The Handy Boston Answer Book. Samuel Willard Crompton

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ say. A major storm, which some people called a hurricane, blew over Boston on the night of March 5–6. Many buildings were damaged, and when morning came it was apparent that it would be too difficult to mobilize the British attack force (two medium-sized ships had been wrecked in the storm).

      Two days later, a British envoy approached the American lines to declare that General Howe would not set the town afire so long as Washington’s cannons did not open fire from Dorchester Heights. Tense days followed in which neither side made a military move, and the British worked furiously to pack their belongings.

      How did the Bostonians view the situation?

      Our best clue comes from the journal of Timothy Newell, one of the town selectmen. He commented that

      … the inhabitants in the utmost distress, through fear of the town being destroyed by the soldiers, a party of New York carpenters with axes going through the town breaking open houses &. Soldiers and sailors plundering of houses, shops, and warehouses—Sugar and salt & thrown into the river, which was greatly covered with hogsheads, barrels of flour, house furniture, carts, trucks, &c—One person suffered four thousand pounds sterling, by his shipping being cut to pieces.

      MHS Proceedings, Vol. 1, 4^th series, 1852, p. 274

      How difficult was it for Howe to extricate his followers?

      Not only did Howe have more than ten thousand soldiers, he was also besieged by Loyalists, asking him to take them away. Howe did his best, and in the end nearly 1,500 Loyalists embarked with his troops. Tensions continued, and when the British departed, on March 17, 1775, the Americans could scarcely believe their eyes. This happened to be Saint Patrick’s Day, which had been celebrated by Boston’s Irish Protestants for almost fifty years, and in the years that followed, it came to be known as Evacuation Day.

      What did Boston look like to the entering Americans?

      The town was a disaster. Grass had grown on some of the streets, and many of the churches were in poor repair. The British had used the Old South Meeting House as the site of a riding academy!

      How narrow was Boston’s escape?

      If General Howe had assaulted Dorchester Heights, there would have been an intense, pitched battle. At the same time, however, General Washington had four thousand men near Charlestown, and they were ready to come across and attack the north side of Boston. The casualty list might have been huge, and the town of Boston might have been utterly destroyed. Some of the townspeople recognized this fact, and they composed a laudatory address to Washington, thanking him that their town was spared.

      Did Washington remain in Boston in order to savor his success?

      He remained for fewer than three weeks. By mid-April, Washington and a considerable percentage of the Continental Army had departed for southern Connecticut and New York City. Washington correctly anticipated that the British would ignore Boston in future campaigns, and that the struggle would be for New York and the middle colonies.

      Once the Continental Army had departed, Boston had the tough task of picking up the pieces. Not only had thousands of townspeople departed, but hundreds of others had sailed with the British. Many people wished the Loyalists good riddance, but this ignored the fact that they were some of the wealthiest and most productive people in town. Years passed before Boston was able to regain what it had lost in a commercial sense.

      What impression did Washington take as he left Boston in 1776?

      Washington never liked the New Englanders very much, and the feeling was mutual. One of the few exceptions was Washington’s admiration for the black poetess, Phillis Wheatley. In the winter of 1776, he wrote to her, thanking her for her flattering lines of poetry, and inviting her to visit him any time she was in Cambridge.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEBLAEsAAD/4SOJRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgADgEAAAMAAAABB6cAAAEBAAMA AAABBK0AAAECAAMAAAADAAAAtgEDAAMAAAABAAUAAAEGAAMAAAABAAIAAAESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEV AAMAAAABAAMAAAEaAAUAAAABAAAAvAEbAAUAAAABAAAAxAEcAAMAAAABAAEAAAEoAAMAAAABAAIA AAExAAIAAAAcAAAAzAEyAAIAAAAUAAAA6IdpAAQAAAABAAAA/AAAASgACAAIAAgALcbAAAAnEAAt xsAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTMyBXaW5kb3dzADIwMTY6MDg6MDEgMTM6NDU6MjgAAAOg AQADAAAAAQABAACgAgAEAAAAAQAAAligAwAEAAAAAQAAAxkAAAAAAAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEa AAUAAAABAAABdgEbAAUAAAABAAABfgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQAAAABAAABhgICAAQAAAABAAAh +wAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgAASABIAAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAf/u AA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwPFRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwM DAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQODg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREM DAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEIAKAAeQMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAE AAj/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgME BQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMicYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRy gtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1 VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcGBTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMF MoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kSTVKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePz RpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AOSfY1jd z3bQDBJ8SrdfS+oZGOcqih2RjtEutqLXgD/rbnOVPIpbdX6bntr3EQ57trZB9o3u9rd38tWuldJP Ts/HyM/Js6dW82uDttjS8VNZ6

СКАЧАТЬ