Where there's a hill, there's a sleigh

Here colonial Boston boys are making a formal complaint to General Gage about the British soldiers knocking down the sledding hills that they built and pitching their tents so they can't sled any more. The boys are polite, but strongly feel that they have been aggrieved.

This is a well established, but poorly documented legend. It of course is a perfect fit for the American image of the Revolution, aggrieved citizens daring to stand up to the British Empire--in this case Gen. Gage. The drawing was the work of Henry Bacon, a master draftsman and architect, best known for designing the Lincoln Memorial. The drawing here has it all, British soldiers, General Gage, slaves, children (mostly boys), a beautiful lady, dogs, and a horse. Says the Smithsonian: "Bacon's American subjects proved to be highly popular and his magnum opus, 'The Boston Boys and General Gage, 1775', was exhibited in Memorial Hall at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia."

There is a charming children's book on the episode, 'Sleds on Boston Common: A Story from the American Revolution,' by Louise Borden. Click on the image to see a close up of General Gage and the boys, Notice the soldier using his musket to hold the boys back.

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