The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-06-17

assured them that aid was at nano.
Gen. Pomeroy, q veteran OF the frencn
wars, as brave as he was patrios'cs sskea n 81
one was supplied. On mis- arrival at the
Neck, he declined 10 expose the horse TO the
severe FIRE that raked IL, and coolly Waikeo
across he Joined the force, gun In nanu, Al
the rail fence, and was welcomed Dy cneers.
James Otis was on the field. de was an IN
valid, stopping at WATERFOWL with james
Warren, subsequently the president OF the
| Provincial Congress, who married his sister
/ Mercy. He, who had so noDly served MS
couatry with his pen and In the c1uncii,
could not resist an impulse 10 ala IL 10 the
/ fisld. 1t is not possible to say at what time
he arrived, or where he fought. General
! Warren was at Cambridge, in the Hastings
House, near the College, attending meet
ling of the committee of safety. he ue-
clared his purpose Of joining the men In the
redoubt. To the affectiOnate rem0nstranco
OF Elbridge Gerry, he replied, "Dulce ct
decorum est pro patria mort, - IL Is sweet
and becoming 10 die for the country"
| 1.-THE ARDoR OF DEAR DIR. WARREN"
wrote William Williams, June 20, could
not be restrained by the entreaty OF his
brethren of the congress-" He mounted
horse, and, In company with DR.. Townsend,
one OF his students, set out for Charlestown.
| To wnsend soon left him, and he overlook
|
wers walking TO the field of battle. Ex-
/ changing sslutation, he passed on and came
within the range of batteries at the Neck.
| Here he left his horse and walked up Bun
ker Hill, where one of his students, William
Eustis, subsequently, governor, served on
this day as surgeon: and thence down the
hill to the rail fence. Here he met Putnam,
| who offered to receive orders from him.
| But Warren replied, II am here only as
volunteer. 1 know nothing CT your DISPOSE
tons; nor will interfere with them. Tell
me where can be most useful" Putnam
directed him to the redoubt with the remark.
'sThere you will be covered" When war
| rem said, "Don't think l came TO seek
place of safety: but tell me whore the onset
4 viii be the most furious" Putnam named
the redoubt. Warren then went TO the re-
doubt. He was enthusiastically received.
"All the men huzzaed." he said that he
/ came to encourage good cause, and that a
reinforcement of two thousand men was on
its way to their support. Prescott asked
Warren if he had any orders TO give, VINO
replied that he had none, saying, 1.-THE COM
mand is yours" This Is the relation by
Il cath. Judge Prescott is more circumstan-
tial general Warren ne says, came to
the redoubt short time before the action
commenced, with a musket in his hand.
Il Colonel Prescott went to him and proposed
that he should take the commands; observ-
Ing that he (Prescottl understood he War
REM has been appointed Major General day
or two before, by the Provincial Congress.
General Warren replied, 81 shall take no
command here. / have not yet received
my commission. L came as volunteer.
with my musket, 70 serve under you, and
shall be happy to learn from q soldier of
your experience" He was obeying the call
of duty. General Putnam, who had the
confidence OF the army, again rode on,
about this time, with the intention of re-
manning to share their labors and peril.
The movements OF the British along the
margin of Mystic river indicated an inten-
ton of thanking the Americans, and sur
rounding the. rsdoubt. To prevent this
Col. Prescott ordered the artillery, with two
field-pieces, and Captain Knowlton, with
the Connections troops, to leave the in
trencbments, march down the hill, and op-
pose the enemy's right wing. Captsia
! KDowlton took a position six hundred feet
in the rear of the red0ubt, near the base Of
Bunker Hill, behind fence, one-half of
| which was stone, with two rails of wood.
He then made, little distance in front of
this, another parallel line of fence, and
filled the space between them with the new
ly-cut grass lying In the fields While Cap
tain Knowlton's party was doing this, be-
tween and O'Clock, Col. Stark, with his
regiment, arrived az the Neck, which was
then enfiladed by
CALLING FIRE
from the enemy's ships and batteries. Capt.
suggested to him the expediency of quick
euing his step across; but Stark replied,
zone fresh man in action is worth ten
fatigued Ones" and marched steadily over
Gen. Putnam ordered part of these troops to
labor on the work then begun on Bunker
| Hill, while Col. Stark, after an animated
address to bis men, led the remainder to the
| position Capt Knowlton had taken, and
| they aided in extending the line of the
| breastwOrk TO the waters edge by throwing
upa stonewall on the beach. Col. Reed lett
the Neck and marched over Bunker Hill,
and took position near Col. Stark at the
rail-.ence. The defences of the Americans,
| at in the afternoon, were still in rude
unfinished state. The redoubt on the spot
where the monument stands was about
| eight rods square. Its strongest side the
front, facing the settled part of the town.
was made with projecting angles. and pro
| tected the south side of the hill. The east
err side commanded an extensive field
The north side had an open psssage-way.
A breastwork, beginning short distance
from the redoubs, and on line with its
eastern side, extended about one hundred
yards norsh toward a slough. A sally
| port, between the south end of the breast
work and the redoubt, was protected
! by blind. These works were raised about
six feet from the level of the ground
aud had platforms of wood, or steps made
OF earth, for the men to stand on when thew
should fire. The rail-fence has been already
described. It's south corner was about two
hundred yards, on diagonal line, in the
rear of the north corner of the bresstwork.
This line was slightly pro-
| tectsd; part Of it, however-about one
hundred yards-between ths slough and the
raii-fence, was open to the approach of in
fantry. 1t was the weakest part of the de
| fences. On the right of the redoubt, along
cart-way, fence was made similar to the
one on the left. The redoubt and breast
work constituted good defence against
cannon and musketry, but the fences were
hardly more than the shadow of protection
Such is the lack of precision in the author
| lilies, that accuracy cannot be arrived at as
| to the forces which lined these defences.
The Massachusetts reinforcements, as they |
came on to the field, appear to have marched !