Geography and stalemate froze the 1775-76 Boston siege until artillery shifted the balance.

Evidence

Other officers had suggested using those weapons to drive the British from Boston, and the British recognized the risk, but no one before Knox had pressed the idea as plausible. After all, the heaviest mortars weighed a ton each and the twenty-four-pound cannon more than twice as much. All told, the usable weapons weighed some 60,000 tons, and more than 250 miles separated the fort from Boston, with the route running south over Lake George and down the upper Hudson Valley, then turning east across the Berkshire Mountains into Massachusetts. A key element of Knox’s plan involved having teams of oxen drag the load over land on sleds in winter with snow easing the way. Having little to lose, Washington dispatched Knox on November 16, 1775, with authority to use available troops and spend up to $1,000. — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 101 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Captured Fort Ticonderoga artillery gave patriots the firepower to shell British-held Boston. — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 100; An untrained bookstore owner devised the artillery plan that broke the Boston siege. — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 99; The winter siege of Boston hinged on artillery above Boston’s reach. (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• The winter siege of Boston hinged on artillery above Boston’s reach. #expands (0.95)
• Knox proposed hauling Ticonderoga’s cannons 250 miles overland to Boston #expands (0.95) — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 101