Gen. John Thomas, was at Roxbury, con- by a few reinforcements thrown into sisting of 4,000 Massachusetts troops, Charlestown at the southern slope of the four artillery companies, a few field- hill. On the left a fortification against pieces, and some heavy cannon. The musket balls, composed of a rail- fence and new mown hay, was hastily constructed, almost at the moment of attack.

Rhode Island forces were at Jamaica Plain, under General Greene, with a regiment of Connecticut troops under General Spencer. General Ward commanded the left wing at Cambridge. The Connecticut and New Hampshire troops were in the vicinity.

The British clearly saw their impending danger, and, to thwart it, picked corps of their army, 3,000 strong, led by Generals Howe and Pigot, embarked in boats from the wharves in Boston, and landed at the eastern base of Breed's Hill. Meanwhile the troops who had worked all night and half of a hot June day in throwing up intrenchments on Breed's Hill were not relieved by others, as they should have been. Colonel Prescott, at first, did not believe the British would attack his redoubt; and when he saw the movement in the town he

any assailants, and it was nine o'clock before he applied to General Ward for reinforcements. Putnam had urged, early

It was made known to the committee of safety that General Gage had fixed upon the night of the 18th of June to sally out and take possession of and fortify Bunker Hill (an elevation not far from Charlestown); also Dorchester Heights, south of Boston. Both of these points would command the town. The eager provincials determined to anticipate this movement, and the Massachusetts com- felt assured that he could easily repulse mittee of safety ordered Col. William Prescott to march, on the evening of the 16th, with 1,000 men, including a company of artillery, with two field-pieces, in the morning, the sending of troops. to take possession of and fortify Bunker Ward, believing Cambridge to be the Hill. This force, after a prayer by Presi- point of attack, would not consent to dent Langdon, of Harvard, passed over sending more than a part of Stark's Charlestown Neck; but, going by Bunker New Hampshire regiment at first. FinalHill, they ascended Breed's Hill (much ly, the remainder was sent; also, the whole nearer Boston), where they had a better of Colonel Reed's regiment on Charlescommand of the town and the shipping. town Neck was ordered to reinforce PresThey had been joined on the way by cott. General Putnam was on the field, Major Brooks and General Putnam, and by but without troops or command. The wagons laden with intrenching tools. The same was the case with General Warren, patriot troops worked incessantly all night who hastened to the scene of action when under the skilful engineer Gridley, and at the conflict began. Stark's regiment took dawn a redoubt about 8 rods square, a position on the left of the unfinished flanked on the right by a breastwork which breastwork, but 200 yards in the rear, extended northwardly to marshy land, met the bewildered and astonished gaze of the sentinels on the British shipping in the Charles River. The guns of their vessels were immediately brought to At a little past three o'clock in the bear upon the redoubt on Breed's Hill, afternoon Howe's great guns moved towand the noise of the cannonade aroused ards the redoubt and opened fire upon the the sleepers in Boston. The Americans on works. They were followed by the troops Breed's Hill continued their work until in two columns, commanded respectively by eleven o'clock on that very hot June morn- Howe and Pigot. The guns on the Briting, under an incessant shower of shot and ish ships, and a battery on Copp's Hill, shell, with a scanty supply of provisions, in Boston, hurled random shots in abunafter having worked all night. Putnam dance on the Americans on Breed's Hill. had removed the intrenching tools at The occupants of the redoubt kept silent noon to Bunker Hill for the purpose of until the enemy had approached very casting up intrenchments there, and the near, when, at the word "Fire!" 1,500 of right flank of Prescott was strengthened the concealed patriots suddenly arose and

and under imperfect cover, made by pulling up a rail-fence, making parallel lines with the rails, and filling the intervening spaces with new-mown hay.

BUNKER HILL-BUNKER HILL MONUMENT

poured such a destructive storm of bullets floating batteries on the Charles River, upon the climbers of the green slope that but received very little hurt. Of the whole platoons, and even companies were 3,000 British troops engaged in the prostrated. Flags fell to the ground like fight, 1,054 were killed or wounded-a tall lilies in a meadow. The assailants proportionate loss which few battles can fell back to the shore, and a shout of show. The loss of the provincials was triumph went up from the redoubt. Some 450, killed and wounded. scattering shots had come from the houses at Charlestown; and Gage, infuriated by the repulse, gave orders to send combustibles into that village and set it on fire. It was done, and soon the town was in flames. This conflagration added

Among the former was General Warren, whose loss was irreparable. He came to the redoubt without command, and did not take it from Prescott. He fell, as he was leaving the redoubt, from the effects. of a bullet-wound.

The result of the battle was a substantial victory for the Americans. They failed only because their ammunition failed. It tested the ability of the provincial army to meet a British force in the field; and so unsatisfactory was the battle to the British ministry, that Gage was superseded in command by General Howe. The general impression at

er Hill, and so it figures in history as the "Battle of Bunker Hill." It was fought on Breed's Hill, some distance from the former. The battle was seen by thousands who were on the neighboring hills and the roofs and balconies in Boston. The battle lasted about two hours.

The British again advanced, and were the time was that the battle was on Bunkagain driven back to their landing-place. Then General Clinton passed over from Boston to aid Howe and Pigot, and the troops were led to the assault a third time. The powder of the provincials, scanty at the beginning, now failed. Some British artillery planted pieces near the breastwork and swept it from end to end, while grenadiers assailed the redoubt on three sides at once and carried it at the point of the bayonet. Stark, meanwhile, had kept the British at bay at the railfence until the redoubt was carried, after which all of the surviving provincials fled in good order across Charlestown Neck, enfiladed by the fire from the vessels and

Bunker Hill Monument. The cornerstone of this monument was laid on the fiftieth anniversary of the battle (June 17, 1825), in the presence of a vast multitude of people. Lafayette, then on a visit to the United States, was present. and Daniel Webster delivered an oration. The monument is an obelisk, and stands in the centre of the ground, on Breed's Hill, included in the old breastwork. Its sides are precisely parallel with those of the redoubt. It is built of Quincy granite, and is 221 feet in height. The base of the obelisk is 30 feet square, and at the spring of the apex 15 feet. By a flight

On the right of the plan of the battle is seen a picture of the granite obelisk erected over the site of the redoubt. The form of the redoubt is seen in the diagram A in the map. The entrance to it was at a, which was on the end towards Charlestown Neck.

of 295 stone steps, within the obelisk, minute. He died in Troy, N. Y., Jan. 19, its top may be reached. A chamber at the 1871. top has four windows, with iron shutters. Burgesses, HOUSE OF, the name given The monument was not completed until to the collected representatives of bor1843, when, on June 17, it was dedicated oughs in Virginia when representative in the presence of President Tyler and government was first established there unhis cabinet and a vast multitude of cit- der the administration of Governor Yeardizens. The city of Charlestown, subse- ly. That body was elected by the people, quently annexed to Boston, now sur- and at first consisted of two representarounds the monument.