Captain William Delaplace surrendered the fort to rebel leader Ethan Allen, who reportedly accepted in the name of “The Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress.”
Allen and his men were accompanied by rebel Colonel Benedict Arnold, who was commissioned to lead an assault on the fort by the Massachusetts Committee of Safety. Colonel Arnold had ridden ahead of his 50 volunteers when he learned that Allen’s Green Mountain Boys were preparing to attack. The two men agreed that Allen’s mountaineers would storm the fort, and Arnold’s party would dismantle the heavily armed fort after its capture.
Ticonderoga is situated on the Hudson River, 180 miles northeast of Boston. Built by the French in 1755, it was once considered the gateway to the continent. Because the Hudson River divides the northern colonies in half and flows south into New York, control of Ticonderoga guarantees a flow of supplies in the event of major actions in Canada and south to the middle colonies.
In other news, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, the celebrated inventor and author of Poor Richard’s Almanac returned from England on the 5th of this month. Dr. Franklin has resided in London, acting as the colonies’ unofficial ambassador for nearly 15 years. His homecoming marks the end of an unsuccessful campaign to resolve a land dispute between the Pennsylvania colony and its founder, William Penn.
GAGE GETS HELP FROM HOME
Howe, Clinton, Burgoyne Accompany Fresh Troops
I am in no doubt you will be able to conquer America at last, but a horrid bloody scene will be opened here as never was in New England before.
Peter Oliver, Loyalist Sympathizer
To His Brother in England
June 1, 1775
Boston, Massachusetts: May 25, 1775. Loyalist citizens in Boston breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw a large fleet of British troops and warships sail into the harbor late this morning. The ships carried 4,000 additional troops under Major Generals William Howe, Henry Clinton and John Burgoyne. Commanding General Thomas Gage now has 10,000 trained, well equipped British regulars at his disposal. Estimates of militiamen camped in and around rebel headquarters at Cambridge vary between 8,000 and 13,000.
The lack of unity or cohesiveness among the rebels prompted the Massachusetts Provincial Congress to request that the Continental Congress sitting in Philadelphia assume responsibility by creating and controlling an army of all the militia around Cambridge. Many in Massachusetts fear the large, disorganized militia as much as they do Gage’s regulars, encamped in Boston.
The arrival of William Howe has caused speculation that Parliament might be leaning toward reconciliation. General Howe served the British for nine years in the colonies during the French and Indian wars. He is known to have affection for New England. Colonists erected a monument in Westminster Abbey honoring his older brother, George Augustus, who was killed at Ticonderoga in 1758.
In related news, Lord Dunmore, Royal Governor of Virginia, seized 20 barrels of gunpowder from military magazines in Williamsburg. Dunmore took the powder in retaliation against a series of resolutions enacted by the Virginia Convention held at Richmond in March. Patrick Henry set the tone of the convention when he rose on the floor and condemned the British Ministry, suggesting the attack on Lexington was an act of war. “Our chains are forged,” he was reported saying. “Their clanking can be heard on the plains of Boston. The war is inevitable and let it come!”
The convention delegates resolved that a well regulated militia should be raised to relieve England of any responsibility in protecting the colony.
WASHINGTON NAMED REBEL COMMANDER
Virginia Farmer to Lead Continental Army
Pennsylvania State House
I beg it may be remembered by every gentleman in the room, that I this day declare with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the Command I am honored with.
George Washington
To Members of Congress
June 16, 1775
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: June 16, 1775. Many followers of the Second Continental Congress were surprised today when delegates announced their choice to head the newly formed Continental Army. Although George Washington was on the short list, his chances seemed remote. Washington’s military experience is not as extensive or as successful as other candidates, including two fellow Virginians, Charles Lee and Horatio Gates. Lee, Gates and Philip Schuyler, Commander of the New York militia, were appointed Major Generals and will accompany their new leader to rebel headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Washington’s appointment was made after Massachusetts delegate, Dr. Benjamin Church, pleaded with Congress to accept responsibility for the militia around Cambridge, which have been characterized as a mob without uniforms, living in crude huts and fed by local farmers.
Many in Congress feel that a commander from Virginia will pull the southern colonies into what John and Samuel Adams, two outspoken delegates from Massachusetts, have declared an enviable war with England. They campaigned for Washington’s appointment. General Washington belongs to a southern landed gentry of plantation owners, crippled financially by recent acts of Parliament.
Washington led several Virginia expeditions against the French in the Ohio Valley. He and Horatio Gates served under British General Braddock in the unsuccessful campaign at Fort Duquesne. Washington took command when Braddock was killed in an ambush.
He is credited with leading Braddock’s army safely back to Richmond, where at the age of 23 he was awarded the rank of full colonel and given command of all Virginia militia.
In other news, the Pennsylvania Assembly relinquished to the Continental Congress the ground floor of their magnificent State House, considered by many to be the finest building in the colonies. After seating themselves, the delegates elected John Hancock, a 38-year-old merchant from Boston, as President. Hancock is considered an outlaw by British authorities.
BRITISH ATTACK MAINLAND!
CHARLESTOWN BURNS!
Militia Offer Stubborn Resistance, Inflict Heavy Losses
The Battle of Breed’s Hill
The General’s (Gage) returns will give you the particulars of what I call this unhappy day. I freely confess to you, when I look to the consequence of it, in the loss of so many brave officers, I do it with horror. The success of it is too dearly bought.
General Howe
To the British Adjutant General
June 24, 1775
Boston, Massachusetts: June 17, 1775. Hundreds of Loyalist sympathizers cheered from Boston rooftops as 2,500 British troops invaded the colonial mainland early this afternoon. Supported by heavy artillery fire from British ships and barges, General Gage’s light infantry and grenadiers, under the command of Major General William Howe, launched an attack shortly after 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Gage ordered the attack when British headquarters woke this morning to discover that Colonel William Prescott’s Massachusetts militia erected earthen breastworks on Breed’s Hill during the night. The hill, which Gage evacuated after his men retreated from Concord, holds a commanding