The Washington herald., 1911-03-19
GOSSIP OF NEW BOOKS

THE SIEGE OF BOSTON BY Allen French
Illustrated. SyO, Pp x, $50. The Macmillan
Company.
The author of this story of the siege OF
| Boston and its evacuation by the British
after Washingtons compelling fortifica-
ton of Dorchester Heights has added a
welcome and exceptionally readable vol
ume to the literature of the war for in
dependence. He begin alb initio, with a
review of the more important of the
| events that happened in Boston during
the reign of George III leading up to the
! siege. He even steps back further into
| colonial history for a consideration of
antecendent conditions.
Mr.. French agrees with George Z. Ellis
| that the directing forces of the American
revolt in New England were born on the
! day when the self-gOverned colony of
| Massachusetts was made a royal prov
| ince
Yet even in 1872" continues Mr.. Ellis,
the struggle was not new. In other form
it had been carried on for more than half
q century. IT'S ultimate origin lay in the
fact that the very charter under which
the colony was planted differed from all
other documents granted by any English
King. This difference lay in the omission
of the condition, usual in such charters,
that its governing board should meet in
London practically for the purpose of
supervision by the King. The
founders, unhappy and alarmed at the
political and religious situation under
Charles I, were seeking to provide for
themselves and their families a refuge
from his expressions. Secure in their
charter, they left England for good.
From the Crown the colonists re-
ceived no assistance whatever; they were
left To nrIt lyrof
As result, their desire for freedom
from interference by the King grew into
the feeling that they had earned it as
right"
The new charter issued by William III
changed their condition, the breach
widening until George HIS first gov
ernor, Bernard, began to enforce the
provisions of the sugar act of 1913. 1t
is at this point that Mr.. French's con-
secutive narrative begins. He proceeds to
the Boston massacre, the tea party, and
the occupation of the city. with it's ac-
cGmpanying blockade of the harbor un-
der the provisions of the port bill. The
book Is not a mere record of measures
and events, and of the acts and doing3
of the leaders on both sides, but a pic
tEre as well of the condition, sympathies
and experiences of the mass of the Bos-
ton people under the growing oppressive
Il
attempts to place Hutchinson in his
proper place, after the periods Of denun-
ciat!on and subsequent praise through
which his memory has passed. He also
gives Gage credit for HIS conciIiatory
attitude, If afterward he does full justice
TO his indecision, his lack of understand
ing of the military situation, and the in
activity OF Burgoyne, Clinton, and Howe,
from whose arrival with REINFORCE
ments so much was expected by the
British officials and the Boston Tories.
The American patriots are well in the
center of the picture, Of course, but the
real interest of the book lies in the liv-
ing quality of its narrative. drawn most |
ly from contemporary sources
The battles OF Lexington and Concord |
opened the eyes OF the British to the |
real state OF their military situation. In |
the morning Gage was still the nominal |
governor of the province. free to come