On this day 250 years ago in Boston, the British Commander General Lord William Howe decided to cancel his planned attack on Dorchester Heights abandon Boston. The storm the night before had scattered the ships that Howe was planning to use to assault the American forts and when the storm cleared the next day it must have been obvious to Howe that his men would be slaughtered if they tried to storm the forts. The Siege of Boston would soon be over with the Americans victorious .

Sources: https://www.msn.com/en-us/society-culture-and-history/history/on-this-day-general-howe-orders-his-troops-to-retreat-from-boston-the-siege-is-over/ar-AA1XFmTG; https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/fortifying-dorchester-heights.htm#_ftn3

On this day 250 years ago in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Fielding Lewis wrote to General Washington. Lewis was the chairman of the local Committee of Correspondence and owner of a “manufactory” that would manufacture arms for the Continental Army, and he was also Washington’s brother-in-law. Lewis informed Washington of the status of Continental regiments being raised in Virginia as well the gun manufactory:

Our nine Regements are nearly compleat and our people seem to be fond of entring into the service Colo. Henry his acquaintance in the Military service was little, Clinton has been here with his Men stay’d a few Days & is gone it’s said to So. Carolina & taken some of the Kings Ships that were here with him; We expect Lord Dunmore mediator. Our Committee of Safety are too well acquainted with his Lordships abilitys and friendship for this Colony to intrust a matter of so much importance to one of his insignificancy, nor would they were his Abilitys ever so great take a step of that sort without the sanction of Congress; Norfolk is totally distroyed not one House remaining Gosport Mr Sprowls seat has shared the same fate Portsmouth is safe, we have men at the great Bridge & Kemps Landing, little for them to do. The opinion for independentcy seems to be gaining ground. indeed most of those who have read the Pamphlet Common Sence say it’s unanswerable. Our Manufactory has not yet made one Musquet the Hands have been imployed in reparing the Old Gunns from the Magazeen which Ld Dunmore took the Locks from, and reparing the Gunns belonging to the several Companys that have passed th[r]o’ this Town, we have a great many Barrells ready forged which we are now preparing for the Stockers, our Men had the business to learn, begin to be expert at Lock making, about Thirty of which [per]week we now make that are equal to the English and what Barrells are ready I think are better.

Fielding Lewis would continue to serve Virginia and the United States by manufacturing arms and providing supplies for the Continental Army and Virginia Militia until late in the War, but would wear out his finances and health and die in the last year of the War.

Sources: https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/letter-from-fielding-lewis-to-george-washington-march-6-1776/; Felder, Paula S., Fielding Lewis and the Washington Family: A Chronicle of 18th Century Fredericksburg. American History Company (1998)