BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 95 



Port-FoHo " (Philadelphia) for March, 1818, and was the occa- 

 sion of some criticism. For the purpose of answering the 

 strictures the author collected these papers : — 



"[No. 13.]" 



Certificate of the Rev. Daniel Chaplin, D.D. of Groton, and the 

 Rev. John Bullard, of Pepperell. 



This may certify the public, that we whose names we have 

 given, were in the habits of intimacy with Col. W. Prescott, of Pep- 

 perell, a man of the strictest integrity, during most of the period 

 after he left the revolutionary army until his death ; that at sundry 

 times in conversation with him about the war, particularly about 

 the battle of Bunker fiill, so called, he uniformly told us, that Maj. 

 General Warren came to the Fort on Breed's Hill which had been 

 formed the night preceding, a little before the British made an 

 attack on the works ; that he, Col. Prescott, said to General War- 

 ren, ' I am happy to see you, General,' or using words to the same 

 effect, ' for you will now take command, and I will obey your 

 orders, and am relieved.' Said General Warren, to him in reply, 

 ' I have no command here, Col. Prescott, I am a volunteer, I came 

 to learn actual service.' Prescott said, ' I wish then you would 

 look at the works we have thrown up, and give your opinion.' 

 Warren replied, ' you are better acquainted, Col. Prescott, with 

 military matters than I am.' After which they immediately parted 

 and met not again. Col. Prescott further informed us repeatedly, 

 that when a retreat was ordered and commenced, and he was de- 

 scending the hill, he met General Putnam, and said to him, ' why 

 did you not support me. General, with your men, as I had reason 

 to expect, according to agreement?' Putnam answered, *I could 

 not drive the dogs up.' Prescott pointedly said to him, ' if you 

 could not drive them up, you might have led them up.' We have 

 good reason to believe further from declarations of some of 

 our parishioners, men of respectability, whose veracity cannot be 

 doubted, who belonged to Col. Prescott's regiment and were pres- 

 ent through the whole service, that General Putnam was not on 

 Breed's Hill the night preceding, or on that day, except that just 

 before the attack was made, he might have gone to the fort and 

 ordered the tools to be carried off, that they might not fall into the 

 hands of the enemy in the event of his carrying the works, and 

 holding the ground, and that he and his men, with Col. Gerrish, 



