Harvard University

Harvard University is the most famous landmark in Cambridge. Being at the center of Cambridge at the time of The Revolution, Harvard University became an important facility for the troops stationed in Cambridge throughout the Siege of Boston.

On April 19, 1775 British troops cut through Cambridge on their way to Lexington and Concord to seize gunpowder and arrest Patriots Sam Adams and Paul Revere. Following the victory of New England militiamen over the British soldiers that day thousands of men from all over New England marched to Cambridge to be a part of the uprising. Soon Cambridge became the meeting place for the provincial Committee of Safety, the group responsible for colonial civil defense, and later the headquarters of The Continental Army.

It became essential to house the thousands of men who had marched to Cambridge.  Many men camped on Cambridge Common. The mansions of Tory Row, which had been abandoned by loyalist families after a protest in 1774, were used as headquarters, barracks, and hospitals. However, the thousands of militiamen in Cambridge required even more buildings. The buildings of Harvard University were hard to pass over.

Massachusetts Hall, Stoughton Hall, Harvard Hall, Hollis Hall, and Holden Chapel were all pressed into service by the Committee for Safety. Because these buildings were being used for the soldiers, classes had to be suspended at the campus and taught in surrounding towns. The five Harvard Buildings housed 1680 soldiers between them while troops were stationed in Cambridge.

Harvard Buildings were not treated with reverence and parts of them were even used as supplies during the Siege of Boston as the supplies ran low, about a half a ton of lead from Harvard Hall’s roof was used to make bullets. 

Once the Siege of Boston ended in 1776 with the evacuation of the British from Boston on March 17th the buildings of Harvard were restored to their educational purposes. However in 1777 Cambridge became the host of more Revolutionary troops again. British General John “Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne and his men were sent to Cambridge to await a ride back to Europe under their terms of surrender after losing The Battle of Saratoga. Under the terms of surrender, Burgoyne’s troops were put under the charge of General Heath who was suppose to ensure that the troops were housed according to rank in Cambridge. Heath found it difficult to secure housing for the troops around Cambridge, with many of the Cambridge citizens resentful of the British troops in Cambridge.

When Burgoyne and his men arrived in Cambridge nothing had been organized as to where the troops could stay. Some of the soldiers slept on the street while officers were forced to rent rooms at inns. Burgoyne petitioned to General Heath to have this problem fixed as this situation went against the terms of surrender. General Heath agreed with Burgoyne and tried tirelessly to find Burgoyne’s troops a better place to stay. Heath wrote many letters to Harvard University asking if Burgoyne and his troops could stay in their facilities. After being ignored repeatedly, Harvard University allowed a Massachusetts Hall to be used to house Burgoyne’s troops. 

Harvard Buildings Today

 

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