Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1840-07-25
A SURVIVOR OF HILL

One Of The gallant aids of General Warren,
at Bunker Hill, we rejoice to learn, survives, in
the enjoyment Of a greea.old age. The Albany
Evening Journal of a late date furnishes an in.
%,eresting sketch Of the life Of this veArun-Na-
than Maynard, who lives at sencca Falls. Judge
NJ, was born in Pennington near Boston, in AN
gust, 1855, and is therefore in his SSH year. He
was one Of the. early settlers ofEQneila county.
after the war, where he has held various public
trusts, and was ten years a judge Of the country
courts. "A son, John Maynard, j. now a member
of tho State Senate, Having Joined the provin-
ciai army ~ l774, near Boston, in The memora.
bic battle If Bunker Hill. ii was his fortune 10 be
placed il. a situation to give q more interesting
and graphic dccoun, Of the thrilling incidents Of
hat day probably ~,hanepy other man now living.
Il, ,-as aid to General Warren, and hS il was who
carried .'sordsr from the commander 70 the Off
ce.s of tho several regiments Of The American ar
my so wi.hhoiJs.beit ~fre.untiI The firing should
be commenced IN the centre by order Of the
General himself.
|. The following account o. tie action is from his
OVID lips, as published in tho Journal; -
Col Prescott took poss es-ion Of Eresd 8. Hill on
the 10th. of j une. l775, and threw up a breast
work Of earth, which they called a fort. On the
morning Of the Eth, at daylight, the British dis
covered the work. and commenced a heavy can.
nonade from their shipping, and from Copp's
Hill. Colonel Prescott was reinforced in the
course Of the forenoon. by the regiments ofGol,
oness Brown, Nixon and several others.
(sarl "...cc ,vh. hal L,on ovro.ognj Ahv
the provincial authorities Of Massachusetts, a
General butihree or four days previous, arrived
on the ground about the middle of the day; be
WINS 10 citizen,adress, and on foot, as were all the
principal ~oticeis; he had 10. taisnsc command by
| virtue Of bis newly received commission, but the
several Culoncls insisted upon his a, once taking
the, command, aud directing The movements of the
days The British, troops were at.this time lard
ing and forming in order of battle. Gen Warren
had no military staff, and.required the services. Of
some one to transmit his orders, aud Col Brewer
iecomn1enled to him his fellow townsman, Mr.
Maynard, WHO was young, active, and had been
long enough. in the service to be we'll disciplined.
Young Maynard accepted the invitation Of Gen.
eral Warren 10 &C, ia that capacity, and repaired
with him to The centre. The General immediate
ly directed a breast work to be constructed by
doubling q post and rail fence, and filing it with
hay, which had been mown the day before.
lathe meantime dense clouds Of smoke rising
above Charlestown communicated the awful in
,~elligence tina, the town had been fired by the en-
envy, and aided in exaspers,ing the American
troops for the bloody alffay that was to follow.
Che b%reastwork was completed to within thirty
rods Of the for. occupied by Col Prescott, when
the men were forced 10 quit their work and seize
their arms.
The British advanced slowly in two columns,
and when the whole were plainly in sight, Mr.
Maynard carried the order from General Warren
to Colonel Nixon, who lay on the Mystic R:ve:,
to reserve his FIRE until the firing commenced in
the centre Returning to the General, he was
directed to carry the same order to Col Prescott,
and other officers along the line.
The breathIess silence along the American en-.
.renchnents was now only broken by words of
encouragement and direction from the officers to
the men. The British advancedt 10 within ten or
twelve rods Of the American works, when they
fred and commenced displaying their columns to
form a line. A, this moment. General Warren
gave the word FIRE. Onthe instant the whole
breast work was in a blaze, and a report, like pro-
longed thunder, rolled along the line. The en-
envy were thrown into disorder, and were unable
TO form their line a few successive well objected
hres compelled them to retreat, which, though