Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-03-18
MARCH, 1870.
An kvessfai Msnth...The Desinains sf the
History si the Uaited states.

An 8ve0Suu mooSosssToo 0e9oonoo8 o. the
History si the Uaised states.
The moon that rose full upon the
night Of March 4, 1776, saw the figure
OF destiny, wan with patriot vigils, stride
up from the Cambridge meadows,
mount to the crest OF Dorchester heights,
and from that holy spot stretch strong
hand Of deliverance to the imprisoned
town that slept below. II was the eve
Of the anniversary Of the Boston
massacre" and the suspicious moment
chosen to accomplish the final indie
pendence Of the New England colonies.
Rise, sharply defined from thy sisters Of
an all-glorious part, o night that first
limned 10 the eye Of prophecy the
shadow OF the Washington that was 10
be, and draw again before these reve-
rent times thy memorable panorama
Behold in the town, Of Boston, British
army at nightiall given up, With scorn.
full indifference to the power Of the
Yankee militia, to passing revels, dssecrat-
ing the Old South church, perhaps.
with play, or the Province House with
. masquerade behold, in the harbor.
Admiral Shuldham's feet, riding
drowsily at anchor; save for the sharp
play OF the batteries, replying with
thoughtless voice to the American can
non at Cobble Hill, Lechmere's Point
and Roxbury, Lord Howe's slumbers
would be this night unbroken, for
neither to soldier nor citizen is there
consciousness Of other danger than Of q
roof or two riddled in the thick OF the
firing. But look across the neck yon-
der, where the heavy frost lends friend
ly mist to vail shadowy something
that produces no sound, yet seems
possessed Of motion l. ...I
Draw nearer. and you shall see first
some eight hundred ragged Continen-
tails marching to preoccupy the two ex-
tremities OF Dorchester Heights; be-
hind them, a force of twelve hundred
more, equally quick with the spade or
the rife; last Of all, q train, Of carts,
drawn by oxen and laden with bundles
OF hay and other Light material, such as
make fair cover for redoubt. The
sharp temper Of the atmosphere lends
exhilaration to the men, while the wind
which blows from the west carries off
from the town all sounds OF footsteps,
the rumbling of carts and the goading
OF the plodding cattle. We see the pur-
pose Of this hurried march when the
line defects along the brow of the hill
throw up the redoubts. The scene is
only martial in its consequences. Here
the sentry walks his rounds to note the
first sign Of British wakefulness; there
the walls of chandeliers, fascines and
screwed hay rises steadily higher; to and
fro the carts roll, and the barrels which
they bring are filed with earth and
stone, to be hurled on any assaulting
party that may dare the slope; an ada
cent orchard supplies trees for the con-
struction of q strong abattis at the foot
Of the ridge; toward three o'clock a re-
lief force arrives to complete the forti-
fcations. The whole night is filed
with tina presence of Washington, and
the dawn reveals him to the wondering
villagers in the surrounding hamlets and
the incredulous army in the town be-
meath, the predestined deliverer of his
people. The histories detail the rest;
how the British general, in the face of
tempestuous weather and the memories
of Bunker Hill, finally had not the heart
to attempt the dislodgment of the Amer
leans; how the latter, steadily advancing
their lines, and only prevented from en-
gaging the enemy in battle by the lack
Of ammunition, finally so completely in
vested the town that the British we're
forced to beat a precipitate retreat.
On the morning Of the seventeenth |
they hastily embarked, and after a
weeks lettering in Nantasket road to
take on water and repair their battered
set sail for Halifax, leaving |
behind them among other supplies two
hundred and fifty pieces Of cannon and
seven times as much powder as their con-
querors had altogether. Gould the news
Of this humiliation have been flashed, as
now, by cable to the Parliament, the
and overweening confidence of
The ministry in its power to humble the
American rebels might have had eflectu-
al estoppel. But that was not to be,
and when, on the twentieth, Washington
entered Boston at the head of the New
England soldiery, ?" approved by
Heaven" as the resolutionsof the Legis-
lature voted nine days later, " "revered
BY all good men. and dreaded by
tyrants," the English king had finally 7
hardened his ht art against the colonies,
and was already boasting Of the speedy
that was sure to be accom-
plished by his twenty thousand Hessian
hirelings; and when, the following May,
The news did reach England, the eloquent
protests Of the Duke Of Manchester and
Ehe Marquis of Rockingham we're power
less to stay his folly. History has no
parallel for this achievement, SO potent
and enduring was It's effect upon the for
tunes Of the colonies; so incommensur-
able with its cost in life and property,
Tor the death-roll OF the whole campaign
is honored with but twenty names, and
scarcely building Of any importance in
Boston was destroyed in the siege. Re
leased from the surveillance Of an rmed
enemy, the New England colonies quiet
y but diligently set about establishing
on q sure footing their necessary State
and local governments, perfecting their
coast defenses, accumulating the sinews
Of war, and during the months OF imme-
date peace that ensued thoroughly pre-
pairing themselves for the state of inde-
pendence to which all events confined
10 speed them. As for Washington,
they deemed no honor too imposing for
his merits, nor any confidence too
weighty to be imposed within him, and
IN the darker hours, which latter even
he great commander could not escape,
he faith of New England remained to
him inviolate.
Turning to the proceedings Of the
Congress for the month, we find them
pervaded by an increasing sentiment Of
,pen and concerted resistance to the
.ule Of the mother country; the leaven
If such souls as the Adamses, Wythe,
Henry and Lee had begun to work the
inevitable inspiration Of the whole As
,embly. In the first days Of March the
to insure their more efficient
lefense, were constituted two military
the Potomac forming the
division line, and six additional briga-
lier generals were commissioned. 1t
vas matter of much greater difficulty to
,upply the means for meeting the ex-
,enses of the defense, and after the issue
IF four millions in bills, in addition ito
'ix millions already aAoat, there still re-
NAMED grevious deficiency in the