Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-04-05

Dorchester. The moon was at it's full,
and the night remarkably mild and
pleasant. Mifflin, the quartermaster
general, had shown great energy In col
lectlng the requisite carts and horses.
Across Dorchester Neck first moved an
advanced guard of 800 men; then fol
lowed the wagons with the intrenching
tools, and a main body of 200 men
under the command of Gen. Thomas.
The whole procession" says DR..
Thatcher, "moved on in solemn ST.
leuce, and with perfect order and reg
ularity; while the continued roar of the
cannon served to engage attention and
divert the enemy from the main OBJ
ject."
Bundles of hay were arranged in a
line on the side Of the causeway to pro-
tect the troops from the fire of the
enemy, should the movement be dis
covered. 1t is somewhst remarkable
that the operations were not observed
from the town, as they undoubtedly
would have been but for the lombard
ment from the opposite quarter. Old
Gridley (of the old French wars), an
experienced engineer, directed the
work, assisted by Col. Putnam; and
when the morning sun arose the forti-
fications were SO far advanced upon the
flights as to be adequate for defense
against musket and grape shot. 1t is a
noteworthy fact that during the whole
night Washington was present upon the
flights. He was accompanied by Mr..
James Bowdoin, a young citizen Of
Boston, who afterward became dis
tinguished in public life. Among the
preparations for defense against an as
sault which was confidently antici-
pated, a great number Of barrels filled
with stones and sand were arranged in
front of the works, which were to be
rolled down the hill, breaking the
ranks "and legs" adds Surgeon
Thatcher) of the British troops.
PREPARATIONS FOR AN ASSAULT.
When the morning of the 5th Of
March dawned, it is stated that General
Howe was exceedingly astonished at the
works which had so suddenly been es-
tablished above him and the captive
town, and which "loomed to great ad-
vantage on account of fog" He wrote
to his government that they must have
been constructed by at least 10000
men; while one Of his officers said that
they " recalled to mind those wonder
full stories Of enchantment and inyisi-
BILE agency which are SO frequent in
Eastern rOmances." Hove had no
choice left, and at once ordered q
movement to dislodge the enemy. Lord
Percy, with a strong detachment, was
sent down to the Castle during the af-
To 10 t1o
Nights and storm the forts. The at
tempt would undoubtedly have been
made if heavy gale had not scattered
his barges and prevented the embarka-
ton of his troops. 1t was a storm that
saved the lives Of many gallant SOL
diers.
Meanwhile the Americans went on
perfecting their works. The cannonade
of the besieged had been almost en-
tirely Intellectual, only two men being
killed and four or five slightly wound
ed. Howe found himself still more
embarrassed when the English Admiral
assured him if the Americans were not
dislodged, his vessels could not rem ain
In the harbor at the hazard of their de-
struction; while the communication be-
tween the British troops On the isthmus
and those within the town had become
extremely difficult and dangerous; nor
was it certain that the English could
embark in safety should evacuation be
determined upon. With the memory
of Bunker Hill still fresh, and with the
weather SO unpropitious, Howe relished
less and less the resource of assault
If he had earlier been able to obey the
instructions of Lord Dartmouth, and
remove his army to New York, he
might have saved himself some morti-
ticatlon. He had remained on account
of the insufficiency of the means of
transportation. Even now, with $50
transports at his command, he was ex-
ceedlngly embarrassed; for In addition
to his troops, common honor required
him to help away those inhabitants who
had remained faithful to the royal
cause. He was by no means sure of
being able to effect a landing in New
York; and the season was unpropitious
and his provisions insufficient for voy-
age to Halifax. Somewhere, however,
he must go, and the problem was now
to 60 with as little loss as possible. He
might still have sent forlorn hope
| against the lights, but his own militia
ry skill must have assured him that the
moment he weakened his force for that
purpose, Sullivan and Greene and Put
nam, with the American reserves,
would have entered the town, or occu-
pied points which more nearly COM
manded it,
| DEPARTURE OF THE BRITISH
At 4 o'clock in the morning, on the
18th of May, the British troops and
the loyalists began to embark; at 10 all
were on board. Considerable artillery
and munitions were abandoned. Two
hundred and fifty pieces of cannon, of
different caliber, were found in Boston,
on Castle Island, at Bunker Hill and
upon the Neck, with four mortars
some coal and wheat, and 100 horses.
The number of leyalists who fled with
the retreating army was between one
thousand and fifteen hundred. Many
of them abandoned considerable es-
tates to confscation, and had no other
means of substance than the rations
allowed them from the army stores.