to be vanquished, than to the conquerors; for the provincials began to find that they could face the king's troops and alfo to make fome impreffion upon them; and they alfo difcovered, that they could retreat without being purfued by the king's troops, which had confirmed them in the opinion that their enemies had fuffered feverely. What was the lofs on the fide of the provincials could not be learned by our troops; for unlefs 30 wounded men which were left on the field, the British forces took no prifoners. According to the account publifhed by the congrefs of the province, their lofs was comparatively fmall, a, mounting to about 450 killed, wounded, and miffing. They affirm that on our fide the flaughter was much more confiderable; but of this our accounts faid nothing. It was affirmed that the provincials buried a great number of their dead in the time of their engagement; but this is an extraordinary circumstance, which does not appear very credible; or if it was true, it fhews that they had plenty of time, and were not hardly charged by our troops.

The perfon among the provincials that was moft lamented, who was flain in this action, was Doctor Warren, who acted as a major-general and commander on this occafion; he was killed fighting bravely at the head of his troops, in a little rèdoubt to the right of the lines. This gentleman, who was generally efteemed for his merits, eloquence, and other abilities, had been one of the delegates to the first general congress, and was at this time prefident of the provincial congrefs. He is faid to have been an eminent phyfician, and a perfon of an amiable character. When he faw his country going to be enflayed, as he judged, he fired with indignation at the thought, and broke thro'

all

all the endearing ties of family fatisfaction, and devoted himself to the public fervice of the community, and fell gallantly in the cause of freedom and liberty. -They loft fome other officers of character, one of whom, a lieutenant-colonel, died of his wounds, in the prison of Boston.

It is not eafy to fettle the different claims of parties, with refpect to this action. Each fide claimed much honour to themselves. The king's troops faid the defeated three times their own number, out of a strong fortified poft, and under many difadvantages. On the other fide, they reprefented the regulars as amounting to 3000 men, and rated themfelves at the number of only 1500; and affirmed that this fmall body not only withstood 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 several hours, fustained a most fevere and intolerable fire from the fhips, floating batreries, and fixed battery at Boston, which prevented them from being able to finish their works. In cafes of this fort, great allowances must be made for the prejudice of parties; for it is very common for each fide of a queftion to fay the most favourable things of themselves that they can. The number of the provincials were perhaps neither fo many as our accounts fet them forth, nor fo few as they themselves pretended. It is however manifeft that the colonists. were not caften down nor dispirited by this defeat; and it appears that they both had fome judgment of the power of our troops, and of their own ftrength. It is highly probable that our troops on this occafion, though they pretended to defpife the provincials, as inferior to them in courage and military difcipline,

received

466

HISTORY OF

A.D. 1775.

received fuch an impreffion of what they would and could do, which made them more cautious afterwards. Had fome of our boasting heroes at home been in the fituation of General Howe and his officers, they

would

have been more cautious in talking of Ameri

can cowardice. The provincials fhewed a great de

gree

of activity and skill in the construction of their

works, and of fteadiness and conftancy in defending them, under many great difadvantages. They faid, tho' they had loft a poft, they had almost all the effects of a 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 block up in a narrow town. They now triumphed that their actions had refuted those reproaches which had been thrown upon them in England, of being deficient in courage and refolution. The advantages of this en

gagement

did not counterbalance the lofs to the King's troops; for all that could be faid to have been obtained in lieu of 1054 men killed and wounded was 5 pieces of cannon, and 30 wounded men.

The provincials after the action at Bunker's-hill, threw up works upon Winter-hill, on their fide Charlestown neck, fo that the troops were as clofely invested in that peninfula, as they had been in Bofton. They were alfo indefatigable in fecuring the moft expofed pofts of the lines with redoubts covered with artillery. and advanced their works clofe to the fortification on Boston-neck, where with equal boldness and addrefs they burnt a guard-house belonging to the king's troops. As the dantly furnished with all manner of military ftores, and artillery; the troops were not fparing in throwAs the army was abuning fhells and maintaining a great cannonade upon

the

the works of the provincials, which had no other effect than to accuftom them to that fort of fervice, and to wear off the dread of thofe noify meffengers of death. The provincials, on the other fide, feemed to be cautious in expending their ammunition.

The melancholy effects of this battle appeared moft manifeft in the ruins of the town of Charlestown, which was now an affecting fpectacle to the ferious and unprejudiced of all parties. It was the first fettlement inade in this colony, and was confidered as the mother of Boston; for the town of Bofton was firft built by a number of emigrants from Charlestown some short time after the year 1630. Charlestown was large, handfome, and well built,-both with regard to its public and private edifices; it was about half as large as Boston, and was capable of being made as ftrong, for it stood upon a peninfula, much in the fame manner as Boston does, and had nearly the fame natural advantages. it was both a market and county town, being the county town of Middlefex, in Maffachufett'sBay. It had a good large church, a market-place in a handsome square by the river fide, fupplied with all neceffary provifions, both of flesh and fifh,-and two large ftreets leading down to it, which were both regular and elegant. It carried on the greatest trade of any town in the province, except Boston. It is faid that the two ports cleared out a thoufand veffels annually for foreign trade, exclufive of a vast number of coafters. Such is the end of human labour, wifdom and industry-and fuch the effects and fatal fruits of civil diffention and difcord! The work of a day will ruin the labour of ages, and lay riches, grandeur, magnificence, and fplendor in ruins.

His Majefty's fortes were now in a very ineligible fituation ;

A. D. 1775.

fituation; they were deprived of provisions from the country, by two caufes ;-they were hedged in by the provincial troops by land, and the colonies had agreed to fend them none by fea. They had nothing but what they had from the ships, or what they took at the hazard of their lives; and their duty was now doubled, by being both obliged to guard their encampment and defend the town. This evil had one advantage attending it, it enlarged their quarters, and afforded them more room, and more fresh air.They were more dreadfully incommoded in the town during the exceffive heat of the fummer, which was ready to bring on distempers and crowd the hofpitals: This encampment was therefore a fort of relief for the prefent, tho' it was attended with more fatigue. -Their wants were at the fame time very grievous, their fituation irksome and degrading: they were infulted by an enemy whom they had been taught to defpife, and in continual alarm from a people whom they had fufficiently provoked. Their provifions were both falt and bad; and, like other things that are derived from government contracts, were pernicious in their effects, and exorbitant in their price. The heat of the climate, the badness of provifions, "and confinement, naturally brought on diseases, and filled the hofpitals. The number of fick and wounded, at a moderate computation, amounted now to 1600. Confidering all circumstances, it was a wonder there were not more in this diftreffed fituation. It was however fortunate, that few, in comparifon of the numbers that were fick, died.

A regiment of light cavalry arrived from Ireland,which, instead of affording aid to their friends, were rather a grievance; for they were never able to fet a

foot