, flags flying and fifes playing “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
A wary General Washington, fearing British attack on New York, dispatched five regiments of his troops towards that city with General William Heath in command.

The morning after the British departure. During his visit, Continental soldiers spotted what seemed like British soldiers still occupying Bunker Hill; however they found that they were only dummies left by the departing British. Washington ordered Captain John Manley to harass the departing British fleet. The British had left a small flotilla of ships to intercept any British ships attempting to enter Boston Harbor to deflect them. Some ships did not receive the warning and entered the harbor, only to have American forces capture them.

Other happenings of the week included:

March 15, 1776 – Congress Requests Assemblies of Three Colonies Prepare to Defend New York
On March 15 the Continental Congress, in preparation for the expected assault on New York, requests that the assemblies of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut make preparations to send militia forces into New York to repel the British.

Admiral Essex Hopkins ordered his fleet to set sail for Block Island Channel off Newport, Rhode Island on March 17. He had captured far less gunpowder than he hoped, but did have 103 cannon, mortars and munitions. He also took Montfort Browne, Lieutenant Governor of the Bahamas along as a prisoner.

The USS Comet, commanded by Captain Joseph Turpin, spotted the British ship HMS St. James in Charleston harbor on March 21, 1776. The cargo of the St. James was rum and sugar. He attempted to bring the ship into the harbor, however a British ship spotted him and gave chase.

Congress had approved a resolution to send a delegation to Canada to persuade the Canadians to join their cause on February 15. They spent over a month debating the purpose of the delegation, finally settling on a set of instructions that included convincing the Canadians that the Americans wished then good will and that they would not interfere with their religious rights, among other instructions.

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