Litchfield enquirer., 1835-07-02
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Sixty YO0IS dsOe II ,oorninx. coulnenced a tremendous cannon 1 nes from fbe Somerset. line of battle ship, f Glasg0wB4s the Lively, and a number of oth-
 CT frigates aOd gun brigs, which were lying at
 anchor in M ysiic and Charles. rivers, as well { as from formidable battery on COpps- hill,
 upon a small detachment of hardy, undisci- uj;ned yankees, of about 1000 men. who had | thetemerity the night before to break ground. | and throw up few scattered and hasty in- l trenchments upon Breeds hill, direcllyin the { faces, and almost under the very guns of their ! veteran, formidable, and well disciplined an tagonists. The British army, at this time in Boston, consisted of about 1000 men, more lhantwo thirds of which had arrived within a few weeks from England, and was under the command of Generals Sage. Hs0we, Clinton, Burgnyne, Pigot, Grant, Robinson. Lords Percy and Raw don.. Most uf them had sery- ed with great eclat in Europe, and were un- dO.lbtedly among the most experienced gen { erals in thegUorld Gen. Gage and his asso- ciates, when they discovered inthe nloraiag, the unparalleled audacity with which the Amsricapsha approached their strong holds, were completely thaaderstruek, and DO. time was to be lost in driving them from their in- treachments. as should they be allowed to occupy them, Boston would no longer be secure place for the British army. According ly at1R0an, about 5000 men tie very elite Of 1lie army, were embarked on board of boats Ht Long wharf, and shortly after landed upon the site of the present Navy Yard. and form ed themselves into battalions on the sea shOre. A reinforcement soon after arrived, making in all upwards of 40O0 men, under the imme- diate command of General Howe. The Americans too were reinforced in the course of the forenoon by about 800 men, making a total of about t5OO. The attack commenced about o'clock, and was lediby Gen. Howe in person. The Americans being scantiIy fur nished with powder. were cautioned by Gen. Putnam te reserve thcirfre tillthey co old see the whites ofthe eyes of their enemies, so that not single charge should be thrown away. The British moved ep the hin with a, slow, fra step, halting now aod then for the artl- ] lery to make anfOpening in the works. Those within the ;nirencllnientse reserved their fire as ordered, ill the enemy was within about 8 rods, when saeha aaremendohs 1sh0sSeYof mus
 ketty4was opened upon them, that the frontI ranks were icninplsfely swept away, and those in the rear were compelled to retreat, in
 the utmost confusion to their boats. They were soon rallied by their officers, who push ed them forward second time at the. poinrl oftheir swords, The Americans again reserv-i ed their fire iill they were still nearer tlan be-
 fore, when the ;same imusderons fire prOdlcedI the same disastrous result. and the British were forced back again over their own dead
 and dying men, to seek refuge near the ,sea1 shore. At this critical moment Gen. Clinton arrived upon the ground with reimbursement
 -the Americans too had expended nearly alll their powder, so that on a, third attack, which was pushed forward by immense cxertions, ! they slowly and sullenly- retreated from the {
 aSerV inch of ground with club totthe nnn,hers engaged. a more bIO0dy or better contested battle, nearly every third
 man in this ever memorable contest being ei. ther killed or w0Unded. The. Americans werc| indeed driven trcm the hill. and the British ofl course claimed the victory, but 1t was a sore victory to them; apother such would have ruined them forever. and as 1t was, 1t taDght} them a lesson of caution, which they did not forget to the end of the wsr. and which was ofincalcnlable advantage tO the Americans.
 26 While the battle was raging, and the whole
 town of Chatlest0wn was wrapped inEone
 universal c0nAagration, who shall attempt to describe the feelings, of the BostOnians,s who 4 gpent up within the limits of iiheir own little
 town, were conppeled, at the distance of Onlyl hail mile. to view ths battle from their house tops and other eminencss. without being able to hy f0the assista1ce of their countrynen? |
 We have Oiten heard this scene described Uy UH0 WU0 Ucvcr iett HIS SttuattO0 bO the 0te0-{ pie Offhe Old South Church, till the A meri- cans had refFeatesi acF0ss Chafiestown Neck
 aod were faisly out of roach of all pursuit and | danger. Towards night the boats, crowded | with the mutilatsa yhOdies of the British sol l diers, were continually fe-crossing the ferry. and many a good tali feilow, from mere loss Of blood. had breathsd his last upon The pas sage. Carts, wagons, sshicIes of every dss- eription, were pat Into toAimmediate requisitiOn.I and inc poor fellows, fur want of better ac- commodatiOn. were conveyed into. the new of the neighboFing cAisrchess in fact, the whole north end was converted into one gen. eral hospital. ss og We have frequently heard the late Judge Dawes. who was then a lad of about IT, de- clare that of a numherof companies that were quartered on the wharves in the vicinity ofl Purchase street, and which on the morning of the battle contained fa full compliment of 64 2privstes each, many of them th6 following
 morning could only muster from 2 to 5 men.
 The bfhcefs. iA particulars had been singled aOut by marksmen, and like Lord Nelson, fell
 sictims t0 their gaudy epanlettes. s,s'.s ,gs !, Zen. Gage's oiRcial account of the battle, which smoothed the matter over as well as
 possible. | making 1t light to Cassie, ac.
 knoWlcdges the loss ofone L4ipiIf. Colonel, i've
 Maj0ts, -S4 Captains, and 4l flieutenants, but eaetiiat loss very fasex xcseded this, and wa
 well known to the Bastonians tU have besu tupwsrds of ONE HuNDRRD cuasMlssiOTEn or, sla Aa.s