General Greene Takes Command of Boston

Despite the evacuation of British troops from the town of Boston on the 17th of March 1776, the town would not be immediately free from military control.  Though the British had boarded their ships and sailed into the harbor, they lingered in sight of the town for several days.  Washington was anxious to rush to New York where the British might strike next, but with the British ships still in the outer harbor, he could hardly leave the town unprotected. 

On March 20th, General Washington left General Nathanael Greene in charge of a force of troops left behind to protect Boston from re-invasion.  Greene immediately put Boston back into a state of martial law, only this time under the authority of the Continental Army.  Under Greene’s command, Greene ordered his soldiers to make a good show of themselves, condemning plundering and abuse of Boston residents and promising punishment for any soldier or officer caught doing so.  He expected his soldiers to maintain an appearance of a clean uniform, face, and hands, and ordered his men to keep their weapons in good condition.  Greene felt that it was necessary that his soldiers be on double duty while the town’s defenses were low, ordering nightly patrols until the British left the harbor.

As the days wore on, it became unclear why the British were still lingering in the harbor.  The original assumption had been that they were preparing to sail, but when days of good weather came and went with no movement of the British fleet, General Greene and General Washington grew anxious that they might be preparing for a surprise attack.  Greene warned his men of the possibility and ordered some of his troops to man boats in the harbor to watch for any indication of the enemy’s next move, prepared to fortify the town, and advised his troops to be ready for an alarm at a moment’s notice.

General Greene’s command in Boston lasted two weeks, which was just long enough to see the British fleet eventually sail from the harbor.  It is interesting to note the success of Greene’s command in Boston.  He states in one of his letters that during his entire stay in Boston there were only one or two complaints from the inhabitants regarding plundering, and those complaints could not even be proven.  In addition, when Greene left, he was replaced by Artemis Ward who the inhabitants complained got nothing done to help strengthen the defense of the town.  A letter written by William Cooper to John Adams, explained that there was nothing being done under Ward’s care and explicitly asks for the command of Boston to be placed back in the care of General Greene or another equally capable officer.  It had become clear that General Greene had impressed the people of Boston with his command.

The End of British Authority in Boston

Happy Evacuation Day Boston! On this day in 1776, General Howe and the British military evacuated Boston ending the 11 month Siege of Boston.

Only a few days before, on March 4, Washington had decided to place newly arrived cannon from Fort Ticonderoga on Dorchester Heights.   Washington hoped that the British would attack the Heights which would allow him to send men across the Charles River to attack the British in Boston.

General Howe had, in fact, originally planned an assault on the heights even though he knew it meant the possibility of more casualties to the British army than had occurred at The Battle of Bunker Hill.  On March 5 and 6, a storm arrived which thwarted his plans of attack and Howe, realizing Boston was not a strategic military position, made the decision to evacuate his army to Halifax, Nova Scotia where he could await reinforcements before returning to attack the rebels at a new location: New York.

The evacuation of Boston marks a drastic change in the executive power of Massachusetts.  From 1692-1774 Massachusetts had royally appointed governors who acted as representatives of King and Parliament, from 1774-1776 Massachusetts essentially was run by the leading generals of the British military-Generals Gage and Howe, and now, finally,  both royal governors and military control were gone.  British authority in Boston had officially come to an end but it would not be until October of 1780 when the people of Massachusetts would establish a new and permanent state government with a state governor.

Mezzotint of General Sir William Howe.  Thought to be American Revolution but uniform style suggests French and Indian War era with the Order of the Bath badge added later.  

Dorchester Heights is circled in red on Dorchester Neck across from the peninsula of Boston where the British were surrounded on all sides by the Continental Army and Colonial Militia. 

Portrait of a young George Washington at 40 years old in 1772.  At the time of his appointment as commander-in-chief of the newly formed Continental Army, Washington was only 43, and would have been 44 at the time of the British evacuation of Boston. 

A map of the peninsula of Boston with Dorchester Heights labeled off to the right of Boston Neck

Thomas Pownall's Legacy in the Colony of Massachusetts

On February 25, 1805, former Royal Governor Thomas Pownall died in Bath, England.  Pownall had proven to be arguably the most popular royal governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, winning the love and respect of the people.  He had been born to a family of moderate means and had chosen to seek his fortune in the colonies where he originally was an adventurer and explorer in the western frontiers.  He was able to climb up the ladder of politics when he became lieutenant governor of New Jersey followed by governor of Massachusetts in 1757.

Governor Pownall was not a governor who constantly reminded the people of his status above them, instead he tried very hard to be one of them.  At the end of the day he would come down from his governor’s chair and pretend he was just any other man.  Even sometimes going on mini vacations where he would disguise himself, pretend he wasn’t governor, and go to the western frontiers where he would stay over at the home of a settler.  During the course of his vacations the inevitable topic of politics would come up and this would allow him to gain valuable feedback about how the people in the western frontier felt that his administration was going.  When returning to Boston, Pownall could use that valuable feedback to improve his administration.

Due to the fact that Pownall had started his career in the colonies as more of an explorer and adventurer, he also was a politician who was willing to “get in the trenches” with the men who were fighting a major war effort against the French in support of their mother country in the French and Indian War.  Although his superiors would not allow Pownall to participate in any of the major battles of the war, they did allow him to lead an expedition to Maine where he built a fort on the western frontier to protect the area from French and Native American raids.  While there, he also marked the northern most boundary of British territory with a lead plate before returning to Boston.

Back in Boston, Pownall also helped the rather large merchant and seafaring community by protecting the crews of merchants’ ships from impressment into British naval service, and when a fire broke out in the town that left a third of the adult male population destitute, Pownall opened up his office as a center of relief for those who had  lost their businesses and homes.  He also was someone who was willing to entertain the people by throwing lavish dinner and dance parties at the governor’s house.  Despite the parties and socialization, Pownall still considered himself a lonely governor, being in his thirties and still a bachelor.  This led to some criticisms of him from his political enemies who disliked his informal style of allowing women into the governor’s office (which was supposed to be exclusive only to the governor and his advisors).  It would not be until after Pownall resigned his position as governor, and returned to England in 1760, that he would find a wife.

As Pownall left Massachusetts, he promised the colonists that he would always serve the colony no matter how far away he was.  This was a promise that he planned to hold to.  In 1767, Pownall entered Parliament at the same time that the Townshend Acts went into effect in the colonies.  These acts, taxing a variety of items, caused merchant boycotts in Boston called the non-importation agreements against importing taxed goods, and also caused the riots and political unrest that we normally associate with the American Revolution today.  In response to the colonists’ dismay, Pownall argued to Parliament that they should repeal the taxes or allow their thirteen North American colonies to have their independence peacefully.  This argument caused Pownall to become the leading advocate in Parliament for American Independence.  He wrote to the Patriots of Massachusetts encouraging their cause but discouraging violent actions which would only hurt their arguments.  He also wrote to the royal governors who succeeded him offering them advice which was not well received.  After the Revolution, Pownall asked for an honorary commission in the Massachusetts militia so that he might go to other countries and advertise the new country of the United States.  He even entertained hopes of returning to the colonies one day, and continued his work encouraging the support of independence for the Spanish colonies in Central America after the thirteen North American colonies were successful in winning their own.

As Pownall grew older, however, his health began to decline and he developed rather painful episodes of gout which prevented him from being able to travel or walk.  During these times, he would retire to Bath where he would seek the long legendary curative properties of the area’s water.  Pownall was on one of his vacations to Bath where he was rewriting one of his essays on English antiquities when he died.  He was buried at Walcott Church in a plain coffin carried by 8 men who, according to Pownall’s instructions, were each gifted with a new set of clothes.

Pownall’s governorship had gained him respect and honor amongst the people of Massachusetts which is important to note.  As the next two royal governors came into the colony, the colonists now had an expectation of what values and ideals a royal governor should embody.  Pownall exhibited all those values and ideals, and in the process, became a role model governor that was a very tough act to follow.  Pownall left behind some pretty big shoes, and the governors after him would be hard pressed to fill them.  

When Francis Bernard first became Governor of Massachusetts following Pownall, he witnessed the harmony in which Pownall had left the colony and called the colony within his own private journals, “Pownall’s Paradise,” in honor of everything that Pownall had done for the colony and the state in which he had left it.  Pownall’s Paradise would not last long, however, because unpopular taxes from Parliament following the French and Indian War were soon to arrive causing upheaval and resentment.  As representatives of King George III and Parliament, it was up to Francis Bernard and the other royal governors after him to enforce the new and unpopular taxes regardless of their own personal beliefs and opinions of them, setting the stage for a long and difficult struggle.

The foundation of Fort Pownall built by Governor Pownall during the French and Indian War and during his expedition to the western frontier of Maine to oversee and better protect frontier land and to mark the northern most boundary of British territory. 

The foundation of Fort Pownall built by Governor Pownall during the French and Indian War and during his expedition to the western frontier of Maine to oversee and better protect frontier land and to mark the northern most boundary of British territory. 

A sketch of the original layout of Fort Pownall.

Governor Hutchinson's Passion

On this day in history, in 1754, Governor Thomas Hutchinson's youngest child was born. The child was a daughter. She was one of five children out of twelve to survive into adulthood. She was named after her mother, Governor Thomas Hutchinson's wife, Margaret Sanford Hutchinson. Margaret Sanford and Thomas Hutchinson had been more than just a political match, they also were a love match. Therefore, when Margaret entered into complications from childbirth, Hutchinson was thrown into a state of despair. Margaret would die a couple weeks after the birth of her namesake. Margaret and Thomas Hutchinson had been married for 20 years, and Hutchinson was so distressed that he would never even think of marrying another woman again. This was rare for the time period, as usually the custom was to try and remarry. Hutchinson would choose to remain a widower for the rest of his life. Hutchinson would also continue honoring and remembering his wife through annual dinners every year on the anniversary of his wedding to her, inviting his family and her relatives to dine with him commenting that he was honoring what was the happiest day of his life.

From that point forward, Hutchinson began to throw himself into his work serving Massachusetts as a politician most devotedly in an attempt to distract himself from his distress. He also preoccupied his time with his passion for gardening and with taking care of his family. It soon became clear that the young Margaret, or Peggy as she was called for short, was Hutchinson's favorite child, being his wife's namesake, and as she reminded him of the wife he had lost. Despite this he never lost sight of remaining an affectionate father to all his children. For example, his ledgers recording all his economic transactions, weekly recorded the ordering of cakes for his eldest daughter Sarah, who he called Sallie as a pet name, and would make efforts to remove his entire family to safety whenever there was political upheaval in Boston that might threaten their safety. He often mentioned, in letters, his fears, and hopes for his family during times of political crises, and actions he had taken to protect them.

It is partially due to this love and protection of his family, that Governor Hutchinson at 62-years-old would finally decide that the political turmoil in Boston had made things too dangerous. Dangerous enough to feed into his decision to move his family to Great Britain, despite the fact that the idea distressed him to death. While in exile in England, he found himself entirely homesick for Massachusetts, which had been his home since birth. He could not grow accustomed to the culture of the mother country and also was disgusted by the corruption of the British aristocracy which he finally was able to see first hand. He spent his days in England at home, pretending to be living in a New England run culture and society.

In 1779, matters were made worse when the Province of Massachusetts declared that Governor Hutchinson was never allowed to set foot on Massachusetts soil again. Hutchinson had spent his life not only serving Massachusetts most passionately as a politician, but on a personal level as well. He not only was a born and raised Bostonian, but also a fifth generation Bostonian who descended directly from Anne Hutchinson. Anne is best known for being excommunicated by the colony, and sent to Rhode Island where she was fundamental in the founding of part of the Aquidneck. As a result of his love and passion for his homeland, Hutchinson had undertaken the task of making himself a historian of it. Even writing a three volume history of the colony itself. To suddenly now be permanently exiled with no hope of returning, at a time of feeling homesick, would undoubtedly have served as an emotional blow to a man who was already in low spirits.

In addition to this in 1777, Thomas Hutchinson's favorite daughter, his wife's namesake, died of tuberculosis. This devastated Hutchinson, much like the loss of his wife had only 23 years before. As Hutchinson's favorite daughter, Peggy had become Hutchinson's travel companion and he had trouble coping with the loss.

In 1780, Hutchinson's youngest son, William (nick named Billy), died of a similar affliction as well. Even though both father and son were living in the same household, the servants decided to delay informing the father of Billy's death until the father had at least finished his morning breakfast. At some point during the morning, however, Hutchinson realized something was amiss and decided to see his son. He found the servants guarding the door to his son's room, and upon entering, discovered his son's death. Only a couple months later, all of this emotional stress caused Hutchinson's own state of mind and health to begin to decline, and in June of 1780 he would suffer a stroke and die.

Hutchinson was a governor whose only crime was that he cared too much. He harbored an extreme love and passion for his home colony, for his wife, and for his children. Everything he did for Massachusetts, even if it went against the people's wishes, was in his own mind, what was best for the continual health of the people and colony that he so loved. It is because of his passion that he took his job serving Massachusetts to heart. So on this Valentine's Day we remember that love and passion come in many, and sometimes surprising, forms.

                               Sarah Hutchinson who was nick named Sallie by her father.

Cover page of Thomas Hutchinson's "History of the Province of Massachusetts-Bay." His three volume history of the province serves as an example of his love and devotion to the colony of Massachusetts.

                              Thomas Hutchinson, last civilian royal governor of Massachusetts

A Happy 277th Birthday to John Hancock

On this day in history, first state governor, John Hancock, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts.  He was born to a clergyman, and if his father had not died when young Hancock was only three, we can only assume he would have followed along the same path as his father, as many young men of the time did.  As matters stood,  John Hancock’s mother was left as a widow with three children to take care of on her own with a small inheritance to live on.

Meanwhile, in Boston, Thomas Hancock, brother to young John Hancock’s father, Reverend John Hancock, was also facing a similarly uncertain future as the wealthiest man in New England with no surviving heirs of his own.  He decided to help his brother’s widow by adopting one of her three children as his own.  He chose young John Hancock.  John Hancock was then sent to live with his Uncle and aunt in a lavish mansion on Beacon Hill in Boston at 7 years old.  From that point forward, Thomas Hancock taught his nephew how to be a merchant and how to participate in politics.  As John became older, he would enter into a partnership with his uncle in the merchant business.  By the time Thomas Hancock died in 1764, John Hancock was well prepared to continue his uncle’s business as a merchant, and a year later, entered into politics himself.

With Thomas Hancock’s death, John Hancock not only inherited his uncle’s business, but he also inherited his uncle’s mansion on Beacon Hill and a large sum of money which contributed to John Hancock becoming the wealthiest man in New England.  Due to Thomas Hancock’s upbringing of the young John Hancock, and the business and large inheritance he left behind, John Hancock was now provided with the means to become the ardent Patriot and political leader that we all recognize him as today.  Happy 277th birthday John Hancock!

Did you know January 23 is now celebrated as National Handwriting Day in honor of John Hancock’s bold signature on the Declaration of Independence?

Hancock Manor from across Boston Common

An Exchange Between Governor Hutchinson and the House of Representatives

In December 1772, Governor Thomas Hutchinson, of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, went on vacation with his family in his country home in Milton.  While there, he spent most his time preparing a speech for the upcoming new year to address the rights of the colonists under the British Government in response to much of the political upheaval that had occurred due to new policies and taxes coming from Parliament ever since the mid-1760’s.

Thomas Hutchinson would deliver his speech when the General Court, the legislative branch of the Massachusetts colonial government, returned to session on January 6, 1773.  Hutchinson addressed the General Court and acknowledged to them his awareness of the disorder of the government in Massachusetts over new policies coming directly from the British Parliament without consent from the colonies.  Governor Hutchinson had hoped that the violence and upheaval within the colony would subside but it had by this time become clear to him that the problem needed to be addressed if it were to be resolved.  In his speech, Hutchinson argued:

“…When our predecessors first took possession of this plantation, or colony, under a grant and charter from the Crown of England, it was their sense, and it was the sense of the kingdom, that they were to remain subject to the supreme authority of Parliament.  This appears from the charter itself, and other irresistible evidence.”

In other words, by moving from the mother country to unknown lands, the colonists did not escape the duties owed to the mother country and the laws that applied to the entire empire.  By accepting the protection of the mother country while settling in distant lands, the colonists had long ago consented to adhere to the laws that came forth from Parliament regardless of representation.  In Hutchinson’s view, that had continued to be the case from the time in which the colony had first settled, up until the 1770’s.

Governor Hutchinson feared that by offering the mother country an ultimatum that the colonists either be allowed representation or just be allowed to govern themselves  independently would estrange the mother country from its colonies, creating a whole new and separate government rather than remaining part of the British Empire:

“I know of no line that can be drawn between the supreme authority of Parliament and the total independence of the colonies: it is impossible there should be two independent Legislatures in one and the same state; for, although there may be but one head, the King, yet the two Legislative bodies will make two governments as distinct as the kingdoms of England and Scotland…”

His fear of the colonies breaking away from the mother country in this regard stemmed from the idea that as an independent government the colonists would lose the protection of a strong and stable country and could easily be subjected to being over taken by other countries such as Spain or France, at which point the colonists would lose their rights as Englishmen altogether, and would have to adapt to the stricter rules and regulations that might be put on the subjects of other countries.    Hutchinson even felt that subjects in one colony or empire did not all have access to the same rights and policies as other subjects within an empire.  He argued that even within the democratic nature of election of representatives, the colonists agreed to give up some of their rights to the individual elected; whether it was they themselves who voted for that individual or if they were a part of the minority who voted against him.  Once a man was elected into office to speak as the voice of the people, the individual people gave up their rights to the one man who was elected to act as the group voice for them.  As not every man elected would have the same ideas and motives, this would mean that each colony would have different laws and ideas of what the rights of Englishmen really were, all based off of their elected officials and the way each colony adapted to them.  Therefore, what one colony may have the right or privilege to do may not be the same as other colonies within the empire, and in extension, what the subjects in the mother country had the rights and privileges to do, did not necessarily have to be the same rights and privileges that were extended to the colonies.

Despite all of this, Governor Hutchinson did acknowledge that governments do make mistakes, that no one governing entity is perfect.  As a result, he felt that to question policies that came out of one’s government was healthy.  He just did not agree with the mode of questioning policies which the colonists had adopted: through violent rioting, and questioning the superiority of the mother country over the colonies every time there was a new policy they did not agree with.  Instead, Hutchinson argued, there had to be healthier and more constitutional channels through which to question the offending policies:

“I have no desire, gentlemen, by anything I have said, to preclude you from seeking relief, in a constitutional way, of any cases in which you have heretofore, or may hereafter suppose that you are aggrieved; and, although I should not concur with you in sentiment, I will, notwithstanding, do nothing to lessen the weight which your representations may deserve.”

In making this speech, Governor Hutchinson had hoped to have adopted a middle ground between Parliament and the colonists: acknowledging to Parliament that they still had full superiority over the colonies while acknowledging the right of the colonists to question policies when they feel their government has been in error.  Unfortunately for Governor Hutchinson, his speech was too little too late.  By this time, the colonists had already traveled too far down the channel of independence, and Parliament had adopted beliefs that if they ignored the upheaval in the colonies, it would eventually blow over.  Therefore, when Parliament heard of Governor Hutchinson’s speech, instead of supporting him, they condemned his speech for bringing a problem which they hoped would die away back to the forefront of the minds of the colonists.

"The wicked Statesman, or the Traitor to his country, at the Hour of DEATH"

Depicting Thomas Hutchinson being tormented and judged by death while under his arm is a list representing the salary the governor collected from the Tea Tax