This week in Revolutionary War history, let’s check up on what was going on 250 years ago in and around the colonial Province of Massachusetts Bay. Last week, Washington had to curb the anti-Catholic celebrations inherent to Guy Fawkes Day. This was primarily to not alienate the Catholic Quebecois, for whom Washington hoped to win the favor of on the battlefield. In Canada, the Continental Army moved closer to Montreal, capturing Fort Saint-Jean. Even with that victory, Colonel Bennedict Arnold’s column faces severe supply shortages and abandonment. The British appeals to those enslaved also began, with thousands fleeing their brutal plantations to take up the ranks in the British Army. Finally, the Continental Congress had voted on and approved another mission into Canada. This time, to send a seaborne assault with marine divisions to capture Nova Scotia.

            On November 12, 1775, Washington issues his General Orders from Cambridge and in them, details various actions required by new recruits, primarily focused on the incoming winter. He says those enlisting will need to furnish their own weapons, although uniforms and blankets will be provided. He does say. “Two dollars will be allowed to each non-commissioned officer, and soldier, who provides himself with a good blanket,” a nice incentive to supply for yourself even more.

            Much of the orders regard the enlistment, or re-enlistment, soldiers, with Washington adding, “The officers are to be careful not to enlist any person, suspected of being unfriendly to the liberties of America, or any abandoned vagabond to whom all causes and countries are equal and alike indifferent – The rights of mankind and the freedom of America will have numbers sufficient to support them, without resorting to such wretched assistance – Let those who wish to put shackles upon freeman fill their ranks.” Ironically and unfortunately, Washington explicitly outlaws Africans or those “unfit to endure the fatigues of the campaign” from enlisting, a sharp contrast to the British who are rally support among the enslaved. At the time, there were around half-a-million enslaved people in the Thirteen Colonies. The total population of the colonies was around 2.5 million.

            On November 13, Washington hears from Colonel Bennedict Arnold. “The wind has been so high these three nights that I have not been able to cross the river” says Arnold, writing from Pointe de Lévy, just across the Saint Lawrence River from Quebec City. That same day, Brigadier General Richard Montgomery crosses the Saint Charles and arrives on Pointe-Saint-Charles, an island of Montreal. The garrison and people of Montreal surrender without much of a fight, welcoming Montgomery.

            The next day, Washington’s General Orders are jubilant, declaring “This moment a confirmation is arrived, of the glorious success of the Continental Arms, in the reduction, and surrender, of the Fortress of St Johns.” He has not yet been notified of Montreal. He continues, “The Commander in Chief is confident, the army under his immediate direction, will shew their gratitude to Providence, for thus favoring the cause of freedom and America.”

            On November 16, Washington gives his instructions to Colonel Henry Knox for what will become a legendary expedition. He writes, “You are immediately to examine into the state of the artillery of this army & take an account of the cannon, mortars, shells, lead & ammunition that are wanting; When you have done that, you are to proceed in the most expeditious manner to New York.” Knox is to travel to New York City and then head north to Ticonderoga or further to gather captured artillery and armaments for Washington’s use. “After you have procured as many of these Necessaries as you can there, you must go to Major General Schuyler & Get the remainder from Ticonderoga, Crown point, or St Johns – If it should be necessary, from Quebec, if in our hands – the want of them is so great, that no trouble or expense must be spared to obtain them.” Thus began the “Knox Expedition,” otherwise known as the “noble train of artillery.”

            On November 17, Washington writes to Major General Artemas Ward, also stationed in the area, with another warning with the dropping temperatures. He writes, “As the season is fast approaching when the bay between us and Boston will, in all probability be close shut up, thereby rendering any movement upon the ice as easy as if no water was there.” If the Charles River is the freeze, either General William Howe will be able to flee the city or receive reinforcements for the British garrison. Washington is further pushing the idea of a pre-winter offensive, though is still unsure of the exact methods.

This Week in Revolutionary History

By Sam Bishop

            This afternoon with a tiny window of light left on this November day, I managed to install my second round of bulbs – something that feels like a huge achievement as the workweek and other commitments compete for my time. And you never know how the weather will be on the weekend.

            I adore planting bulbs, but as I noted here a few weeks ago, I hold off planting them because I pretty much want the ground to seal over and harden as soon as I install them, so the pesky squirrels won’t dig them up. It’s a strategy I hold fast to. I used to actually fasten old screens over the area where I’d planted and also shook red pepper around the bulb installation as a deterrent. Not the most efficient system, admittedly. Now, I simply hold off until mid to late November.

            I’d nearly forgotten about ordering bulbs this year but had saved my copy of John Scheepers catalog: Beauty From Bulbs/The Art & Soul of Spring. The Connecticut-based company has long been my go-to for bulbs, and I can’t resist ogling their color photos, oohing and ahhing every page.

            I would go so far as to say that bulb catalogs are the gardener’s version of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit edition. I’ve long since given up trying to be thin or gutsy enough to wear the gear from the latter. I’d rather be outfitting my garden with fritillaria than myself with pieces that have the feel and resilience of Clingwrap. It’s not so much an acquiescence to middle age as it is a preference for the practical. Bulbs are accessible, inexpensive, attractive and diverse and last many seasons.

            When it comes to popularity, nothing tops the tulip. They were once so coveted that $25,000 was paid for a single bulb. I’m referring to the episode of Tulipmania that gripped 17th-century Holland! Between 1634 and 1637, a major financial phenomenon resulted from the frenzy created over the tulip, something that would never be repeated on such a scale in the horticultural world.

            While tulips are typically my main interest when I shop bulbs, (Scheepers has 29 pages of them) daffodils (represented in equal numbers) are surely second. There are so many types, it’s almost exhausting to search through them all. Whatever hue and size you desire, you will find it here. Before being swept away, I urge you to try to think of specific sections of the garden and the color you would like to see come next spring. What perennials will be in bloom? Do you want it to be an informal, natural-looking garden or a statement about color? When in the spring season do you want it to bloom (early, middle or late), and what can you do to disguise the withering foliage once the blooms have passed.

            Tulips often require replanting each year, except in the case of species tulips. So, it was natural that this was the bulb that most filled my cart. I have a raised bed off of our back deck, and it is dazzling to have it brimming with all sorts of colors and shapes of tulips. You might not want to plant a border in the same manner, but this is largely for cutting so I don’t need a uniform design here. Quite the other extreme.

            I have to confess I’m wild about Parrot tulips with their exotic, fringed plumage and cutting-edge striations. I ordered a batch of “La Courtine” which sports bright golden-yellow with narrow scarlet stripes alongside exterior green feathering and ruffled edges. So reminiscent of our little green and yellow parakeet “Betty White” (our pet sitter Charlotte deserves credit for naming her and her mate “Gainsborough” for his Little Blue Boy color). Along with these, I also purchased the “Parrot Tulip Mixture” to plant in the same area.

            My other favorite kind of tulip is the Rembrandt reminiscent of the 17th-century Tulipmania varieties, but they were out of stock by the time I placed my order. I did secure a batch of Emperor tulips which come from a wild species from Central Asia. My choice “Flames Mystery” will add a bright red color to our patio area next April, and with a little luck they will naturalize.

            The tulips still await planting, but I did put in a number of bulbs thus far including the recent narcissus “Silver Chimes” that promise eight flowers per stem with a silvery white perianth and a soft primrose-yellow cup that pales as it matures. I installed them between the prostrate juniper that serves as a base to our Elizabeth Magnolia. A few years back I’d put miniature bulbs here where they continue to be, but I realized they didn’t really show well (too diminutive), so I’m hoping these Narcissi will work and also jibe well with the soft yellow blossoms of the tree.

            One never really knows exactly how your canvas will look when they emerge in spring, but I try to envision the picture I’m trying to create. I added more Spanish bluebells to a section of the woodland garden, under an ailing rhododendron and a handful of erythronium commonly called dog’s tooth violet or trout lily. To give a natural look, I placed them between an old decaying stump and a standard hydrangea “Pinky Winky.”

            Another bulb (actually a tuber) that I am testing this year is winter Aconite, one of the earliest spring bloomers. This 1892 naturalizer yields vivid, lemon-yellow flowers that hungry bees need to thrive after their long winter hibernation. They are also deer and rodent resistant. I planted them for a splash of color near our little fishpond. And finally, though I have many snowdrops along the front wall that have spread over the years, I was intrigued by the “nivalis Flore Pleno” or double snowdrop. This will go in a side bed where the light is filtered, and the soil retains a bit of moisture and only a few spring blooms reside.

            The act of planting bulbs is part mechanical – using the t-handled bulb planter to open the soil and then placing the bulb the required number of inches deep and then tenderly yet firmly covering the opening. But it also has a mental component: sparking daydreams of creating a living masterpiece – much like the gardens Claude Monet meticulously cultivated at Giverny, designed specifically to inspire his paintings. Channeling my inner Monet, I can only hope my own garden will offer some art-worthy brushstrokes of its own.

            “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” – Audrey Hepburn