Notes on 1776

In Boston, I found it interesting that the conflict post-Bunker Hill seemed so anti-climactic. Both sides locked in for a pretty miserable stalemate, and only the arrival of the cannons from Fort Ticonderoga (thanks to the efforts of the intrepid Henry Knox) broke the gridlock. I also expected more violence before the British were convinced to leave Boston, but the combination of a few factors— poor weather and American privateers making it difficult for supply ships to get to Boston, the American capture of the long-unoccupied Dorchester Heights, and the aforementioned artillery— showed General Howe that abandoning the city was the best option.

I think McCullough did a great job analyzing the inexperienced General Washington's moves in Boston— especially his desire for a full-on attack, and the role of his officers in convincing him it wouldn't be prudent. The conflict in Boston easily could've gone the other way if Knox's mission to Ticonderoga had failed, or if the Brits had seized the high ground at Dorchester Heights. Throughout the book. McCullough spends a good deal of time on Washington's officers, which I found compelling and useful for understanding later parts of the war (e.g. Greene's takeover of the American forces in the South).

I also never understood that the massive success of Boston was followed by a string of stinging defeats in New York. The Battle of Long Island was a complete and utter train wreck. Despite so much time building forts and defenses in Brooklyn, the British navy more or less waltzed up and down the rivers of New York with few consequences. Then, due to the Continental Army leaving the Jamaica Pass almost entirely undefended, the American lines collapsed during the land battle. The only bright spot was that the Americans effected an unexpected retreat across the East River and all of the troops escaped before the British noticed.

Following that episode, the Americans' time on Manhattan was an almost-unmitigated disaster, culminating in the capture of Fort Washington and the abandonment of Fort Lee. This context and the ensuing winter retreat across New Jersey puts the dramatic success at Trenton into sharp relief. I now understand why the crossing of the Delaware is so famous.