ABSTRACT
When in March 1776 fast-riding couriers brought word to cities and towns up and down the American coast that the British had evacuated Boston, joy over the American success mixed with consternation over the whereabouts of the British eet. Initial fears that the eet had gone to attack another American port were allayed when news arrived that Halifax, Nova Scotia, was the destination. However, the Americans knew that the brothers Howe, General William and Admiral Richard, were not giving up, but rather licking their wounds and gathering strength before again descending upon the American coast.
