1776

In 1775, Britain’s empire included most of North America, India, and domains over the oceans.

At the outset of the hostilities that sparked the American Revolution, England’s King George III, 37, had ruled for 15 years. A lover of music, art and architecture, the king was in full power. He would not go mad for decades. 

On October 26, 1775, in an address to Parliament, George III vowed to crush the American rebellion. British warships and troop carriers sailed for Boston.

The American colonies’ fighters were “raw and undisciplined” rabble.

Of the 20,000 New Englanders gathered in Boston in 1775, only 14,000 were fit to fight. The British had 7,000 well-trained troops, plus support from warships, and they were awaiting reinforcements. General George Washington, commander of the American troops, had neither a professional cartographer to map the battle terrain nor an engineer to build siege defenses.

Washington also was critically short of gunpowder. Liquor was plentiful, as were open latrines and disease. The disciplined British troops kept themselves clean, largely avoiding sickness. Washington...