The Occupation of Boston (episode 100)

250 years ago this week, British troops landed in Boston.  Author J.L. Bell joins us to discuss the British government’s decision to send troops in an attempt to keep peace after Boston’s years of upheaval.  Instead of bringing peace, the tense occupation would culminate in the Boston Massacre less than two years later.

Listen to the end to find out how you can get some free HUB History swag in celebration of our 100th episode!

The Occupation of Boston

J.L. Bell is the author behind the book The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War and daily updates on his blog at Boston1775.net.  He is also a member of the Revolution 250 committee.

• Christian Remick’s Perspective View of the Blockade of Boston Harbor
• Paul Revere’s A View of Part of the Town of Boston in New-England and British Ships of War: Landing Their Troops!
• Episode 6: the 1689 revolt against Governor Edmund Andros 
• Episode 54: the 1747 impressment riot
• Episode 75: Pope’s Night, or the 5th of November

Featured Historic Site

Prospect Hill Park stands at the top of a hill near Union Square, in what was once Charlestown but is now Somerville, stands a massive stone tower with three levels of crenelated battlements.  Though it looks like a misplaced medieval castle, this tower is actually a 1903 monument erected to mark an important site in Boston’s Revolutionary history.

After the battles at Lexington and Concord ignited the long-simmering tensions in the province into all out war, New England militias rushed to surround Boston and trap the British Regulars within the peninsular town.  There were central camps in Roxbury and Cambridge, with outposts and siege lines fanning out in all directions. High ground was prized to anchor these siege lines at a strong position, and to provide a vantage point form which to observe the enemy’s movements.  The top of Prospect Hill was a particularly valuable high point, providing a commanding view of Charlestown, Boston, and the Harbor beyond.

At the top of the hill, the Patriots dug a series of interlocking earthworks and walls that became known as the Citadel.  After the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Citadel on Prospect Hill became even more important. The British occupied Charlestown as far as the Neck, putting them nearly face to face with the patriot forces on Prospect Hill, with its supporting works on Winter Hill, Mount Pisgah, and eventually Plowed Hill.  On the north side of the Charles, the lines would stay more or less static from Bunker Hill until the British forces evacuated almost a year later, in March 1776.

In the midst of this grinding siege, George Washington ordered a patriotic display to boost the morale of his tired soldiers during the middle of the difficult winter.  On New Year’s Day 1776, he ordered that a new flag should be raised over the Citadel. Known as the “Continental Colors” or the “Grand Union Flag,” this was the first flag meant to represent the fledgling nation, even before it declared its independence.  Like the modern American flag, it had 13 alternating red and white stripes to represent the 13 colonies. But in the canton, or upper corner, there was a British Union Jack where our white stars on a blue field are today.

The topography of Prospect Hill has been changed since George Washington’s era, as landfill was removed in the 19th century to create level, dry ground in what is now Union Square.  However, Prospect Hill still offers a commanding view. After you’ve finished exploring the small park at the top of the hill, check out the tower. Climb even to the first level, and you will have a million dollar view of the city skyline.  If you visit on New Year’s Day, you can experience the annual reenactment of the raising of the Continental Colors.

Upcoming Event

This coming weekend, Boston will hold a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the occupation of Boston.  After the Stamp Act riots of 1765 and protests around the 1767 Townshend Act, British troops were sent to Boston to maintain order.  As the Revolution 250 website says,

Far from quieting the town, the arrival of the troops marked a significant escalation of tension and violence that would lead to the Boston Massacre in 1770 and widen the rift between the British Parliament and the people of the Province of Massachusetts Bay… The arrival of British soldiers in Boston represented a significant escalation in the growing tension between the British government and the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Men and women of Boston had to learn to live with their unwelcome new neighbors. What does it mean to be occupied by a military force? How do people adapt to living in such a condition? How can civilians in an occupied city or town resist?

Visitors attending this program will gain a better understanding of the conditions that led to the decision by the British government to send troops into Boston, the controversies surrounding such a move, and how the men and women of Boston adapted and resisted, and be able to place this period within the larger context of the American Revolution.

The redcoats will land on Long Wharf on Saturday morning, October 6, and then parade to the Old State House and Downtown Crossing.  There will be an encampment on Boston Common and living history demonstrations across the city all weekend.  Visit the Revolution 250 website for a full calendar of events.