When Americans think of the leadership of the American Revolutionary War, one name immediately comes to mind: George Washington. But before Washington ever took command of the Continental Army, another man briefly held that title—and today, he is largely forgotten.

That man was Artemas Ward, a Massachusetts general who found himself suddenly leading the rebel forces in the earliest days of the revolution. In the chaotic aftermath of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, colonial militias surrounded British forces in Boston. Someone had to organize and command this improvised army—and Ward became the senior officer placed in charge.

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