The Colonists Prepared For War Colonial Early Warning .

The colonists prepared for war Colonial early warning system The Minutemen Lexington and Concord1

Print showssatire ofAmerican womenfrom Edenton,North Carolina,pledging toboycott Englishtea in responseto ContinentalCongressresolution in1774 to boycottEnglish goods2

The British government attempted to restoreorder in Boston through martial law Another result of the Boston Tea Party wasthat the Massachusetts colony was placedunder martial law In martial law, military authority usuallytakes the place of civilian justice Persons accused of violations of ordersunder martial law (for example, a curfew) aregenerally tried by military tribunal or courtsmartial In some instances, the punishment forviolations of martial law may be death eventhough the civilian law does not allow forcapital punishment Martial law in US History is rare, although itwas used during the Civil War (1861-1865),and World War II (1941-1945)3

Delegates from 12 colonies (all except Georgia)met to discuss the situation with Britain in the fallof 1774.They met atCarpenters’ Hall inPhiladelphia in whatbecame known as the“First ContinentalCongress” to convinceParliament to repealthe Intolerable Acts.Delegates includedJohn Adams, BenjaminFranklin, SamuelAdams, GeorgeWashington, RichardHenry Lee, and JohnJay.Carpenters Hall4

Continental Congress’ ResolutionsThe Congress did not intend todeclare independence fromBritain. The delegates believedthat they were entitled to thesame rights as all Englishmen andthat the Intolerable Acts and otherlaws violated those rights.At the conclusion of the Congress,the delegates signed nonimportation agreementsboycotting British goods. Inaddition, they pledged to meetagain in 1775 if the IntolerableActs were not repealed.However, before the delegatescould meet again, theRevolutionary War had begun, andthe Second Continental Congressfound itself occupied with theconduct of a war rather thanrepeal of the Intolerable Acts.The Non-Importation agreement 5

This painting of Patrick Henry addressing the FirstContinental Congress can be found in the House Corridorof the United States Capitol.6

Colonists prepared for combat In severalMassachusetts townspeople had begun tostockpile weapons andtrain openly for combat General Thomas Gage,British military governorof Massachusetts, learnedof colonial militarypreparations, and orderedBritish troops to Lexingtonand Concord to seizeweaponsGeneral Thomas Gage7

“One if by land, two if by sea”Many of the leaders of therebel movement, known asthe “Patriots”, fled Boston toavoid arrest by the British.Those who stayed devised aplan to alert those whoremained of a Britishadvance: one lantern in thesteeple of the Old NorthChurch, two if from theCharles River.On April 18, 1775 silversmithPaul Revere saw the lanternsand along with WilliamDawes and Dr. SamuelPrescott, rode through thecountryside warningcolonists and militia that theBritish were on the march toLexington and Concord.8

The ridersWilliam DawesOnly Prescottwas able tomake it toConcordPaul RevereRevere was captured,but lied to the Britishabout colonial troopstrength, and waseventually released toreturn to Boston on apoorly rested horse.Dawes took the longer “byland” route across theisthmus of Massachusetts andwas able to elude capture byBritish forces and warnedmilitia at several locationsalong the route the Britishtraveled to Lexington andConcord. Dawes was thrownfrom his horse and was9captured.

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The Minutemen Based on English militiamodel All males over age 16 wererequired to join militia andattend musters. Minutemenwere selected from colonialmilitia rosters The average age was about25 years old, and many wereveterans of the French andIndian War Term “minute men” firstused in 1756; but notofficially used for colonialmilitia until 1774; meantthey would be ready to fight“in a moment’s notice”11

Lexington and ConcordApril 19, 1775“The shot heard round the world”12

Cartoon shows George III and Lord Mansfield,seated on an open chaise drawn by two horseslabeled "Obstinacy" and "Pride," about to leadBritain into an abyss represented by the war withthe American colonies13

How the war beganWhen the British troops arrived in Lexington, the colonialmilitia under Captain John Parker, was lined up on the villagegreen. Parker had ordered his men to “stand their ground ”,but added “if they mean to have a war, let it begin here”.As the two sides watched each other, a shot apparently wasfired in the distance. The British responded by firing at themilitia, who returned fire. At the end of the skirmish, alongwith the subsequent one at Concord, 50 militia and 73 Britishsoldiers were killed.The British marched back to Boston under heavy fire from thecolonists, who practiced guerrilla warfare, meaning they werehiding behind rocks and trees. The British army had alwaysfought in a traditional style, in the open with both sides facingeach other, which made it difficult for them to effectively fightback. Eventually the British troops made it back toCharlestown after suffering many more casualties on themarch.The British army and colonials were now at war.14

Major early battle locations Strengths and weaknesses of bothsides Second Continental Congress George Washington Siege of Boston Bunker Hill15

Map of locations of various battles fought in thefirst days of the Revolutionary War,April, 177516

StrengthsBritainColonistsWell-trained andequipped armyFamiliarity of territoryStrong centralgovernment with astrong economyCapable leadership ofWashington and othergeneralsSupport of Loyalistsand some NativeAmericansA common cause—fighting forindependence17

WeaknessesBritainColonistsDistance from homelandMany soldiers untrainedand uneducated in militarytacticsTroops unfamiliar withterrainShortages of food andammunitionWeak military leadersNo central government toenforce wartime lawsNo common cause to rallyarmy or British peopleInferior navy18

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Battle of Fort TiconderogaEthan Allen demanded the surrender at Fort Ticonderoga in1775. The British retook the fort in 1777, but abandoned itlater that year.20

Second Continental CongressMay 10, 1775, to March 2, 1789 Congress’ focus changed fromforcing Britain to repeal theIntolerable Acts to fighting a waragainst the British Army Some more radical delegates pushedfor independence from Britain;moderates pushed for reconciliation John Adams suggested that eachcolony create its own government, acontinental army be formed, and thecolonies declare independenceJohn Adams Congress created the ContinentalArmy, appointed George Washingtoncommander, and printed papercurrency. Eventually they produced21the Declaration of Independence

Washington appointed General of theContinental ArmyMany, including ContinentalCongress president John Hancock,desired to be commander of theContinental Army. Otherdelegates, led by John Adams,sought to appoint GeorgeWashington to the post.Washington was selected for twomain reasons:1. His prior military experienceduring the French and Indian War2. He was from Virginia, and itseemed necessary to includeVirginia in the military operationsaround the city of Boston22

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This commission certified George Washington’s appointment asGeneral and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. Thesignature of John Hancock, president of the ContinentalCongress, is visible in the lower right corner. Washington wroteto his wife, Martha, that he had accepted the commission onlyafter, "I have used every endeavor in my power to avoid it."24

George Washington, the manGeorge Washington’s physicalappearance made him head andshoulders above his men, howeverhis character and bravery endearedhim to his men, and his nation.On several occasions, he personallyexposed himself to enemy fire whileencouraging his men to fight on. AtValley Forge, he dealt with thesame hardships as his men. For theduration of the war, he kept hisoutmanned army intact and readyto fight the larger, better equippedBritish army.By the end of the war, many werealready calling him “first in war,first in peace, and first in the heartsof his countrymen”.25

Strengths and weaknesses of both . Continental Army . 23 . 24 This commission certified George Washington’s appointment as General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. The signature of John Hancock, president of the Continental Congres