Produced by The Bookworm, <bookworm.librivox AT gmail.com>, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.) THE SIEGE OF BOSTON [Illustration: Logo] THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK BOSTON CHICAGO ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO MACMILLAN & CO., LIMITED LONDON BOMBAY CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. TORONTO [Illustration: OLD STATE HOUSE] THE SIEGE OF BOSTON BY ALLEN FRENCH New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1911 _All rights reserved_ COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up and electrotyped. Published February, 1911. Norwood Press J. S. Cushing Co.--Berwick & Smith Co. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. TO C. E. S. PREFACE In writing this book I have endeavored to produce a brief and readable account of the Siege of Boston, and of the events which brought it about. These were, of course, parts of a larger history, the connection with which I have carefully indicated. My main endeavor, nevertheless, has been to treat my subject as a single organic series of events. To select the more interesting and significant masses of detail, and properly to cooerdinate them, has not been an easy task. The minor incidents were conditioned by the scale of the book; the result, I hope, is fluency and a more evident connection between the larger events. So far as possible, I have relied upon contemporary statements. But no writer on the Siege can fail to acknowledge his deep obligations to the "History of the Siege" by Richard Frothingham. This acknowledgment I gladly make. Since 1849, however, the date of the publication of the book, there has come to light interesting new material which I have endeavored to incorporate here. The other authorities upon which I have chiefly depended will be found by referring to the footnotes. ALLEN FRENCH. CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, January, 1911. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. BEGINNINGS AND CONDITIONS 1 II. WRITS OF ASSISTANCE AND THE STAMP ACT 21 III. CHARLES TOWNSHEND, SAM ADAMS, AND THE MASSACRE 41 IV. THE TEA-PARTY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES 71 V. THE OCCUPATION OF BOSTON 91 VI. THE POWDER ALARM AND THE WINTER OF 1774-1775 123 VII. MILITARY PREPARATIONS 161 VIII. THE NINETEENTH OF APRIL 187 IX. BOSTON BELEAGUERED 216 X. THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL 256 XI. WASHINGTON TAKES COMMAND 288 XII. EVENTS IN BOSTON FROM JUNE TO DECEMBER, 1775 331 XIII. WASHINGTON'S DIFFICULTIES 361 XIV. THE WINTER IN BOSTON 392