The Siege of Boston

During the Siege of Boston, the British occupied Boston and had fortifications in Charlestown and Castle Island (red). Colonial forces positioned themselves surrounding the British (blue). Boston Harbor, the islands, and surrounding area remained contested space (purple).

NPS Graphic. Map courtesy of Boston Public Library.

From April 1775 to March 1776, Boston took center stage in a developing war between colonial and British forces. For eleven months, colonial troops laid siege to British-occupied Boston in what became known as the Siege of Boston.

The battlefield extended throughout Boston Harbor and the hilly coastline. The siege included flashpoints, such as the Battle of Bunker Hill, as well as numerous skirmishes around greater Boston and on the Boston Harbor Islands. It took a strategic move by George Washington to fortify Dorchester Heights in South Boston to force the evacuation of the British from Boston on March 17, 1776. Boston became the first town to taste American liberty, months before the Declaration of Independence.

Explore the content below to learn more about key moments and stories of the Siege of Boston.

 

The Siege of Boston: An Overview