On March 24, 1776, one week after the
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British troops under General William Howe evacuated Boston, General George Washington wrote a letter to the Continental Congress. General Washington expressed his "surprize and disappointment" that the British fleet had not departed the harbor and described its various exploits while still in the region. The British-held city had been besieged by the American Continental Army since the battles at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The siege ended after General Washington seized Dorchester Heights and trained cannon on the city and the harbor. In his letter of March 24, General Washington explained the precautions he had taken: As soon as the Town was abandoned by the Enemy, I judged it advisable to secure the several heights, least they should attempt to return, and for this purpose have caused a large and strong work to be thrown up on Fort Hill, a post of great importance, as it commands the whole Harbour and when fortified, If properly supported, will greatly annoy any Fleet the Enemy may send against the Town, and render the Landing of their Troops exceedingly difficult, If not Impracticable. Dorchester Heights is the peninsula shown just below center on this 1775 map. Fort Hill is shown left of center, north of Washington's position at Dorchester. Use the zoom options below the enlarged image of this map to focus on the detailed depictions of these two locations. The Continental Congress, upon the reading of Washington's letter of March 19, 1776 describing the British evacuation, ordered that a gold medal be struck and that a letter of thanks be prepared for General Washington and the officers and soldiers under his command. The gold medal, created in Paris and presented to Washington in 1786, made its way to the Boston Public Library in 1876. |
General Washington, in his letter of April 18, 1776 to the Continental Congress, acknowledged receipt of the letter of thanks and expressed his devotion to the American people:
it will ever be my highest ambition to approve myself a faithful Servant of the Public . . . to be in any degree instrumental in procuring to my American Brethren a restitution of their just rights and Priviledges, will constitute my chief happiness. |
- The George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress is an online collection of Washington's correspondence. Currently, more than 30,000 images are available. Search the collection by keyword or browse the letterbooks and financial papers by date. The Time Line and Essays provide context for the papers and serve as a means of viewing many of the most significant documents. The papers of George Washington are held by the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
- For additional documents related to this American hero, search on George Washington in these collections:
- Visit the exhibition American Treasures of the Library of Congress, which includes among its Top Treasures, some artifacts of George Washington, including Washington's Personal Copy of the Declaration of Independence and Washington's Commission as Commander-in-Chief.
- Search the Today in History Archive on the name of the first president to find more about significant events in Washington's life, including his command at Valley Forge, his Farewell to his Officers, his resignation of his commission, his inauguration, his birthday, and his death.
- Visit the Presidents in American Memory feature on the Learning Page for pathfinders on each of the presidents of the United States.
