Cambridge became the nerve center of the American Revolution in 1775. When Washington arrived to take command of the Continental Army, he found not a professional fighting force but a collection of militia units from across New England, camped in a loose arc from Roxbury to Chelsea. His task was to transform this assembly into something capable of facing British regulars. The town's role was administrative and strategic rather than dramatic—no major battles occurred here, but every decision about the siege emanated from headquarters. Harvard Yard became a barracks, Christ Church served officers, and the Vassall house became the command center where Washington learned, often painfully, what it meant to lead an army of citizens.
PEOPLE
KEY EVENTS
Washington Takes Command of Continental Army
Jul 1775
Siege of Boston Command Operations
Jul 1775
Enlistment Crisis and Army Reorganization
Dec 1775
Knox Proposes Fort Ticonderoga Artillery Mission
Nov 1775
Longfellow House Becomes Washington's Headquarters
Jul 1775
Continental Army Supply Crisis
Aug 1775
PLACES TO VISIT
STORIES
HISTORICAL VOICE
Soldiers in the Yard
They sent us home when the soldiers came. The college where I had studied Latin and philosophy became a barracks. Men from New Hampshire and Connecticut slept in Massachusetts Hall, cooked their meals...
HISTORICAL VOICE
Martha at Headquarters
When Mrs. Washington arrived, headquarters changed. Before, it was all military business—dispatches, councils, complaints about supplies. She brought order of a different kind. Dinners became occasion...