poft-office at Philadelphia, which extended through all the united colonies; and fome time after, placed Dr. Franklin, who had been difgraced and removed from that office in England, at the head of About the fame time faccefs in fo arduous a conflict, might have been attended with fatal confequences; the people were not only new to war, but they were in a new and strange state and fituation; they were entering into an untried, unthought of, and unit. Thus had they, in effect, though natural conteft, loaded with the only under the name of recommend. molt fatal confequences, without ation and counsel, affumed all the experience to guide, or precedent powers of a fupreme government. to direct them; they had not yet in general renouncea all hopes of an accommodation, and those who had not, would totally condemn any violence which fhut them out from fo defirable an event; in fuch a wavering ftate of hope, fear, and uncertainty, much caution was to be ufed, as any untoward event, might fuddenly damp the ardour of the people, diffolve their refolutions, and thake all their confederacies to pieces. June 8th. In the mean time the continental congrefs refolved, that the compact between the crown and the people of Maffachufett's-Bay, was diffolved, by the violation of the charter of William and Mary; and there. *fore recommended to the people of that province, to proceed to the eftablishment of a new government, by electing a governor, afiftants, and houfe of affembly, according to the powers contained in their original charter. They paffed another refolution, that no bill of exchange, draught, or order, of any officer in the army or navy, their agents, or contractors, fhould be received or negociated, or any money fupplied to them by any perfon; and prohibited the fupplying of the army, navy, or fhips employed in the tranfport fervice, with provifions or neceffaries of any kind. They also erected a general General Gage iffued a June 12th, proclamation, by which a pardon was offered in the king's name, to all thofe who fhould forthwith lay down their arms, and return to their refpective occupations and peaceable duties, excepting only from the benefit of the pardon, Samuel Adams and John Hancock, whofe offences were faid to be of too flagitious a nature to admit of any other confideration than that of condign punishment. All thote who did not accept of the proffered mercy, or who fhould protect, affist, fupply, conceal, or correfpond with them, to be treated as rebels and traitors. It alfo declared, that as a flop was put to the due courfe of justice, martial law fhould take place till the laws were restored to their due efficacy. It is needlefs to obferve, that this proclamation had as little effect as any of thofe that preceded it. Hancock was about that time chofen prefident of the continental congrefs. This proclamation was looked upon as the preliminary to immediate action. Accordingly, from that moment both fides held themfeives in readiness for it. The poft of Charlestown had hitherto been neglected by both the parties. The provincials thought it neceffary for them, whether they fhould chufe to act on the defenfive or offenfive. [7] 3 They They accordingly made the neceffary preparations, and fent a body of men thither at night with the greatest privacy, to throw up works upon Bunker's-Hill, an high ground that lies juft within the ifthmus, or neck of land that joins the peninfula to the continent. This peninfula is very fimilar to that on which Bofton ftands, excepting that the ifthmus is confiderably wider, and that Bunker's-Hill is much higher than any hill in the latter. The towns are only feparated by Charles River, which in that part is only about the breadth of the Thames between London and Southwark; fo that Charleftown feemed to hold the fame connection with Bofton, that the Borough does with that city. The party that was fent upon this fervice, carried on their works with fuch extraordinary order and filence, that though the peninfula was furrounded with fhips of war, they were not heard during the night, and ufed fuch incredible difpatch in the execution, that they had a small but ftrong redoubt, confiderable entrenchments, and a breaft-work, that was in fome parts cannon proof, far advanced towards June 17th. completion by break June 17th. of day. The fight of the works, was the first notice that alarmed the Lively man of war early in the morning, and her guns called the town, camp, and fleet to behold a fight, which feemed little less than a prodigy. A heavy and continual fire of cannon, howitzers, and mortars, was from thence carried on upon the works, from the fhips, floating batteries, and from the top of Cop's Hill in Bofton. Such a great and inceffant roar of artillery, would have been a trial to the firmness of old foldiers, and muft undoubtedly have greatly impeded the completion of the works; it is however faid, that they bore this fevere fire with wonderful firmness, and seemed to go on with their bufinefs as if no enemy had been near, nor danger in the fervice. About noon, General Gage caufed a confiderable body of troops to be embarked under the command of Major-General Howe and Brigadier-General Pigot, to drive the provincials from their works. This detachment confifted of ten companies of grenadiers, as many of light infantry, and the 5th, 38th, 43d, and 52d battalions, with a proper artillery, who were landed and drawn up without oppofition, under the fire of the fhips of war. two generals found the enemy fo numerous, and in fuch a posture of defence, that they thought it neceffary to fend back for a reinforcement before they commenced the attack; they were accordingly joined by fome companies of light infantry and grenadiers, by the 47th regiment, and by the first battalion of marines, amounting in the whole, as reprefented by General Gage's The letter, to fomething more than 2000 men, The attack was begun by a most fevere fire of cannon and howitzers, under which the troops advanced very flowly towards the enemy, and halted feveral times, to afford an opportunity to the artillery to ruin the works, and to throw the provincials into confufion. Whatever it proceeded from, whether from the number, fituation, or countenance of the enemy, or from all together, the king's forces feem to have been unufually ftaggered in this attack. The provincials threw some men into the houles of Charlestown, which covered their right flank, by which means, General Pigot, who commanded our left wing, and to whote activity, bravery, and firmnefs, much of this day's fuccefs was owing, was at once engaged with the lines, and with thote in the houses. In this conflict, Charieflown, whether by carcaffes thrown from the fhips, or by the troops, is uncertain, was unfortunately fet on fire in feveral places, and burnt to the ground, The provincials flood this fevere and continual fire of fmall arms and artillery, with a refolution and perfeverance, which would not have done difcredit to old troops. They did not return a fhot, until the king's forces had approached almost to the works, when a moft dreadful fire took place, by which a number of our bravest men and officers fell. Some gentlemen, who had ferved in the most diftinguished actions of the last war, declared, that for the time it lasted, it was the hottest engagement they ever knew. It is then no wonder, if under fo heavy and deftructive a fire, our troops were thrown into fome diforder. It is faid, that General Howe was for a few feconds left nearly alone; and it is certain, that most of the officers near his perfon were either killed or wounded. His coolness, firmness, and prefence of mind on this occafion cannot be too much applauded. It fully aufwered all the ideas fo generally entertained of the courage of his family. It is faid, that in this critical moment, General Clinton, who arrived from Bofton during the engagement, by a happy manoeuvre rallied the troops almoft inftanta neoufly, and brought them again to the charge. However that was, their ufual intrepidity now produced its ufual effects; they attacked the works with fixed bayonets, and irrefiftible fury, and forced them in every quarter. Though many of the provincials were deftitute of bayonets, and, as they affirm, their ammunition was expended, a number of them fought defperately within the works, and were not drove from them without difficulty. They at length retreated over Charlestown neck, which was enfiladed by the guns of the Glasgow man of war, and of two floating batteries. They fuffered but little lofs from this formicable artillery, though the dread of it had prevented fome regiments who were ordered to fupport them from fulfilling their duty. Thus ended the hot and bloody affair of bunker's-Hill, in which we had more men and Officers killed and wounded, in proportion to the number engaged, than in any other action which we can recollect. The whole lots in killed and wounded, amounted to 1054, of whom 226 were killed; of the e, 19 were commiffioned officers, including a lieutenant-colonel, 2 majors, and 7 captains; 70 other officers were wounded. Among thote who were more generally regretted upon this occation, were Lieutenant colonel Abercromby, and the brave Major Pitcairne of the marines. The majors William, and Spendlove, the lat of whom died of his wounds fome time after the action, had also fealed their lives with fuch diftinguished honour, as to render their lots the more tenfibly felt. The event fufficiently shewed the bravery of the king's troops. There was [*]] 4 fcarcely fcarcely a fingle officer who had not fome opportunity of fignalizing himfelf; the generals and field officers ufed the most extraordinary exertions. All thefe circumftances concur in fhewing the hard and dangerous fervice in which they were engaged. The battle of Quebec, in the late war, with all its glory, and the vastness of the confequences of which it was productive, was not fo deftructive to our officers, as this affair of a retrenchment caft up in a few hours. It was a matter of grievous reflection, that those brave men, many of whom had nobly contributed their fhare, when engaged againft her natural enemies, to extend the military glory of their country into every quarter of the globe, fhould now have fufered to feverely, in only a prelude to this unhappy civil contest. The fate of Charlestown was alfo a matter of melancholy contemplation to the ferious and unprejudiced of all parties. It was the firit fettlement made in the colony, and was confidered as the mother of Bofion, that town owing its birth and nurture to emigrants from the former. Charle flown was large, handfome, and well built, both in refpect to its public and private edifices; it contained about 400 houfes, and had the greatest trade of any port in the province except Lofton. It is faid, that the two ports cleared out a thoufand veffels annually for a foreign trade, exclufive of an infinite number of coafters. It is now buried in its ruins. Such is the termination of human labour, industry, and wifdom; and fuch are the fatal fruits of civil diffentions. The king's troops took five pieces of cannon out of fix, which the provincials brought into the peninfula; and they left about 30 wounded behind them. No other prifoners were taken. Their lofs, according to an account published by the provincial congreis, was comparatively small, amounting to about 450 killed, wounded, mifiing, and prifoners. On our fide they are confident, that the flaughter was much more confiderable; but of this we had no particulars, as the account faid, that the provincials buried a great number of their dead during the engagement. This is an extraordinary circumftance. But the lofs they lamented moft, was that of Dr. Warren, who acting as a major-general, commanded the party upon this occafion, and was killed, fighting bravely at their head, in a little redoubt to the right of the lines. This gentleman, who was rendered confpicuous by his general merit, abilities, and eloquence, had been one of the delegates to the first general, and was at this time prefident of the provincial congrefs; but quitting the peaceable walk of his profeffion as a phyfician, and breaking through the endearing ties of family fatisfactions, he fhewed himself equally calculated for the field, as for public bufinefs or private ftudy, and fhed his blood gallantly in, what he deemed, the fervice of his country. They loft fome other officers of name, one of whom, a lieutenant-colonel, died of his wounds in the prifon at Boflon. Both fides claimed much honour from this action. The regulars, from having, it was faid, beaten three times their own number out of a strongly fortified poft, and under various other difadvantages. On the other fide, they reprefented the the regulars as amounting to 3000 men, and rated their own number only at 1500; and pretended, that this fmall body not only withitood their attack, and repeatedly repulfed them with great lofs, notwithstanding the powerful artillery they had brought with them, but that they had at the fame time, and for feveral hours before, sustained a molt intolerable fire, from the fhips of war, floating batteries, and fixed battery at Boston, which prevented them from being able in any degree to finish their works. What their exact number was cannot be eafily known. It was not probably fo large as it was made in the Gazette account; nor fo fmall as in that given by the Americans. However, the provincials were by no means difpirited by the event of this engagement. They had fhewn a great degree of activity and fkill in the conftruction of their works; and of conftancy, in maintaining them under many difadvantages. They faid, that though they had lost a poft, they had almost all the effects of the most compleat victory; as they entirely put a stop to the offenfive operations of a large army fent to fubdue them; and which they continued to blockade in a narrow town. They now exulted, that their actions had thoroughly refuted thofe afperfions which had been thrown upon them in England, of a deficiency in fpirit and refolution. From this time, the troops kept poffeffion of the peninfula, and fortified Bunker's-Hill and the entrance; fo that the force at.Bofton was now divided into two distinct parts, and had two garrisons to maintain. In one fenfe, this was piefal to the troops, as it enlarged their quarters; they having been before much incommoded by the freightness in which they were confined in Bolton, during the exceflive heats that always prevail there at that feafon of the year; but this advantage was counterbalanced by the great additional duty which they were now obliged to perform. Their fituation was irksome and degrading. They were furrounded and infulted by an enemy whom they had been taught to defpife. They were cut off from fresh provifions, and all thofe refreshments of which they flood in the greateft need, and which the neighbouring countries afforded in the greatelt plenty. Thus their wants were continual and aggravating remembrancers of the circumitances of their fituation. Bad and ialt provifions, with confinement and the heat of the climate, naturally filled. the hofpitals; and the number of fick and wounded was now faid to amount to 1600. Under thefe circumftances it was rather wonderful that the number was not greater. But few in comparifon died. The provincials, after the action at Bunker's-Hill, immediately threw up works upon another hill oppofite to it on their fide of Charlellown neck; fo that the troops were as clofely invelted in that peninfula as they had been in Boiton. They were alfo indefatigable in fecuring the molt expofed potts of their lines with frong redoubts covered with artillery, and advanced their works clofe to the fortifications on Bolton neck; where, with equal boldness and addrefs, they burnt an advanced guard houfe belonging to our people. As the later were abundantly furnished with all manner of miiitary ftores and artillery, they were not |