Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1843-06-30

ialns OF Penn~yiNania, and The Ihronged cities on
the cossi, welcome. wslcoms. Wherever else YOU
may be strangers, here you all at hoRe You
assemble al this shrine Of Liberty. near the family
altors. at which your earle devotions were paid
TO Heaven; to the temples Of worship firsl
entered by you, and near 10 no schools and colleges
IN which you education WIS received. You come
hither with a glorious ancestry Of Liberty. You
bring names, which the rolls OF Lexington
ConcorI AMI Bunker Hill. You come some of YOU
once more To be embraced by an aged Revolution.
airy father, or 10 receive another, perhaps, a last
blessing bestowed in love and tears, by a mother
yet surviving TO witness and 10 enjoy, yeur prosper
ity aud happiness.
But if family associations and the recollect,ons of
the past bring you hiIher with greater alacrty and
mingle with your greeting mucu nf local attach
meni, and private affection. GREET 70 will also be
given. free and hearty greeting to every American
citizen. who treads this sacred soil, with patrulIc
feeling, and respires with pleasure ana atmosphere
fragrant WIN the reco lections Of IT'S This occa-
SION IL respecinble-nIy, II is grand, IL Is sumbmo
hy the nationality Of its sentiment. In the seven
teen millions Of happy people. who form the Amer.
lean community. there is not one who has not an
interest IN this munu ment. there is one that
has not deep and abiding interest IN that which
IL commentaries.
Woe belide the man, who brings to this day $
worship feeling less than wholly American! Woe
beiide the man, who can stand hore, who, with the
fres OF local resentment burning. the purpose of
omenting local jeal~usies and the sirifes Of local
Interests. fostering Ond ranking in his hoar Union
founded in justice. in patriotism, and the plain
and obvious common Interest," union, founded on tho
50 me love Of liberty. cemened by blood shed in the
"a the common cause: union has been the source Of
all our glory and greatness thus far. aud is the
ground Of all our highest hopes This column
stands on Union. | know not that il might not keep
its PorIIion ifihe American Union in the mad con-
hIci of human passions. and in the STRIFE OF parties
and n clions. should be broken up nd destroyed.
know not that il would Iolter and fall the earth.
and mingle its fragments with the fragments Of lib.
cry and the Constitution, when state should be
from state, and faction and dismember
ment obierate forever all the hopes of the founders
OF Republic, and the great inheritance Of their
children. IL might stand. But who from beneath
the weight Of modification and shame, that would
oppress him, could look up TO behold in For my
eyes from it forever
IL is not as a mere military encounter of hostile
armies. that the battle Of Bunker Hill found its prin-
cipal claim 10 attenti ion. Yet. even as a mere bat
tie there were circumstances attending 1t, eItraord-
nary IN character and emitting il to peculiar dis
JUNCTION. IL was fought on this eninence; in the
neigh borhood Of yonder city; IN the presence Of
more spectators than there were combaIani5 in the
conflict. Men, women and children, from every
commanding POSITION gazing at The battle and
looking for its results with all the eagernes. natn.
raj To those who knew that the issue was fIaught
with The deepest consequences TO them. Yet on the
l6:h Of June, IT'S, there was nothing round this
hill out verdure and cult There was indeed
the note OF awful preparation IA Boston. There
was the provincial army al Cambridge with its right
Hank resting on Dorchester. and its left on Chelsea
But here all was safe. Tranquility reigned around
On The seventeenth. every thing was changed
IN yonder height, had arisen, IN the night, re-
doubt IN which Prescott commanded. Perceived
ny the enemy al d.. wn, IL was Immediately canon
AIDED from the fl 'aung batteries in the river and
the opposite shore. Aud then ensued the hurry of
preparation In Boston, and the troops OF Buta
embarked IN the attempt TO dIsoJge the culonisls
suppose It would be dllIicrll in a military point
OF view. TO Hscribe TO the leaders on either side a.
ny Just motive for the conflict which followed On
the one hand II could not have been very Impor
Ianl 10 the Americans to attempt 10 hem the British
within the Town by advancing one single post a
quarter ofa milei while on the other hand, il the
British iouRd H essential 10 1ge the American
troops they d II in their power, al no exnense Of
life. BY moving up their ships and batteries. they
could completely have cut off all communication
with the main land over the neck, and the forces in
the rodoubl would have been redu ced to q state OF
famine in 45 hours.
But that was not tho day for an y such consdera-
lions on either side Both parties were anxious to
land would not permit the rebels as she termed
Them, to defy her 10 the teeth and without for q
moment calculating the cost, the British general de-
termIned TO destroy the fort Immediately. On the
other side PFC scott and his gallant followers longed
and thirsted for a conflict. They wished it, and
"ished IL at once Aud this is the true secret OF
the movements on this Hill.
| will not attempt 10 descr be the battle The
cannOnad Ing-the landing Of the Brish--thsir al.
vance-the coUln . with which the charge was me-
- the repulse--ihe second aitdck-lhe second re-
pulse-the burning Of Charleslown-and finally the
closing assault, aud the slow retreat Of the Amert
cans-the history Of all these is familiar
But the consequences Of the batIo Of Bunker Hill
are greater than those OF any conflict between the
hostile armies Of European powers IL was the
first great baule Of the Revolutions and not only
the 6rst blow, but the blow which determined the
contest. II did not indeed. put an end to the war
but IN the then existing hostile slate Of feeling the
difficulties could only be referred TO the arbra ion
OF the sword. And Que thing is certain; that ahet
the New England troops had shown Themselves a.
Ole TO face and repulse the regu lars IL decided
thst place never could be established bu, upon the
basis Of tie Independence Of the colonies When
the sun Of ths, day went down, the event Of indie
Pendencs was certain! When Washington heard
Of the battle he enquired e the military had stood
the Ere Of the reguisrsi And when told that the,
had not only stood that FIRE. bu, reserved their oI
iill the enemy within eight rods, and then pour
ed Il ~ with tremendous ehect-~then" erclaims,
he, "ihe liberties Of the country are safeg'
The consequences Of this battle were iuss Of IN,
same importance 81 the Revolution itself
u there vas nothing ofyaius in the principles o
the American Revolution, thea here is nothing val
liable "a the battle Of Bunker fill and its eonse
quencet But if the revOlutun was an era in IN,
history u man fav orabls 10 human hsppinsas-if
vas an event which marked the progress of man
al over the wOdd, from dsspotism TO liberty-ther