American Revolution | Tis' Time to Part | 2

Capture of Fort Ticonderoga Showcased Colonists' Ability to Strike British Strongholds and Secured Crucial Military Supplies For Rebels

Arnold and Allen's May 10, 1775, Assault Quickly Overwhelms British, Captures Artillery

In the early morning of May 10, 1775, Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain became the target of a daring colonial assault. British soldiers awoke in confusion and panic as Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, and their small band of rebel troops stormed the garrison. Arnold had persuaded Massachusetts leaders to greenlight a secret strike, teaming up with Allen’s Green Mountain Boys. The attack was swift, with the rebels surprising British officers in their quarters and demanding the surrender of the fort and all King George III’s property. Captain Delaplas, the British commander, capitulated within minutes. The rebels seized not only the fort but also a cache of priceless artillery, a vital asset for the colonial cause.

Fort's Strategic Location on Lake Champlain Key for Northern Theater Control

Fort Ticonderoga’s location on Lake Champlain, an essential 120-mile-long waterway connecting Canada to the Hudson River, was of great strategic importance. The fort controlled the major invasion route between British-held Canada and the vital Hudson Valley, the so-called "Warpath of Nations." Its capture denied the British a key stronghold and provided the Patriots with artillery that would later help dislodge British forces from Boston.

Bunker Hill 1775: Moral Victory as Americans Prove They Can Inflict British Casualties Despite Loss

British Forces Prevail On Breed's Hill Despite Heavy Casualties

On June 17, 1775, after hearing that the British planned an attack on rebel positions, colonial forces prepared defenses atop Breed’s Hill, across the Charles River from Boston. British General Gage ordered repeated frontal assaults on the fortifications. The British finally succeeded only after the defenders ran out of ammunition and were forced to withdraw.

British Losses Showed Colonial Militia Could Stand Against the World's Most Powerful Army, Boosting Morale Despite Tactical Withdrawal

The battle, misnamed Bunker Hill, saw the British suffer about 1,000 casualties—over 40% of their force—more than double the losses of the Americans. The Americans had specifically targeted red-coated British officers, resulting in horrendous losses to British command staff. Though technically a British victory, the fierce resistance shocked British commanders. General Howe lamented, "The success is too dearly bought." The high British losses proved to the world, and to the colonists themselves, that the American militia could stand and fight against the world’s foremost military power, providing a desperately needed moral boost.

Prolonged Siege Creates Stalemate; Americans Contain British, Gather Resources For Evacuation

Washington's Troop Shortages in Boston

Following Bunker Hill, American forces kept the British contained within Boston, severing their land access and leaving them dependent on shipments by sea. For several months, both sides exchanged sporadic fire as the siege dragged on and resources grew scarce.

Knox's 1775 Expedition Moved 55 Cannons 300 Miles Over Frozen Terrain, Providing Artillery Washington Needed to Threaten British Positions

Recognizing the need for heavy artillery to break the stalemate, Henry Knox convinced George Washington to let him retrieve cannons and mortars captured at Fort Ticonderoga. Knox’s expedition, beginning in November 1775, involved hauling 55 cannons 300 miles over harsh winter terrain, using horses, oxen, and sledges. The two-month ordeal was an extraordinary feat of logistics and determination.

March 4, 1776: American Forces Fortify Dorchester Heights; British Evacuate Boston After 11 Months

In March 1776, Knox’s artillery was hauled onto Dorchester Heights, high ground commanding Boston and its harbor. On the night of March 4, American troops hurriedly fortified their new position atop the Heights. With their positions now completely vulnerable to bombardment, the British realized they could no longer defend Bos ...

In the summer of 1775, colonial militiamen from across the thirteen colonies gathered outside Boston to confront the British. Into this chaos rode the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief George Washington, determined to transform thousands of untrained volunteers into an effective national army.

Washington Assumed Command Of A Chaotic, Undisciplined Militia Lacking Training, Supplies, and Unified Command Structure

Washington's Arrival in Cambridge on July 3, 1775

On July 3rd, 1775, George Washington arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, taking command of what was to become the Continental Army. He established his headquarters in a loyalist's abandoned home, beginning the daunting job of forging a unified fighting force from a patchwork of militias.

Militiamen From Thirteen Colonies Were More Loyal to Local Groups Than to a Central Command, Hindering Unified Coordination

The assembled troops reflected the colonies’ tradition that all able-bodied men defend their own communities. United primarily by shared anger toward Britain, they were otherwise tied more to their towns, neighbors, and elected militia officers than to any central command. This local loyalty undermined coordination, as militiamen responded to local leadership and were reluctant to accept orders from outsiders, including Washington.

Diverse Army of Undisciplined Soldiers, Aged 15-60

Washington faced a sprawling, poorly supplied army spread in a ten-mile arc around Boston. Soldiers ranged from age fifteen to sixty, and included free and enslaved Black men, a company of Stockbridge Native Americans, and an eclectic mix of uniforms and gear. With the arrival of Daniel Morgan’s backwoods riflemen—famed for their marksmanship but notorious for unruliness—the disorder only grew. Washington had expected an army of twenty thousand, but found only fourteen thousand fit for duty and discovered there was barely enough gunpowder for each man to fire nine shots.

Washington Faced Difficulty Maintaining Discipline Among Troops Who Saw Militia Service As Temporary Rather Than Prolonged

For many, militia service was a temporary civic duty, not a long-term commitment. These men expected a brief show of force, then a return to their farms—not a protracted war. Discipline was extremely difficult to enforce. Soldiers routinely defied orders, refusing duties they felt beneath them. For example, riflemen often abandoned trench-digging, claiming that their skills were for shooting, not shoveling, and that such labor was beneath their status as marksmen. Washington and his officers frequently encountered resistance and insubordination, with some men openly stating they would only follow their own orders.

Army Morale Low: Disease & Poor Conditions, With Smallpox and Dysentery Killing 20-30 Men Daily, Winter 1775-1776

Poor morale was compounded by disease and miserable conditions. Smallpox and dysentery swept through the camps, claiming twenty to thirty lives each day through the winter of 1775–1776. Food and supplies were scarce, storms battered the lines, and even Washington admitted to harboring regional biases, referring to New England soldiers as "exceedingly dirty and nasty."

Washington Restructured the Army By Standardizing Regiments for a Unified National Military Under Centralized Control

Recognizing the need for a professional, unified force, Washington reorganized the army.

Washington Restructured the Continental Army Into 27 Infantry Regiments, Each With Over 700 Men and Specialized Rifle and Artillery Units

On New Year's Day, 1776, he announced a sweeping reorganization: the army was restructured into twenty-seven infantry regiments, each with more than 700 men, supplemented by specialized riflemen and artillery units. This moved the colonies beyond a reliance on ad hoc, community-based militias to a central force built for prolonged combat.

Washington Downgraded Militias To Supporting Roles, Establishing the Continental Army Under Congress As the Primary Fighting Force

Going forward, part-time militias were relegated to supporting roles. The main responsibility for fighting the British now rested with the Continental Army under Congressional authority, puttin ...

Continental Congress's Contradictory Strategy in 1775

In 1775, the purpose of the war remained unclear, and there was no consensus among the colonies about pursuing reconciliation or full independence from Britain. Loyalty to the crown was deeply felt, making the idea of independence highly controversial. Pennsylvania’s John Dickinson, a leading advocate for reconciliation, ultimately resigned himself to conflict, famously stating: "While we revere and love our mother country, her sword is opening our veins." Thus, even patriots like Dickinson acknowledged that British aggression had made reconciliation unlikely.

Despite raising arms and engaging British troops in battle, Americans, led by the Continental Congress, continued to profess allegiance to King George III. Congress managed a contradictory war—asserting colonial rights and fighting against British forces without openly renouncing the king. This ambiguity reflected deep divisions, not just in Congress but throughout colonial society, splitting patriots who embraced rebellion from loyalists who saw resistance as treason. Congress prosecuted the war but had not yet fully committed the colonies to independence.

British Actions in 1775-1776 Showed Independence Was the Only Option

The reality of reconciliation faded further as British actions hardened colonial resolve. In late August 1775, King George III finally received news in London of the heavy British losses at Bunker Hill and, shocked by the carnage, declared the colonists to be in "open and avowed rebellion." With colonial leaders branded as traitors, hopes for any peaceful agreement rapidly vanished.

British officials escalated their response. In November 1775, Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, issued a proclamation promising freedom to enslaved people willing to fight for the British, a move that both aimed to bolster British ranks and horrified Southern slaveowners. Soon after, news arrived that Dunmore had set fire to Norfolk, Virginia, reducing it to ruins. This destruction enraged Americans such as George Washington, who hoped that it would unite the colonies against "a nation which seems to be lost to every sense of virtue and feelings that distinguish a civilized people from the most barbarous savages." Other actions, like the use of hired German mercenaries (Hessians), further angered colonists and eroded any lingering affection for Britain.

Thomas Paine's 1776 Common Sense Advocated Independence In Accessible Language

In January 1776, the publication of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense proved decisive. Paine, a relatively poor and uneducated recent English immigrant, delivered a radical message in clear, accessible language. He forcefully attacked the British monarchy and made the case for independence and the establishment of a republic, writing, “Everything that is right or natural pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature, cries, ‘Tis time to part.” Common Sense became an instant sensation, selling 120,000 copies in three months and appearing widely in newspapers, reaching a broad au ...

The American colonies’ demand for liberty during the Revolution starkly contradicted the continued enslavement of half a million Black people. Observers noted this hypocrisy, with British writer Samuel Johnson famously asking, "How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes?" Prominent patriots like Benjamin Rush, John Jay, and Patrick Henry admitted the conflict between embracing liberty and upholding slavery but considered slavery essential for colonial prosperity and therefore untouchable during the war. Colonial leaders were determined to protect the property—enslaved people included—that underpinned their economic freedom. Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence, which asserted equality and inalienable rights, while he himself owned about 200 enslaved people. Even as the colonists proclaimed revolutionary ideals, they refused to disrupt slavery for fear it would undermine their cause.

Lord Dunmore's 1775 Proclamation: Contrasting British Pragmatism and American Ideals, Highlighting Enslaved People's Quest For Freedom

In 1775, Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, issued a proclamation offering freedom to enslaved people who would join the British Army. This act contrasted the pragmatic British approach with the Americans’ professed ideals. The possibility of escape attracted desperate enslaved people, who saw the Patriots’ freedom as empty rhetoric and the British offer, though uncertain, as a real chance for liberty. A prospective escapee from a plantation outside Richmond resolved, "the Patriots talk of freedom and liberty, but it's just talk. They don't mean to change things for people like us. The British, they're offering something real, a way out of this life." The risk was enormous—the threat of violent retribution if caught was clear. Nevertheless, men like Harry Washington, who fled George Washington’s Mount Vernon, joined around 800 others in the Ethiopian Regiment that Dunmore raised. Hundreds of enslaved women and children also sought sanctuary behind British lines.

Lord Dunmore boasted to British Commander-in-Chief William Howe, "Their proclamation has had a wonderful effect. The Negroes are flocking in from all quarters." The influx of runaways underscored both the desperation imposed by slavery and the magnetic power even a remote hope of freedom carried. Yet, despite attracting many enslaved people, Dunmore’s proclamation did not significantly disrupt the American war effort. For white Southern slaveholders, the idea of armed Black men was a nightmare. George Washington, horrified, called Dunmore a "monster" and a traitor to humanity, and worried about the security of his own plantation, where he and Martha Washington enslaved around 200 people.

Manpower Crisis Forced Leaders to Confront Exclusion of Black Soldiers Despite Needing Troops

Amidst all this, Black men had already proven their valor at Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. Nevertheless, in October 1775, bowing to Southern pressure, George Washington expelled Black soldiers from ...

Continental Congress Appointed Committee to Draft Declaration of Independence

In the summer of 1776, the Continental Congress tasked a committee with drafting a statement announcing and justifying the colonies' break from British rule. The job of writing the first draft fell to Thomas Jefferson, a 33-year-old Virginia lawyer, planter, and slave owner. Despite his youth, Jefferson had already established a reputation as a gifted writer. In a rented room in Philadelphia, he wrote the iconic preamble: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Jefferson’s text boldly grounded independence on the principle that governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed—a major break from the tradition of divine right or monarchical power. In doing so, Jefferson asserted that Americans not only had the right but the sacred duty to govern themselves.

Heading: Grievances Against King George Iii Justifying Separation

Within the Declaration, Jefferson catalogued grievances against King George III, presenting them as justification for the colonies’ separation from Britain.

Debate Over Independence Exposed Deep Divisions in Congress, With Moderates Wary Of Declaring Independence too Soon Without Foreign Alliances or Strong Government Structures

Debate over the proposal exposed deep divisions within Congress. Moderates such as Pennsylvania’s John Dickinson warned against rushing into independence, likening it to “braving a storm in a skiff made of paper.” Dickinson was not opposed to independence in theory but feared it was premature without foreign alliances, particularly French support, or solid national government structures. He worried that immediate independence could leave the colonies isolated and vulnerable to retaliation.

When a preliminary vote was conducted on July 1, 1776, only nine colonies supported independence. Pennsylvania and South Carolina opposed; New York abstained due to lack of authorization from its legislature, and Delaware was split. With nearly a third of the colonies not yet in agreement, Congress postponed the final vote to seek greater consensus on such a consequential resolution.

Rodney's Midnight Ride & Dickinson's Absence Broke Deadlock to Adopt Declaration

On July 2, as Congress prepared for a final vote, Caesar Rodney of Delaware made a dramatic entrance. After learning that Delaware’s delegates were deadlocked, Rodney leapt from his sickbed and rode eighty miles through a thunderstorm to Philadelphia, arriving just in time to break the tie in Delaware’s delegation and deliver its vote for independence.

Meanwhile, John Dickinson and his ally Robert Morris of Pennsylvania chose not to participate in the vote, enabling Pennsylvania’s delegation to swing in favor of independence. South Carolina also reversed its position and voted yes. Only New York continued to abstain, pendin ...