Key Facts
- Campaign start
- April 19, 1775 (Lexington and Concord)
- Campaign end
- March 17, 1776 (British evacuation)
- Duration
- Approx. 11 months
- Evacuation Day
- March 17, still commemorated in Boston
- Key turning point
- Fortification of Dorchester Heights, March 4, 1776
Strategic Narrative Overview
The campaign opened with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, as militia harassed British troops in a running fight back to Charlestown. Colonial forces then surrounded Boston, laying siege to the city. The Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, proved costly for both sides, ending in a Pyrrhic British victory. In July 1775, George Washington assumed command and began organizing the militia into a disciplined Continental Army.
01 / The Origins
Tensions between the British colonial government and Massachusetts colonists reached a breaking point in 1775 when British authorities sought to suppress growing resistance by seizing military stores and arresting Patriot leaders in Concord. This effort to disarm the colonial militia and neutralize opposition reflected broader British policy of tightening control over the restive Province of Massachusetts Bay, which had been under punitive governance since the Intolerable Acts of 1774.
03 / The Outcome
On March 4, 1776, colonial forces under Washington fortified Dorchester Heights overnight, positioning artillery that threatened both Boston and British ships in the harbor. Unable to dislodge the guns, British commanders chose to withdraw rather than risk another costly assault. On March 17, 1776, British forces and loyalist civilians permanently evacuated Boston, ending the siege and the campaign and delivering the Patriots their first major strategic victory.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Thomas Gage, William Howe.
Side B
1 belligerent
George Washington.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.