Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-06-17
JUNE, ITS.

not the best foundation to build monuments
upon but. with rare exceptions, it is the best
we have. Fortunately, human nature is gift
ed with kind of unconscious eclecticism'
which is only proud of battles and triumphs
which the common consent of mankind pro-
nounces to be Just. The nominal defeat of
Bunker Hill is infinitely more glorious to an
American than the victories of Buena Vista
and Cerro Gordo, nd will be recorded in
bronze and marble long after the names and
heroes of the latter places have gone begging
for a historian.
This is the eighty fourth anniversary of the
Battle on Breeds Hill; but its history is just
as familiar and attractive, as the events them
selves were to the fathers and mothers who
were witnesses of the terrible conflict. General
Gage the royal governor and commandment
chief had declared Massachusetts in state of
rebellion, The outrages of Lexington and
Concord had filled the people with indignation
which could not be measured or restrained.
The Provincial Congress had addressed the
several towns, appealing to them, to furnish
men for the army, before the country should
be deugcd in blood. There was singular
kind Of interregnum in the province-there
being no legal government, and no regular
administration of law and justice. The en-
ergy of the State was absorbed and concen-
tratcd in the single alternative-'L Liberty or
Death" The rough, irregular, undisciplined,
but determined troops, were ordered to be in
readiness at any moment for battle, and to go
armed to their places of worship.
On the night of the 10th of jung,
When twilight's misty ray,
Dropped the brown curtain of retiring day,
Col. Prescott, with a thousand men, was or
dered to march silently and throw up en-
trenchments on tie heights of Bunker Hill.
They took possession, by some error, of
Breeds Hill, and before morning had their
lines of decentralization in great forwardness
The British, astonished at the defences thrown
up in single night commenced a fierce can
nonade upon the American Notifications, the
next morning, from their ships. At one o'clock,
the royal forces landed at Charlestown three
thousand strong. They were twice repulsed
with terrible slaughter, but the third time,
overpowered by numbers, exhausted by
fatigue, their ammunition expended, the
brave and resolute provincals were CON-
PEELED to leave the field 1t was men,
orable battle. "You may talk, said the
British General, ''of your Mindens and Fon-
tenoys, but l never saw or heard of such car
mage in so short time"
The hero of that day, over all Others, was
the brave General Warren, who, in the alb
sence of John Hancock, had been chosen
President of the Provincial Congress, and af-
forwards Major General of the army. The
epitaph engraved on his tombstone, though
somewhat disfgured by extravagant express
sions of grief, shows the depth of the affection
and respect he had won by his manly life, and
heroic DEATH
che by his virtues laid the foundations of fame
That shall not be impaired by the
TOOTH OF TIME.
Over his grave his mourning countrymen may
Here lies the body of a worthy man,
Whose shall live and fill the world with won
der.
Although his ashes scarcely fill an urn,
His virtues shall remain when haveleft the stage,
His praises shall be spoke for many an ageto come
In these scenes of excitement, the town of
Worcester manifested a deep and profound
concern. There was never but one public
manifestation of the Tory spirit here, and that
met with such a reception that it would not
have been safe to repeat it. Early in IVA a
small number of citizens came together, and
after talking over the rebellious proceedings
in the town of Boston, the destruction
of the tea, the movements of the 10y
alist, &C., &C., they agreed upon for
NAL protest against the revolutionary move
ment, called in question the motives and acts
of the Committee of Correspondence, organ
lied the previous year, and to other patriots,
Sin such manner as to show them Destitute
of that Humanity and Christian Charity
which we all in Duty owe one to the other"
The Town Clerk, whether by sympathy with
the protestants, or by over-persuasion, entered
the protest with the names of the subscribers
upon the town records. The citizens general
ly, who sympathizcd with the rebels, were fill
ed with indignation that tory protest "fed
with ISLANDERS and ialsehoods" should be pro-
mulgated in their own midst, and that the
town clerk should have the audacity to enter
it upon the town records, as if it had
any public or official sanction, held town
meeting and after much earnest discuss
ion, voted "that the Town Clerk do, in
the presenc of the town, obliterate, erase
or otherwise detace, the said recorded protest,
and all the names thereunto subscribed, so
that it may become utterly illegble and unin-
telligible." The clerk was severely censured
and the unfortunate signers ofthe protest were
prescribed from holding office until they made
ample satisfaction to the outraged town in as
public manner as theirprotestwasm made Many
of them subsequently yielded to this some
what humiliating condition. Others did not,
and their names are recorded upon the books
where they may be seen to this day, accompa-
MED with decided expressions Of disapproba-
ton and shame. The unlucky page on which
the protest was written still shows that after
the clerks pen had exhausted its ingenuity in
obli.erating the offensive instrument, he was
compelled to throw it aside, and finish the
work of observation with his tory fingers GOV.
cred with ink.
This was the spirit which animated the
heart of the Commonwealth, when the cloud
of oppression thickened, and disasters with.
out number, threatened to stop its pusatives
forever The old Massachusetts Spy, and
American Oracle Of Liberty, which from the
beginning said God speed to the rebels, is
covered all over with notices and cpgrams
expressive Of the profound determination which
sustained them in those days of trial. The re.
suit has proved that their convictions formed
nircun uuderg tancpe of crueI and advnraa Ear
tune, that civil liberty is the inviolabe birth.