AMERICA. 
’oF the draw-bridge. This was complied with ; and the 
foldiers, after having remained for fometiiiie at the bridge, 
returned without executing' their orders. 
The next attempt was attended with more ferious con- 
fequences. General Gage hawing been informed that a 
large quantity of ammunition and military (lores had been 
collected at Concord, about twenty miles from Bofton, 
and where the provincial congrefs was fitting, fent a de¬ 
tachment, under the command of colonel Smith and major 
Pitcairn, to deftroy the (lores, and, as was reported, to 
feize Meffrs. Hancock and Adams, the leading-men of 
the congrefs. They fet out before day-break, on the 
19th of April, marching with the utmofl (Hence, and fe- 
curing every one they met on the road, that they might 
not be difeovered. But, notwithftanding all their care, the 
continual ringing of bells and firing of guns as they went 
along foon gave them notice that the country was alarin- 
-ed. About five in the morning they had reached Lexing¬ 
ton, fifteen miles from Boflon, where the militia of the . 
place were exercifing. An officer called out to them to 
dil'perfe; but fome (hots, it is faid, being at that moment 
fired from a houfe in the neighbourhood, the military 
made a difeharge, which killed and wounded feveral of 
the militia. The detachment then proceeded to Concord, 
where, having deffroyed the (lores, they were encountered 
by the .Americans; and a feuffle enfued, in which feveral 
fell on both (ides. Tire purpofe of their expedition being 
thus accompli (lied, it was neceflary for the king’s troops 
to retreat, which they did through a continual fire kept 
upon them from Concord to Lexington. Here their am¬ 
munition -vas expended; and they would have been una¬ 
voidably cut off, had not a confiderabl-e reinforcement, 
commanded by lord Percy, luckily met them. The Ame¬ 
ricans, however, continued their attack with great fury; 
and the Britifh would flill have been in the utmofl dan¬ 
ger, had it not been for two field-pieces which lord Percy 
brought with him. By thefe the impetuofity of the Ame¬ 
ricans was checked, and the Britifh made good their re¬ 
treat to Bofton, with the lofs of 263 killed and wounded : 
that of the Americans was eighty-eight. 
By this engagement the fpirits of the Americans were 
fo raifed, that they meditated nothing lefs than the total 
expulfion of the Britifh troops from Boflon. An army of 
20,000 men was alfembled, who formed a line of encamp¬ 
ment from Roxbury to Myftic, through a fpace of about 
thirty miles ; and here they were foon after joined by a 
large body of Connecticut troops, under general Putnam, 
an old officer of great bravery and experience. By this 
formidable force was the town of Bofton now kept blocked 
up. General Gage, however, had fo ftrongly fortified it, 
that the enemy, powerful as they were, durft not make an 
attack ; while, on the other hand, his force was by far too 
infignificant to meet fuchan enemy in the field. But, to¬ 
wards the end of May, a conliderable reinforcement ha¬ 
ving arrived, with generals Howe, Burgoyne, and Clin¬ 
ton, he prepared to a6l with more decilion; while the 
Americans, on their part, did every thing to oppofe him. 
A confiderabie height, known by the name of Bunker’s 
Hill, juft at the entrance of the peninfula of Charleftown, 
was fo fituated as to make the poffeffion of it a matter of 
great confeqtience to either of the contending parties. 
Orders were therefore, June 16, ifl’ued by the provincial 
commanders, that a detachment of 1000 men (hould en¬ 
trench upon this height. By fome miftake, Breed’s Hill, 
high and large like the other, but fituated nearer Bofton, 
was marked out for the entrenchments, inftead of Bunker’s 
Hill. The provincials proceeded to Breed’s hill, and 
worked with fo much diligence, that between midnight 
and the dawn of the morning, they had thrown up a fmall 
redoubt about eight rods fiquare. They kept fuch a pro¬ 
found filence, that they were not heard by the Britifli on¬ 
board their veflels,'though very near. Thefe, having de¬ 
rived their firft information of what was going on from 
the fight of the work near completion, began an incelfant 
firing upon them. The provincials bore this with firmnefs, 
V ox. I. No 28. 
and, though they were only young foldiers, continued to la¬ 
bour till they had thrown up a fmall breaftvvoi'k, extending 
from the eaft fide of the breaftwork to the bottom of the 
hill. As this eminence overlooked Bofton, general Gage 
thought it neceJTary to drive the provincials from if. A- 
bout noon, therefore, he detached major-general Kowe, 
and brigadier-general Pigot, with the dower of the army, 
confiding of four battalions, ten companies of the grena¬ 
diers, and ten 0 flight infantry, with a proportion of field 
artillery, to efteft this bufinefs. Thefe troops landed at 
Moreton’s Poifit, and, June 17, formed after landing, 
but remained in that polltion till they were reinforced by 
a fecond detachment of light infantry and grenadier com¬ 
panies, a battalion of land forces, and a battalion of ma¬ 
rines, making in the whole near 3000 men. While the 
troops who fir’ll landed were waiting for this reinforce¬ 
ment, the provincials, for their further fecurity, pulled up 
fome adjoining pod and rail fences, and fet them down in 
two parallel lines at a fmall d(fiance from each other, and 
filled the fpace between with hay, which, having been 
lately mowed, remained on the adjacent ground. 
The king’s troops formed in two lines, and advanced 
(lowly, to give their artillery time to demolidi the Ameri¬ 
can works. While the Britifh were advancing to the at¬ 
tack, they received orders to burn Charleftown. This 
was not done becaufe they were fired upon from the houfes 
in that town, but from the military policy of depriving 
enemies of a cover in their approaches. In a fhort time 
this ancient town, confiding of about 500 buildings, chiefly 
of wood, was in one great blaze. The lofty fleeple of the 
meeting-houfe formed a pyramid of fire above the reft, 
and ftruck the allonifhed eyes of numerous beholders with 
a magnificent but awful fpeclacle. In Bofton, the heights 
of every kind were covered with the citizens, and fuch of 
the king’s troops as were not on duty. The hills around 
the adjacent country, which afforded a fafe and diftinct 
view, were occupied by the inhabitants of the country. 
Thoufands, both within and without Bofton, were anxi¬ 
ous fpe&ators of the bloody feene. The honour of Bri¬ 
tifh troops beat high in the breafts of many, while others, 
with a Weener fenfibility, felt for the liberties of a great 
and growing country. The Britifh moved on bul (lowly, 
which gave the provincials a better opportunity for taking 
aim. The latter, in general, referved themfelves till their 
adversaries were within ten or twelve rods, but then be¬ 
gan a furious difeharge of fmall arms. The dream of 
the American fire was fo inceflant, and did fo great exe¬ 
cution, that the king’s troops retreated in diforder and 
precipitation. Their officers rallied them, and pufhed 
them forward with their fwords, but they returned to the 
attack with great reluctance. The Americans again re¬ 
ferved their fire till their adverfaries were near, and then 
put then! a fecond time to flight. General Howe and the 
officers redoubled their exertions, and were at lad fuccefs- 
ful, though the foldiers difeovered a great averiion to go¬ 
ing on. By this time the powder of the Americans began 
to fail. The Britifh alfo brought fome cannon to bear, 
which raked the infide of the breaftwork from end to end. 
The fire from the (hips, batteries, and field artillery, was 
redoubled. The redoubt was attacked on three fides at 
once. Under thefe circumftances a retreat from it was or¬ 
dered, but the provincials delayed, and made refinance 
with their difeharged mufleets as if they had been clubs, 
fo long that the king’s troops, who eatily mounted the 
works, had haif filled the redoubt before it was’given up 
to them. 
'While thefe operations were going on at the bread- 
work and redoubt, the Bririfli light infantry were attempt¬ 
ing to force the left point of the former, that they might 
take the American line in flank. Though they exhibited 
the mod undaunted courage, they met with an oppofitiou 
which called for its greateft exertions. The provincials 
here, in like manner, referved their fire till their adver¬ 
faries were near, and then poured it upon the light infan¬ 
try, in fotiuea direction, as mowed down their ranks. 
S U The 
