A Call to Arms Chapter 5, Lesson 3

The Continental Congress Colonial leaders understood that it would take more than boycotting to attain their liberty from British Policies. In September 1774, 55 men met at Philadelphia. They were sent as delegates from all the colonies except Georgia. The purpose of this meeting was to establish a political body to represent American interests and challenge British control. They called the new organization the Continental Congress.

Delegates to the Congress Major political leaders from all the colonies attended the Congress. Samuel Adams (Sons of Liberty) and his younger cousin John Adams (successful lawyer) attended on behalf of Massachusetts. New York sent John Jay. Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry represented Virginia, as well as George Washington.

Decisions of the Congress Though they were barely united in their views, they understood they must work together. They first drafted a statement of grievances calling for the repeal of 13 acts passed since 1763 declaring they violated colonial rights. Their rights were based on the “laws of nature, the principles of the English Constitution, and the several charters” of the colonies. They also voted to boycott all British goods and trade. No British goods were to be brought in and consumed in the colonies, and no colonial goods were to get to Britain.

Decisions of the Congress One of the major decisions were to endorse the Suffolk Resolves. These resolutions were created by Bostonians and others who lived in Suffolk county, Massachusetts. It called for the people of Suffolk County to arm themselves against the British. The people responded by forming militias (group of citizens soldiers) These actions made people wonder if war was coming. They’d have their answer in the following spring.

The First Battles It was expected by colonists that if fighting were to break out it would begin in New England. Militia companies frequently held training sessions, made bullets, and stockpiled rifles and muskets. Some companies were known as minutemen, boasting they would be ready within a minute’s notice to fight. In the winter of 1774-1775, a British officer took note in his diary that: “The people are evidently making every preparation for resistance. They are taking every means to provide themselves with arms.”

Britain Sends Troops The British also prepared for conflict. King George III announced to parliament that they colonies were “in a state of rebellion” and said that “blows must decide” who would control America. By April of 1775, British general Sir Thomas Gage had several thousand soldiers under his command in and around Boston. And many more were on the way! Gage had orders to take away the weapons of the Massachusetts militia and arrest the leaders.

Britain Sends Troops Gage learned that the militia was storing ammunition at Concord. Located 20 miles northwest of Boston. Ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith to march “to concord, where you will seize and destroy all the artillery and ammunition you find.”

Alerting the Colonists On the night of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren walked the streets of Boston, looking for unusual activity. He noticed a regiment forming ranks in Boston Common and then begin marching out of the city. He set out to warn Paul Revere and William Dawes, leading members of the Sons of Liberty. They rode to Lexington, a town east of Concord, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming.

Alerting the Colonists Revere galloped off across shouting, “The regulars are out!” to the people and houses he passed along the way. When he arrives at Lexington, he warns Adams and Hancock of the news. Adams was excited saying, “What a glorious morning this is! Adams was ready to fight for American Independence.

Fighting at Lexington and Concord At day break the Redcoats were at Lexington. When they reached the center of the town they found 70 minutemen who had been alerted by Revere and Dawes. These men were led by Captain John Parker positioned in the town common with muskets ready. They were told to “throw down” their arms. A shot was fired and soon both had an exchange.

Fighting at Lexington and Concord When the firing was over eight minutemen were dead. The British continued their march to Concord. Upon arriving, they discovered most of the gunpowder was gone and destroyed whatever was left behind. At Concords North Bridge the minutemen waited for them. Messengers on horse back provided information on the Redcoats movements.

Fighting at Lexington and Concord Along the road from Concord to Boston farmers, blacksmiths, saddle makers, and clerks hid behind trees, rocks, and stone fences. The militia fires shots at the Redcoats as they came by. One Redcoat even wrote that “These fellows wee generally good marksmen, and many of them used long guns made for duck hunting. By the time they reached their destination the Redcoats were had 174 wounded and 73 dead.

Fighting at Lexington and Concord Looking back, Ralph Waldo Emerson was a poet who wrote “The Concord Hymn” about the fighting that had happened at Lexington and Concord . He wrote that it was the “shot heard ‘round the world.” It was clear that the battle for Americans independence had begun.

More Military Action After the events at Lexington and Concord, Benedict Arnold, a captain for the Connecticut militia, was given permission to prepare 400 men. These men were to seize Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. It wasn’t exactly the most strategic point but it had a lot of military supplies. Arnold found out that Ethan Allen was mounting an expedition to do the same, and so he joined forced with them

More Military Action Ethan Allen’s group was known as the Green Mountain Boys, and together with Benedict Arnold caught the British by surprise. The garrison surrendered on May 10, 1775. Arnold later intended to surrender the key fort of West Point to the British and led raids against Americans in Virginia and Connecticut. He became a general of the British army.

Building Forces After the battle of Lexington and Concord, various committees of correspondence sent out calls for volunteers to join the militias. Soon the forces around Boston were 20,000 strong. After this, for several weeks neither the British nor the Colonists budged. They were each waiting nervously to see who would make the next move.

The Battle of Bunker Hill On June 16, 1775, about 1,200 militiamen under the command of Colonel Prescott set up fortifications at Bunker Hill and nearby at Breed’s Hill. His men were low on ammunition and so he told them “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” They were able to force the British to retreat and they attempted two more times. They eventually ran out of gunpowder and were forced to withdraw.

The Battle of Bunker Hill The British ended up winning the Battle of Bunker Hill. However, they suffered some pretty severe losses. 1,000 men were either dead or wounded. One British officer wrote in his diary, “A dear bought victory, another such would have ruined us.” The British now realized defeating the Americans on the battlefield would no be quick or easy.