: geoufly pofted, and fo numerous, that the British com- CHAP. manders thought proper to fend back for a reinforcement before the attack was commenced. By the reinforcement fent on this occafion, the force of generals Howe and Pigot was augmented to about two thousand men. These advanced very flowly, under a most severe fire of cannon and howitzers, and even halted several times by the way, in order to afford time to the artillery to ruin the works, and throw the enemy in confufion. At laft, when they came up to that enemy who had fo often been characterifed as cowards, and over whom fuch an eafy conqueft had been promised, they met with a reception which staggered the most refolute. The provincials did not return a hot till the king's forces had almoft got close up to the works, when a terrible fire took place, which did great execution; and fome gentlemen, who had ferved in the fierceft actions of the former war, declared that, for the time it lafted, it was the hotteft engagement they ever faw. The troops were thrown into fuch diforder, that for a few moments general Howe was faid to have been left almost alone, and all the officers near him either killed or wounded. In this critical moment, general Clinton, who arrived at the place of action from Boston during the engagement, rallied the troops almoft inftantaneously, and brought them back to the charge. The works were now every where attacked with fixed bayonets, and, as many of the Americans were deftitue of that weapon, they were forced to yield, though not till after an obftinate refiftance. At laft they retreated over Charlestown Neck, which was enfiladed by the guns of the Glafgow. man of war and two floating batteries. They fuffered but little, however, from this formidable, artillery, though the fear of it had prevented some regiments, who, were ordered to fupport them, from fulfilling their duty. At the beginning of the engagement, the provincials had thrown fome men into thofe houses of Charlestown which covered their right flank; by which means general Pigot, who commanded the left of the British, had at once to encounter the lines and thofe in the houses. Dur ing this conflict, the town of Charlestown was fet on fire in feveral places, and burnt to the ground. It is uncertain whether this happened from the carcaffes thrown by the hips, or was done by the foldiers; however, the fate of the town was much lamented, and afforded matter of melancholy reflection to the moderate and peaceably inclined on both fides. It contained about four hundred houfes, VOL. V. F 2 XII. 1775. 1775 CHAP. was well built, and had the greatest trade of any port in XII. the province, Boston only excepted; being faid to clear out a thoufand veffels annually for foreign commerce, befides / a vast number of coafters. It was alfo refpected on account of its having been the first fettlement in the colony, by emigrants from which Boston itself had been founded. The lofs, on the part of the British, in this engagement, amounted, according to the gazette account, to one thousand and fifty-four killed and wounded; though other accounts increased them to one thousand two hundred, most of whom, it was faid, died of their wounds. The number of flain on the field of battle amounted only to two hundred and twenty-fix, among whom were nineteen commiffioned officers, and of these were a lieutenant-colonel, two majors, and feven captains. Seventy other officers were wounded. In one account it was faid, that all the grenadiers, except five, were killed in the attack. The lofs on the part of the Americans was, by their own accounts, ftated at four hundred and fifty killed, wounded, and prifoners; though general Gage, in his letter on the subject, was confident they must have been many more, as the Americans were feen, during the engagement, conveying away and burying their dead. This, if true, must be accounted a very extraordinay circumftance, and bears fome refemblance to the conteft related by Homer concerning the dead bodies of his heroes. The perfon most lamented on their part was Dr. Warren, who acted on this occafion as a major-general, and was killed in the redoubt. Confe The confequences of this victory, for fuch it must be quences of called, to the British, were entirely confined to the gainthe battle. ing of the poft at Bunker's Hill, which the Americans had fortified, of which from that time they kept poffeffion. This, though in fome refpects an advantage, as it afforded them more room, nevertheless kept the foldiers to much harder duty than before, on account of the more extended works they had to defend. On the other hand, the provincials were by no means difpirited by their defeat. They maintained, that though they had loft a poft, the confequences of the action had been fuch as would have attended a complete victory. They had now not only completely ftopped all the offenfive operations of the army fent to fubdue them, but kept them blocked up in a narrow space; at the fame time, they exulted in having fo plainly wiped off the afperfions which had been thrown them on the other fide of the Atlantic. The fitua upon 1775. tion of the British troops was indeed by no means agree- CHAP. able. Befides their being furrounded and infulted by XII. an enemy, whom they had been taught to defpife, (for the provincials, by works thrown up on Charlestown Neck, kept them as effectually blocked up as before ;) they were now cut off from all fupplies of fresh provisions and vegetables, which the neighbouring country afforded in the greatest plenty. This confinement to falt and putrid provifions, with the heat of the climate during the fummer, must have had a very bad effect on the fick and wounded, whofe number now amounted to one thousand fix hundred; though few, in comparison, are faid to have died. Few other hoftilities took plack between the troops at Boston and the provincials. The former indeed fometimes cannonaded, and threw fhells into the works at Charlestown, butwith out any effect. As, however, the live flock, as well as the grafs of the islands in Bofton-Bay, was now become an object of fome confideration, frequent fkirmishes took place between the provincials and the parties fent out to carry off the produce of thefe iflands. In thefe, victory generally declared for the Americans, notwithftanding all the protection the men of war could give; and at length they became fo daring, as to burn the lighthouse, though a man of war lay at the time within a mile of it; and afterwards, either killed or took prifoners a detachment of marines, with fome carpenters fent to repair it. A like predatory war took place all along the neighbouring coaft, in which the boldnefs of the Americans fometimes occafioned a fevere chastisement to their towns by the men of war; numbers of their fhips were taken, either in conformity to the new laws, or the commands of the admiral; all which hoftilities added fewel to the flame already burning with too great violence to be quenched. arm in the Thus were the minifterial hopes difappointed with re- Canadians gard to the fuccefs of the Boston army; nor did they prof- refufe to per much better in other refpects. The Quebec act, from British which fuch fanguine expectations were formed, inftead of caule. giving that fatisfaction which was promised, had disgufted all parties. A fcheme had been concerted of railing an army of Canadians for the relief of general Gage, and twenty thousand stand of arms for this purpose had been fent to general Carleton governor of the province. The people, however, aimoft to a man, refufed to interfere in the difpute. They faid, they were under British government, and could not decide with regard to the claims of either party: That they would fhew themfelves dutiful 1775. CHAP. and quiet fubje&s, by an obedience to the governors unXII. der which they were placed; but that it was totally inconfiftent with their ftate and condition to interfere in the difputes betwixt government and its ancient fubjects. In answer to a proclamation iffued by the governor for affembling the militia, and the execution of martial law, they faid, they would defend the province if it were attacked; but they abfolutely refufed to march out of it, or commence hoftilities against their neighbours. The governor then requested the Bishop, that he would iffue an Epifcopal mandate for the purpofe, to be read by the parifh-priefts after divine fervice; but he excufed himfelf, on account of its being inconfiftent with the canons of the Roman Catholic church. In fine, the only perfons who interefted themselves on this occafion, were the French Nobleffe, who indeed alone had reafon to applaud the new government; and they were too inconfiderable in number, and too much feparated from the body of the people, to be able to effect any thing of confequence. The In to make war with nies. Another, and indeed the most difgraceful part of the dians refufe minifterial plan, had been to excite the Indians who inhabited the country ftretching along the backs of the colothe colonies, to make a diverfion, by attacking the Americans in those parts where they could be moft fenfibly affected.The monftrous cruelties exercifed by thefe wretches in their incurfions, it was thought, would foon induce the colonists to fubmit; though fuch a fcheme was evidently more calculated to inflame them with inextinguishable refentment and hatred of thofe who could difgrace themfelves by courting fuch allies. On this occafion, however, thefe diabolical warriors refufed to take up the hatchet; for which they gave much the fame reafons as had been given by the Canadians. The congrefs took care to improve this favourable difpofition of the Indians, and concluded a league with them, by which the favages bound themselves to obferve a flrict neutrality. Some of the tribes, it is faid, offered to take up arms in their favour; but this, they were told, was not required of them; it was fufficient that they kept themselves neutral. Georgia joins con grefs. In the beginning of the month of July, the diftant and inconfiderable colony of Georgia joined in the general alliance againft Great-Britain. Having ele&ed a provincial congrefs, that body entered at once into all the refolutions of the two general congreffes, and appointed five delegates to attend that which was fitting at the time.-. Refolutions fimilar to thofe of the other colonies were adopted, and they declared, that though their province XII. 1775 was not included in any of the oppreffive acts lately paf- CHAP. fed against America, they confidered that circumstance rather as an infult than a favour, as being done only with a view to divide them from their brethren. They alfo fent a petition and addrefs to his majefty, in the ufual ftile; and, from the time of this acceffion, the general confederacy took the title of The Thirteen United Colonies. In the mean time, a military rage had feized the minds of almost all the colonists. Perfons of fortune and family who were not appointed officers, entered cheerfully as common foldiers. Even many of the young Quakers took up arms, formed themselves into companies, and applied, with the utmost affiduity, to acquire a proficiency in military difcipline: nay, fo univerfal was the ambi tion of distinguishing themselves in the cause of liberty, that no fewer than two hundred thousand men are faid at this time to have been training throughout the continent. As it was now become neceffary to appoint a commander in chief, the congrefs, with the almost univerfal approbation of the people, chofe to this high office George Washington, Efq; a gentleman of affluent washingfortune in Virginia, and who had acquired confiderable ton chofen military experience in the command of different bodies of commanthe provincials during the last war. For major-generals, of the they appointed Artemus Ward, Charles Lee, Philip American Schuyler, Ifrael Putnam, Efqrs. and Horatio Gates for forces. adjutant-general. Of thefe, generals Lee and Gates were English gentlemen, who had ferved with honour in the laft war; Ward and Putnam were of MaflachusettsBay, and Schuyler of New-York. General der in chief on the ne Previous to this military arrangement, the congrefs Declarahad drawn up a declaration, fetting forth the neceffity of tion of taking up arms. This, like all their other publications, congrefs was worded in a ftrong and forcible manner, while, at ceflity of the fame time, it was ufhered in with a folemnity which taking up could not fail to make a deep impreffion on thofe for arms. whom it was calculated" if it was poffible," faid they, July 6. "for men who exercife their reafon, to believe, that the Divine Author of our existence intended a part of the human race to hold an abfolute property in, and an unbounded power over others, marked out by his infinite goodness and wisdom, as the objects of a legal domination, never rightly refiftible, however fevere and oppreffivethe inhabitants of these colonies might at least require from the parliament of Great-Britain, fome evidence |