On the evening of 16 June and the morning of 17 June 1775, some 1,500 troops from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire occupied the Charleston peninsula at the confluence of the Charles and Mystic Rivers just north of Boston. The British commander in Boston, General Thomas Gage, ferried about 2,300 soldiers over to the peninsula that morning to dislodge the colonial troops. The resulting battle produced one of the bloodiest clashes of the entire war, revealing both the fighting spirit of many colonial soldiers as well as significant shortcomings with command and control, logistics, and communications in the nascent American army. For more information on the campaign, see Opening Shots in the Colonies, 1775-1776
Trail Author: Dr. Erik B. Villard