MA, USA
Joseph Reed
1741–1785 · Continental Army Lieutenant Colonel · Washington's Military Secretary · Pennsylvania Politician
1741–1785
Continental Army Lieutenant Colonel · Washington's Military Secretary · Pennsylvania Politician
Joseph Reed served as Washington's military secretary at Cambridge, handling the enormous volume of correspondence that command required. A Philadelphia lawyer, Reed managed intelligence reports, drafted orders, and served as a confidant to the commander. His role was administrative but essential—the siege required constant communication with Congress, state governments, and subordinate officers.
In Cambridge
- Jul 1775Siege of Boston Command Operations(Secretary)
For eight months, Cambridge served as the headquarters for the siege of Boston. Washington coordinated defensive positions stretching from Roxbury to Chelsea, managed chronic supply shortages, dealt with expiring enlistments, and attempted to forge a unified command structure from thirteen colonial militias with different traditions and expectations. The siege was largely a war of patience and logistics rather than pitched battles.
- Jul 1775Longfellow House Becomes Washington's Headquarters(Staff)
Washington established his headquarters in the abandoned Vassall house (now Longfellow House), a Georgian mansion whose Loyalist owner had fled to England. Here Washington held councils of war, received intelligence reports, corresponded with Congress, and grappled with the endless administrative demands of maintaining an army. Martha Washington joined him here for the winter of 1775-76.