The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1880-01-16
BUNKER HILL.
A Picturesque Description of the
Battle.


A Picturesque Description Of The
Battle.
/, Gen. Il. 3 Darlington i'll his Battles
; OF the American Revolution, gives this
! description Of the battle of Bunker Hill:
/ ..The advance of the. British army was
! like a solemn geant in its steady headway
: and like Il parade for inspection in IFS com
i pleteness of equipment. This army bear
( ing their Sl;ipsacks and the full equipment
/ for campaign service, moved forward as
: if by the very force its closely knit coll
umns 1t mus sweep away all distractions,
/ and oFert1un every barrier in its way.
, But right in the way was {; calm, intense,
: and energiziilg love of liberty. 1t was IL
presented by plain meu of the same blood
and Of equal daring. Contrast marked
those opposing Englishmen very distinctly
that sunnnea afternoon. The plain men
) handled plain frelocks. OS-horns held
their powder, and their pockets held the
:. bullets. Cosstless, under the broiling sun,
! unincumbereG, uaadorned BY plumage or
Il service medals looking like vagabontls
after their III eht OF labor and their day Of
hunger, thirst, ana waiting, this live OBJ
structien was truly in the way of that adj
N yancing splandor. Elafed, conscious. as
slsred of yieuoIy. with firm step, already
4 Iauiekenad ts the space of separation les
sens. There is left but few rods Of inter
,stl, a few taP@ only. and the work is
selone. A fen ttisty shots, impulsively
fred but quickly restrained, drew an inno-
men behind the mock defense, obedient at
last to one will, answered nothing to that
reply, and nothing to the audible command
of those steady columns-waiting still.
''It needs no painter to make the scene
seem clearer than it appears from the rccit-
al Of sober disposition and the record Of
surviving participators Oh each side. lis
tory has no contradictions to confuse or
explain away the realities of that fearful
tragedy.
t.i'he left wing is hear the redoubt. 1t
earth but six feet high, and its sands and
clods can BE almost counted. II is SO hear,
SO easy-sure.
''Short, crisp, earnest, loW-toned but
felt as an electric pulse from redotlbt to
river, are the words of Il single mall--~of
Prescott! Warren by his side, repeats it.
The word runs, quickly along the impa-
tient lines. The eager fingers give back
from the waltiiig trigger. Steady, men,.
sWait until YOU see the WtfitH of the eyeH
Not q shot sooner,' Aim at the hand
some coats!' Aim at the Wristbands" !"
Pick off the commanders! Wait for the
word, every man, steady.
''These plain men, SO patient, can al
ready count the buttons, can read the EN-
blen OIL the belt plate, can recognize the
officers and mcn whom they have seen on
parade at Boston Common. Features grow
more and more distinct. The silence is
awful These nlcn seem breathlcss, dead!
1t comes, that word, the word waited for
E-tFire!'
'sOn the right the light infantry gain an
equal advance almost at the same instant
that the left wing was treading so near the
humble retloubt: Moving over more level
ground, they quickly made the greater
distance, and they passed the lines OF those
who march directly up the hill.
II, II, t1ta
center, wifi the same serene confidence,
and the interval was lessened to the gauge
Of space which the spirit of the impending
word defines. That word waits behind the
center aud the left wing as it fingers be-
hind the breastwoik and redoubt. Sharp,
clear, and dead y, in tone and essence, it
rings forth, Fire, From redoubt to riy-
el, along the whole sweep Of devonring
flame, the forms OF brave men wither as in
ftlrnaee heat. The whole front goes
down, For an instant the chirp of
the cricket and the grasshopper in the
freshly Gilt grass might almost be heard
the groalls Of the sr1tfering-then
the shouts Of the impatient teG1Hen Who
leap over obstacles to pursue until recalled
! to silence and to duty.
Staggering, but reviving, grand in the
glory Of their manhood and the sublimlty
, of their discipline. heroic in the fortitude
4 which restores them to self-possession !
with 4 steady step, in the face of fire, and
. over the bodies Of the dead, the remnant
dare TO renew the hattie.
Again, the deadly yolley, and the shat
tered columns, in spite of eltreaty OF COM
mand. move back to the place of starting,
!, and the first shock of battle is over.
"A lifetime. when it is past is but as a
moment. \ moment sometimes is as 4
lifetime? Onset and repnlse Three hun
j 6red lifetinIes ended in twenty minutes.
Putnam fastened tt Rttnkcr Hill to
gather scattering parties i'll the fearS and
to facilitate the passage of reinforcements
across the Istilmus, where the fire from the
British shipping was maintained with de-
structive energy
"Bnt the battle at last had to depend
j, mainly upon the men who had toiled all
night, and who had gained confidence and
!, tirn1ness BIZ the experience of those event
4 ful hours. Nothing could bring the rein
foreements i'll time.
f '.tEhe British troops rapidly reformed
their columns, Never on other battle
: fields did officers more gloriously esince
THE perfection Of discipline and the pertec-
ton of saif-deyotion.
II. seI'ht ItliiEefF was pushed to tile front,
) and much nearer to the angle made by the
i breastwor]l. near the redoubt, ard the re-
Fl firing line through the open gap to the left.
! 1.-THE American officers animated the
Z linen. and added fresh caution not to waste
a single shot. The guns of Gridley and
fCa1Iender were temporarily employed at
the unprotected interval near the breast
work, and thus Withdrawn to the rear.
7 ..The company of the latter officers be
/ came scat cred and never returned TO the
: Ifght. The remainder of the line kept up
. ID duty. and resumed tile silent waiting
Q which had been 50 impressive before the
G light began.
ssTne British columns again advanced;
: and aeployed as before, across zhe entire
extent Of the American lines. The ships
!: Of var re{loubIed their efforts to clear the
Esthmus Of advancing reinforeen1ents
! Shot and shell cut UP the turf and dis-
81 narsetl tllt. eietaehments which had reached
s the summit of Bunker Hill, and the com
z panies which had been posted nc Charles
: town, to annoy the British left, were dry
q II e=..he1ter of the redoubt Charles