Lechmere Point

In the wee hours of April 19, 1775, British troops landed in Cambridge at Lechmere Point. From there, they marched to Lexington to fight American colonists in the first battle of the American Revolution.

Following this battle, there were several other skirmishes between the British and the provincials at this site. On November 9, 1775, British troops again landed here, only this time, they were met with a colonial militia. General William Heath, a prominent Continental officer, reported that several Americans were wounded as a result of the confrontation. 

Later, in December of that year, under the command of General Israel Putnam, Continental soldiers were building fortifications near Lechmere Point. On December 12th, British naval forces in the nearby swamps fired upon them. Even so, by December 17th, the provincials had finished building the earthwork, despite the threatening British gunfire.

In February 1776, General Heath recorded in his diary that cannons were mounted at Lechmere Point, and on March 2nd, the Continental soldiers launched an attack on nearby British Forces utilizing their new weaponry.

Back to Interactive Map