British soldiers charged three times in their quest to take Breed’s Hill.
Militia members soon flocked to Massachusetts from other colonies. Boston remained the center of the growing war. The British sent more troops to the city, while American forces surrounded it. In June Patriot leaders learned that the British planned to take the hills outside Boston. The militia rushed to nearby Breed’s Hill and quickly put up a redoubt, a small fort made of dirt and wood.
The British attacked the American redoubt June 17. The fighting was bloody. Two waves of British troops charged the fort and other American defenses. The well-protected Americans cut down many Redcoats, driving them back. On their third charge, the British forced the Americans to flee.
The battle was named for nearby Bunker Hill, and in one sense, it was a British victory. But the British suffered more than 1,000 casualties. A Patriot writing in a Boston newspaper claimed, “Two more such actions will destroy your [the British] army.”3
In Philadelphia the Second Continental Congress met to plan the war effort. Just before the Battle of Bunker Hill, Congress named George Washington to lead the American soldiers. These troops included militias and a new national force called the Continental Army.
Washington arrived in Boston in July 1775. A militia officer for 20 years, Washington did not like what he saw. Despite the training of the Minutemen, most of the American forces weren’t ready for serious battle. The camps were filthy and food sometimes rotted. Washington quickly made changes to clean the camps and improve discipline. Washington knew the Americans were fighting against a trained army. He wanted his forces to be at their best.
The Continental Army was carrying out a siege of Boston, trying to keep the British from receiving supplies. The siege continued into 1776. In early March Washington placed troops and cannons on the hills of Dorchester Heights, south of Boston. The British planned an attack on the hills, but it was stopped for several days by a storm. By the time the storm cleared, the British decided that the American position on the hills was too strong. The entire British force left the city March 17. To the Americans, it was a great victory. But the British would soon sail to New York City with an even larger army. Washington moved south to fight them there.
INDEPENDENCE
As the two armies headed for New York, the delegates of the Second Continental Congress were at work in Philadelphia. On June 7, 1776, the Congress began to discuss a resolution declaring independence from Great Britain. Five delegates were picked to write a declaration of independence.
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, John Adams, and Roger Sherman worked together on the Declaration of Independence.
Virginia lawyer Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the declaration. Jefferson and John Adams of Massachusetts briefly debated who should write the first draft. Adams insisted Jefferson do it, saying, “You can write ten times better than I can.”4 “Well,” Jefferson replied, “if you are decided, I will do as well as I can.”
During the following days, Jefferson worked at a small wooden desk, searching for the right words for what would become a historic document. Jefferson asserted that all men are equal and have certain rights, and “among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The delegates approved the final version of Jefferson’s declaration July 4. The 13 colonies were now the United States of America.
In August Washington’s army and the British began a series of battles in New York. The campaign started badly for the Americans, with a major loss on Long Island. By November the British had taken New York City and several American forts just north of it. They had also captured more than 4,000 prisoners.
George Washington faced another problem as 1776 came to an end. Some of his soldiers had agreed to fight for just one year, and it was almost time for them to go home.
Despite his worries about his army, Washington saw a chance to finally score a major victory. The evening of December 25, he prepared his troops for a surprise attack on the Hessians, the German troops fighting for the British. As an icy storm raged around them, the Americans crossed the Delaware River. Around 8:00 a.m. the Americans arrived at the Hessian camp at Trenton, New Jersey. They killed about 20 Hessians, wounded about 100, and captured about 900, while losing only two of their own men.
Washington led about 2,400 soldiers across the icy Delaware River on the way to Trenton, New Jersey.
After this victory, Washington was eager for another. But many of the soldiers were still preparing to go home. The commander asked if they would stay with him just one more month. More than 1,000 agreed to fight on.
Washington fought the British at Princeton, New Jersey, January 3. About 280 of the outnumbered British soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing, and the Americans captured British supplies. With the success in New Jersey, Americans’ hopes rose. That spring thousands of men enlisted in the American army for terms of three years or more. But the Patriots still faced a long war.
THE OTHER AMERICANS
As the colonies came together to support Boston, some Americans rejected the Patriot cause. The Loyalists favored keeping their ties to Great Britain. Some Loyalists respected the wealth and power of Great Britain. Others thought the Americans had no right to rebel. Some simply disliked the dangers of war and how it affected their lives. The strongest Loyalists formed their own military companies and fought for the British against other Americans. Not surprisingly, Patriots hated the Loyalists who actively worked against independence. Loyalists in many states risked losing their property—or even their lives—if they spoke up too loudly for the British.