GREATER BOSTON MONUMENTS DORCHESTER HEIGHTS MEMORIAL G Street South Boston On March 17, 1776 American colonists compelled the British to evacuate Boston Harbor by aiming cannons on the British fleet from the highest hill in Boston, Dorchester Heights. The Irish played a significant role in the confrontation. Major General Henry Knox, whose parents came from Ireland, delivered the cannons from Fort Ticonderoga in time for the show of force. Dubliner James Boies set up the fortification on Dorchester Heights. General John Sullivan was appointed by George Washington to be officer of the day. The password that day was Boston, the countersign St. Patrick. The show of force that compelled the evacuation of Boston on March 20 was a turning point in the war. The Dorchester Heights Memorial was dedicated in 1902 and is managed by the National Park Service. A Plaque at the entrance reads "As the final act of an eleven month siege, the Continental Army occupied these heights and forced the evacuation of British troops from Boston on March 17, 1776 - General George Washington's first victory in the American Revolution." http://www.irishheritagetrail.com/dothimemorial.html