Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area

At the beginning of the Siege of Boston (April 1775), British and colonial leaders saw Boston Harbor and its islands as critical to their success. As a result, a series of skirmishes and raids occurred across the islands during the summer of 1775.

When the British evacuated Boston on March 17, 1776, the Siege of Boston had officially ended. However, several British ships remained in the outer harbor (near Nantasket/Hull) until June 1776.

A historical military installation like Fort Warren on Georges Island is often imagined as a masculine space. But during the Civil War, women lived and worked within the Fort’s walls, caring for the soldiers and the prisoners they guarded.