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The Fortification Of Dorchester Heights: A Miracle Of The American Revolution

It was an extraordinary feat of human ingenuity and effort, seemingly aided by the heavens.

Craig Seibert | March 4, 2026

Today is the 250th anniversary of the fortification of Dorchester Heights, which ultimately freed Boston, and the amazing providences that made it happen.

In the closing days of the siege of Boston, General George Washington faced a stubborn stalemate. Since the clashes at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, British forces under General William Howe had occupied Boston, while American forces surrounded the city from the heights and fields beyond. The Continental Army was poorly trained and short on supplies, including gunpowder. Yet in early March 1776, a daring stroke would break the deadlock and compel the British to abandon the city. The fortification of Dorchester Heights on the night of March 4–5 stands as one of the most brilliant and providential episodes of the American Revolution.

The plan hinged on artillery—heavy cannon capable of threatening British ships and troops in Boston Harbor. Traversing nearly 300 miles of frozen rivers, snowy roads, and rugged terrain, Colonel Henry Knox’s expedition had hauled more than fifty pieces of artillery from the captured Fort Ticonderoga. This “noble train of artillery“ reached Cambridge in January 1776, transforming Washington’s strategic options. The guns could fortify and make lethal the high ground south of Boston.

Washington selected Dorchester Heights because it commanded both the town and the harbor. General Howe had already considered seizing the heights months earlier, but delayed. Washington would not make the same mistake. He planned a massive operation to erect fortifications in a single night, placing cannon where they could threaten the British fleet and the city below.

Four remarkable events unfolded beginning the night of March 4. First, as thousands of American soldiers labored to haul fascines (portable bundles of large branches), gabions (portable protective walls that can be filled with earth), hay bales, and heavy cannon up the icy slopes, a thick fog settled over the harbor and lower ground, muffling the clatter of tools and wheels. Otherwise, the pounding of pickaxes, the thud of earth-filled baskets, and the creak of artillery........

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