Shortly after the battle of Bunker Hill (actually Breeds Hill) on June 17, 1775, the Provincial Congress ordered that 10 companies of 50 men each should be raised in Essex County. Ipswich soldiers spent a long cold winter in Cambridge with insufficient supplies. The British finally evacuated Boston on March 17, 1776 after Washington’s surprise placement of cannons on Dorchester Heights. The Summer of 1776 was brightened by the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, the thought of which had been indignantly disclaimed by the voters of Ipswich early in the previous year:
On June 10, 1776, almost a year since the battle at Breeds Hill, the men of Ipswich, in Town Meeting assembled, instructed their Representatives, that if the Continental Congress should, for the safety of the said Colonies, declare them Independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain, they would solemnly support the Congress with their lives and fortunes:
“The representatives shall be instructed if the Continental Congress should for the safety of the Colonies declare them independent of Great Britain, the inhabitants here will solemnly pledge their lives and fortunes to support them in the measure.”
Sources:
- Waters, Thomas: Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony Vol. II, pp. 335-336
- Ipswich Town Records 1738-1779, Town Clerk’s vault.
Further Reading:
- Ipswich and the Breach with Britain (Historic Ipswich)
- Ipswich in the Revolutionary War (Historic Ipswich)
- Evacuation Day, March 17, 1776
Historic Ipswich 