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A Glorious Cause
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George Washington was a respected Virginia
planter who had commanded American soldiers
during the French and IndianWar. In June 1775 the
Continental Congress chose Washington to lead an
American army that was formed in Massachusetts.
wounded in the day’s fighting. About 50 colonists had been killed and
about 40 wounded. The Revolutionary War had begun.
The city of Boston sat at the end of the Shawmut Peninsula. A narrow
neck connected it to the mainland. Relatively small numbers of soldiers
could easily block the neck. And by April 20, some 15,000 colonial mili-
tiamen had arrived at the shoreline around the peninsula. Many were
fromMassachusetts. But many others had marched from the other New
England colonies, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. The
militias had Boston’s redcoat regiments hemmed in.
An Army and
a Commander
On May 10, the Second Continental
Congress convened in Philadelphia.
As had been the case the year before,
all the colonies except Georgia were
represented. Georgia finally sent a
delegation in July.
A month earlier, on June 14, Con-
gress had voted to create an army
for the colonies. At first, the Conti-
nental Army would consist solely of
the New England militias besieging
Boston. But additional units would
be raised from all the colonies.
To lead the Continental Army,
Congress chose George Washington.
During the French and Indian War,
he’d served as a colonel in Virginia’s
militia regiment. That made him as
qualified for command as just about
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