, 1875-06-15
TIE BATTLE or nuNREA ELL.

shrilied in history. Tt was failure md 4
flight; yet II Is now regarded na glosious
| victory. Tho day after, general sl,anlo md
morti!cation were felt over what WIS do
nonnced NJ n shameful l|uudcr nnkl n military
crime; now no such feeling exists, and n
triumrl,a& shaft of grnnitc cosnmon,oratca tho
nntioual glory in what wos onco called tho
nAtsoisai shame. Tho centennial Of this rare
bundle Of contradictions will 10 colobratcd
Thursday, juno II, At Boston, with zeal
nntl enthusiasm TINT bid fair to mako it tho
! most iaosaorNb1o centennial ef orr time. Tho
story Of tho fight lias been told In dozens Of
hooks. Thrao or four OF them, devoted ex-
cl,,Eivo!y to this ono theme, lavo appeared
within The last ten days. Rejecting the do
tails apparently dictated by partisan mnlico,
by personal jea'onxy by anything Ravo tho
spirit of tt,lth-see1ing, NO tell today Ito .alc
Of n hundred yeara ago.
| In Juno, 1775, m army Of British regulars
was besicBel Ii, boston BY motley collection
Of provincial troops, representing tue four
New EnglAnd colonies, without uniforms, it,
differently well~armed, with n multitude Of
Gcnurals. Committee Of safoty, appointed
by md representing tho Provincial Congress
Of Massachusetts, exercised nominal con-
troll over the military mob. 1t lad iss 1ieAd-
quarters Mt Cambridge. On the 18th of June,
just n century ago to.day. tis Committee re-
solved TINT "Dunker's 11ill bo maintained by
sufficient forces being posted thereon" Writ
len orders to this oifcct were issued nnl
were deliberately dispbeyed, III wo shali
see. 4 column OF nbout no men was
tlrnwn up on tho Common at Cam-
bridge, n little before sunset Of juno
IT,. President IASGpoN, Of Harvard College,
oforcdt fesyent md impressive prayer
Col. WILLIAM pREsco1T, tho real commander
Of lilo whole ni1air, took his placo ut tho head
OF tho column, with Sergeant carrying q
daris lantern Oh either Bitle of lin; md tho
march began. When tlso Americans reached
thu akirts Of Bunker Hill, their attention wns
| attrnctcd by 1ittlo fltock, much nearer
Charles River md 30 nearer Boston, anl
only abaut half tito height Of Bunlsor Fill.
| This hillock Inns sinco become known as
Drceda Fill, hut seons to have been nanc-
less until aftor tue battle. pnEscorT hold a
consultation with tho three or four officers OF
high rank-PuTsAM, GnrpLEY, oto.-who
were with him. They agreed that his orders
gnvo him discretion to choose whatever
point he preferred, and tho little army
WAS fooliahly conducted to Breed's Fill.
There they worked, hearing tho "AlPs
well" of tho British sentine1s between the
strokes OF tho pick and the whispered words
OF tho otllccrs. Work was begun nbout mid
night. By tsaybrcak OF the 18th, redoubt
about u fcot high and 10 long had beou
thrown mp OH thu brow Of tue hill. As soon
rs It Was discovered, 'he British vessels lying
IN Charles A1Ver opoted Tire upon 1t. 1t is
saa shat THO pFo'lnea!s were Amazed to tilse
cover their real poAs1'n, B'nce most OF them
thought tnoy hSo oeea WORKING on bunker
1nu. IrcachesS was suspected. stu they
worked on, strengthening and extending their
tlefenses. "hon tho'a wore finished, at II n.
M they conaaotea Of rctsonht which formed
thrca ades OF a1uhro a low hrcast~ork' and
hondesefipt 1or''ncatoh consisting OF Two
INES oi fa'1 lenoea eot near eaca o1ner with
tue space 'oet~ocn them htea up win now-
mo"n nay. Iaa 4ast inc e1tohaea 70
tho Mystic luVer IN order 10 prevent
any successful attempt "ron tho le1t Hank OF
the American forco, nut there WIS con-
siderable gap between It nlh tho breastwork,
and through TINT gnp tho British finally got
whom they WOO the eay. The heaVy cannon
ado kept up during tho work on the defenses
did scarcely any danaga one man ASA
POLAND, was killed ny 1t. PRESCOTT ordered
lin. to 10 buried ut once, in order TINT the
aight OF Ills dead BODY inftht not tefraty the
raw troops. :" What T. slid the officer who
received tho order, lalry him without