Lodging Boston

Have you ever been to Boston in the fall?

That is a phrase from a song (from Veggie Tales!) our kids love and when we finally did the trek to Boston in the fall, we had an incredible time. We stayed a wonderful Boston boutique hotel. You can find a wide selection of cheap Boston hotels and you can choose from a wide variety of lodging. Boston has everything from the very opulent, overlooking the waterfront, to the discount and hostels.

I find that traveling to sites like Boston is an incredible way to teach American History. My kids now have such a great understanding of what happened at the birth of our country and the major events.

As an example of how much they learned, I am including two plays our kids wrote and preformed for their school classes about some of the things they learned on their trip. Do you think they will forget these events after visiting Boston, staying in a great little Boston Boutique hotel, visiting the actual sites, and then putting what they learned in to these plays?

Here are the plays:

The Battle of Bunker Hill

A Two Woman Short Play
By Nikki

Introduction

One of our ancestors, Benjamin Haskell fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. It is stated that he fought along side Dr. Joseph Warren, who was one of the Sons of Liberty (he sent Paul Revere on his famous ride). Dr. Warren was killed at the battle, but if that story is accurate, it puts Benjamin Haskell at the top of Breed's Hill (where the battle was really fought) in the redoubt in the thickest part of the fighting, where the famous line "Don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes" was uttered by the American commander, Israel Putnam.

Benjamin Haskell is the grandfather of Catherine Haskell, who married Thomas Hobart Woodbury.

The Play

Nikki: Good morning Colonists, It is now Twelve o'clock and if you're watching this, you're crazy, because it is 12. Go to bed people. Anyway, here we are at Breed's Hill talking to a young colonist soldier Peter

Brown... Hello Peter would you tell us all why you are her and what you are doing? (Rachael wearing white shirt, brown leather vest, and black cap).

Rachael: On Friday the 16th of June we were ordered to parade at 6 o'clock with one day's provisions and blankets for a march somewhere, but we did not know where. At about 9 o'clock at night we marched down on to Charlestown Hill against Cox Hill in Boston where we are entrenched. We are building a fort of about ten rod long and 8 wide.

Nikki: Do the British regulars have any idea that you are here?

Rachael: I say nay, I don't believe they will find us until they come up here anyway. (Rachael changes into striped vest).

Nikki: That is all for now we will keep you updated with the latest news. (change clock to 4:30 )

Nikki: It is now 4:30 am and the redoubt is only ½ way finished. Col. Prescott how long have the Red Coats been firing at you?

Rachael: They have just begun within the last half hour they, shooting cannons but there have been no casualties yet. What was that? (background yelling) Oh my goodness his head just got blown clean off with a cannonball! (Rachael into red coat and fife)

Nikki: (back round noise: Run for cover! Save Yourself!) As you can see, many of these men have never seen battle before they left their farm jobs to defend their beliefs and rights but they are untrained people are getting scared. I'll be back when the time comes. ( change clock to 3:30 )

Rachael: This is a handmade wood fife that many times soldiers would play to lighten the spirits of the soldiers, and to keep them in step. (play) and that is the fife.

Nikki: Here we are again at Breeds Hill, it is now 3:30pm and the real battle has commenced. I can't believe it the Colonists are holding their own against the British, this has never been done before! Everybody runs away against the British Army...Goodness gracious great balls of fire, something flaming just flew into Charlestown .

Let's go talk to that girl outside of Charlestown , and see what is happening. Hello what is your name?

Rachael: My name is Jennifer Smith.

Nikki: Jenny, can you tell me what happened?

Rachael: Well I was sitting at home sewing, when I heard gunshots, and people yelling. I looked outside and sow the people of Charlestown shooting the redcoats from inside their houses. Then I looked up and saw massive red-hot cannon balls. That's when I decided to escape. They have been firing ever since.

Nikki: What causes them to set fire to Charlestown ?

Rachael: I don't rightly know but I think it was a combination of two kinds of cannon balls. The first would be solid cannon balls heated red-hot. The second kind are hollowed out, they are known as carcasses, I've seen them before, they are pierced with holes, filled with flammable pitch, and they are set ablaze, and fired. When they hit the ground they break spewing flames. Now all of Charlestown is engulfed.

Nikki: My Jenny that's a lot of knowledge for such a young girls, are you an arsonist? (change clock to 4:00 )

Rachael: No but my papa is! (change into Israel costume)

Nikki: Thank you Jenny. What horrible a thing, firing cannon balls on innocent people. Look! Can you believe it the Red coats are retreating!

Let's talk with Israel Putnam. Israel , did you give any commands for the freedom fighters?

Rachael: Yes, we only have 11 kegs of gunpowder. We can't afford to miss a shot. Here is my command. Men, Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!! (Change into Dr. Warren)

Nikki: What good advice General. That's all for now you'll be hearing from me soon. The Colonists are still holding their ground, but even though reinforcements have arrived men are looking weary. And now I have the special opportunity to introduce you to one of the sons of Liberty , Dr. Joseph Warren. Mr. Warren why are you fighting among these common soldiers, when you could be first in command?)

Rachael: Col. Prescott offered to defer command to me, to whom I replied, "I shall take no command here. I came as a volunteer with my musket to serve you" (change into Col. Prescott, FAST!)

Nikki: (change clock to 4:20 ) Now we will talk to Col. Prescott. What is the situation?

Rachael: We've held for 2 attacks but now we are running out of ammunition. We don't have enough for even one man to each have one more shot. Men break your powder cartridges and divide it among you. Make every shot count!!

Nikki: ( Change clock to 4:30 ) It's crazy around here; the redcoats are coming and attacking the redoubt. The men have to hold fire until the redcoats are almost over the fence. The British have come and now they're attacking with bayonets.

Rachael: " Use your muskets as clubs so you can twitch their guns away!"

Nikki: It's not working, the red coats have stormed the redoubt and they are slaying everyone in sight. (change clock to 5 o'clock )

Rachael: "Give way men, Save Yourselves!!"

Nikki: What a tragedy, the British have finally won, but I do believe that if the Americans had more ammunition that they would have pulled through.

Now it's 5 o'clock and I'm here with a British General Henry Clinton. In the retreat, the colonists suffered their biggest casualties. 450 were shot and 140 died among them the gruesome death of Dr. Warren. Although the British won they suffered worse casualties then the Freedom Fighters. Of the 2500 men, 1054 were shot and 226 died. Henry what do you think about your so-called victory?

Rachael: "It was a dear bought victory, another such would have ruined us"

Nikki: The Freedom Fighters came away with the feeling that even though they had lost the hill, they had hurt the British more than the British had hurt them. This gave all of the colonies a feeling of confidence. This also convinced the British commanders that this would be a hard war, when before they thought that it would be easy to overtake the bunch of misguided colonists.

The Battle of Lexington and Concord

By Zach

(MARCH IN PRETENDING TO PLAY THE FIFE )

(STAND AT ATTENTION)

Hi, my name is Obadiah Bartlett and I am Zach's ancestor. I was born in 1730 in Massachusetts and I am here to talk about the battle of Lexington and Concord . I am 45 years old and I am a Minuteman and my regiment responded to the Lexington Alarm on April 19, 1775 . I am a Lieutenant and I am part of Captain Gilbert's company. With me in the company are several of my relatives, John and Wyman Bartlett as well as my son, Abner Bartlett, who is 20 years old.

I enlist several times during the war, but we were out in the field for 7 days during the time of the battle of Lexington and Concord . Let me tell you about the “Shot heard round the world”.

On April 18, 1775 , British General Thomas Gage in Boston was ordered to seize a cache of arms in Concord , a small town 15 miles away, and if possible, to capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams, two of our more outspoken rebel leaders.  To accomplish this, Gage assembled approximately 700 troops commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith.  

Maintaining strict secrecy, the troops departed Boston at Midnight on the 19th.  However, the residents of Boston learned of the British plans.  By the time the troops had begun their march, Paul Revere and William Dawes were on the way to warn Hancock and Adams who were at Lexington and to alert the countryside to the coming of the British troops. 

Revere, on his famous “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” (RIDE AROUND ON A HORSE SAYING, “THE REDCOATS ARE OUT”), reached Lexington near midnight and Dawes shortly after.  Here Dr. Samuel Prescott joined them and all three left for Concord .  Paul Revere and his friend, William Dawes are captured by the British, but Dr. Prescott escaped by leaving the road and making his way to Concord cross-country!

The British continued marching toward Concord , but the entire countryside was on the alert by this time and we were waiting to meet them.  The advance British troops, commanded by Marine Major John Pitcairn, arrived at Lexington at dawn.  Lexington Militia Captain John Parker, knowing of Gage's unsuccessful attempt to seize arms and ammunition at Salem several months earlier, had gathered about seventy of his men at the town common to face the British troops. (STAND AT ATTENTION AND AIM YOUR RIFLE) 

Pitcairn ordered his British troops to surround and disarm the militiamen.  Parker responded by ordering his men to disperse.  Then, all of the sudden BOOM!!! A shot rang out.  It's unclear who fired first, but the British answered with a volley of shots. With eight killed and as many as ten wounded, the militia scattered into the woods.  

After the engagement, the British discovered that Hancock and Adams had escaped, so they pushed on toward Concord .  But Dr. Prescott's warning preceded their arrival and while attempting to locate some cannons thought to be at a nearby farm, the British ran into a group of militiamen at Concord 's North Bridge .  

We had had more time to prepare for this encounter and when shots rang out this time, the resulting conflict was a rout.  The British evacuated the bridge and moved to Concord center.  

Realizing the precarious nature of their position, the British retreated towards Boston and the real battle began.  Militiamen from the neighboring area had moved toward Concord and when the British encountered the Americans they were outflanked.   

We fought differently from the British.  Flanking the retreating column, we hid behind trees and stonewall (HIDE BEHIND DESK OR TABLE), firing on the passing troops.  The British flanking maneuvers couldn't prevent ambushes and since we didn't oblige and form a firing line, the British had next to nothing to shoot at.  The British morale was destroyed and the troops broke rank on the way to Lexington .  

The retreat would likely have become a catastrophe for the British (for me, I think it was) except for British reinforcements, under Brigadier General Hugh Percy, waiting in Lexington .  We were dispersed by the fire from Percy's two cannons and the British troops were collected back into ranks.  Percy then led the retreat back to Boston .  

As the British resumed their retreat to Boston , we renewed our attacks.  But with Percy commanding, the retreating troops managed to maintain their ranks and the retreat was successful.

By nightfall the British were safe under the protection of the fleet and army at Boston , having lost 273 men along the way, while we lost 95. British endured casualties approaching 20 percent, paying dearly for the march to Concord .  But the real cost of the engagement was the resulting siege of Boston , and how this battle rallied more Americans to fight for their independence. This was the beginning of the Revolutionary War and I was there.