The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-06-17
THE BATTLE OFBUNKER XILL

To-day one hundred years ago occur
red the battle of Bunker Hill. At one
o'clock the British army landed in good
order at Moultons Point, and immedia-
tely formed in the three lines, while the
barges returned to Boston for more troops,
who arrived at three. The British, some
three thousand strong, advanced upon
the American works they were driven
back with fearful slaughter; they ad.
vanced again, with the flames Of the
burning town to veil their movements,
and were again rcpulsed they rallied
again with reinforcements against the
Americans, who were not only worn
down with labor and fasting, but out of
ammunition; and at about FIVE o'clock, af-
ter this bloody conflict of an hour and a
half with raw volunteers, these picked
soldiers of the British army took posses
sion of the hill that had served them for
a. retreat on the famous 10th of April,
with more than a thousand dead and
wound d as the price Of their victory,
among these 226 being among the kill.
ed. The Americans had $40 killed, 27I
wounded, and 80 captured, or AL in all
in force probably not exceeding fifteen
hundred men actually engaged The
British, by the most truthful accounts,
had less than four thousand men engag.
ed on the field, according to Mr.. Richard
Frothingham's excellent history of the
battle, but he apparently does not in
clude the sailors and gunners in the
British ships who we're SO active in the
fight, and who killed the first American
in the fort.
That was a sad evening for Boston
and all the people around it. The sun
that went down in splendor behind the
ruins Of that burned town, after that day
Of summer loveliness, shone upon a Col
gotha of death; British and Americans
who had been in arms against each 9TH
er were one now in the pain ofwounds,
the agony Of bereavement, and the need
ofthe Divine Comforter The chimes of
Christ Church did not probably ring out
after the din of battle had ceased and
night came on, but they musthave tolled
when Major Pitcarian's body was bot
there for the burial service, and inferred
under the church. Hew was brave and
kindly man, who has apparently been
misunderstood, and identified with acts
of artrocity which he abhorred. His
name heads the large list of British Off
GERS who were killed or wounded in the
battle-thirteen killed and seventy
wounded, proportion so large as to put
this battle on footing with the carnage
Of Quebec and of Minden. The losses
on the American side were not so many
nor so conspicuous; but one man fell
whose death was life to his companions
and his cause, and, with all allowance
for local and personal friendship and
patriotic exaggeration, there is no doubt
that when Mr.. Joseph Warren died,
New England liberty had its martyr, and
America had hero who fought for her
thenceforth with weapons that are not
carnal and with valor that knows no
WEAKNESS, and wants no food or clothing
or arms. Warren was noble man, and
did great deal for the patriot cause, but
his life and his death meant more than
he or anybody else knew at the time.
He was, as we shall see, text out ofthe
book of humanity and of God that histo-
ry was then enrolling,