Evacuation of Boston
- When
- 1776
- Where
- Cambridge arrival point, regional context of Boston; Boston and Dorchester Heights; Boston, Massachusetts; Boston and Charlestown
- Episodes
- 4
In March 1776, British commander William Howe, judging his position indefensible after American artillery fortified Dorchester Heights, withdrew his forces from Boston to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 17, ending the eleven-month siege that had begun after Lexington and Concord.
Episodes
- Knox's artillery reaches Cambridge
Knox hauled captured Ticonderoga cannons to Cambridge in January 1776; the guns later fortified Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston harbor.
- Bombardment and fortification of the heights
Americans bombarded Boston from March 2 to March 4, 1776, then fortified the heights; a British two-hour cannon barrage proved ineffective.
- British evacuation of Boston
Howe, judging Boston indefensible, sailed for Halifax on March 17, 1776, ending the siege; Bostonians had arranged that the town would be spared.
- American reoccupation of Boston
After the British fleet sailed, Americans reclaimed Boston and Charlestown; more troops entered on March 20, and late-arriving British ships fell into American hands.
Background and detail
Background. The siege began on April 19, 1775, after the war's first battles at Lexington and Concord, when Massachusetts militias blocked land access to Boston. American patriot militia under newly installed Continental Army commander George Washington prevented the garrisoned British Army from moving by land, leaving the British control only of the harbor and sea access.
Artillery on Dorchester Heights. In November 1775 Washington sent Henry Knox to retrieve heavy artillery captured at Fort Ticonderoga. Knox and a team of engineers used sledges to move 60 tons of cannon across the frozen Hudson and Connecticut rivers, arriving at Cambridge on January 24, 1776. The artillery fortified Dorchester Heights, overlooking Boston harbor.
Evacuation and Aftermath. Howe saw his position as indefensible and withdrew to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 17. Bostonians had secured an understanding that the town would be spared destruction if the departure went unhindered, and no American fire impeded the British. Once the fleet sailed, Americans reclaimed Boston and Charlestown, with more troops entering on March 20.
People involved
- George Washington · Commander of the Continental Army besieging Boston
- William Howe · British commander who withdrew from Boston
- Henry Knox · Colonel who brought captured artillery to Boston
Sources
- Siege of Boston Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.