The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1905-06-17
SEVENTEENTH OF JUNE
Stirring Incidents of the Day When the
Famous Battle of Bunker Hill Was
Fought

Daybreak on Boston Common, June
II, ITS! This ancient COW pasture is
now a fortified British camp There
is a British sentinel sleepily striding
along, and you hear him calculating,
Its going to be a warm day." How
high the temperature may rise in the
western world, and especially on an
old hill the other side of the river, this
scarlet-coated prophet little under
stands.
Morning on the decks of the British
feet on the Charles, near Boston.
Through the night there has been
drowsy sentry cry, "All's well,'' bawled
from this British fleet and echoed
across the very water to the Charles
town shore. Soon it will be "Alls
wrong" if opinion is given.
It's going to be very warm on the
decks of the British fleet.
Suddenly somebody, looking up
from that fleet, notices strange dis
turbance of the surface of Charles
town hill.
What is that? Have the moles been
burrowing in the night, throwing up
mounds of earth along the crest of the
hill? Or is it the work of human
hands? What if the latter?
Bang! echoes loud report of can
non, and a ball from the gun deck OF
the British warship, the Lively, goes
flying toward the earthW0rks thrown
up by lot of plucky Americans.
The British have become aware of
the works of the rebel troops on
Breeds hill.
All through Boston the exciting
news flies speedily. There's no drowsy
sentinel on Boston Common. There's
no listless movement amid the grave
stones on Cops hill. From Frog lane
souther1y to Boston neck, and then
northerly to the old milldam, there is
an agitation like an earthquake thrill
ing patriotic hearts as we'll as rOusing
the British.
Patriots Start for Charlestown.
Last evening 1000 American rebels
paraded on Cambridge common. Co..
William Prescott, of Pepperell, was
the commander, and under him were
300 soldiers from his Middlesex regi-
ment, 200 Connecticut troops under
Thos. Knowlton and attachments from
the regiments of Frye and of Bridge.
1t was not uniformed party. Their.
guns were only fowling pieces of not
ed fame in killing wild geese, guns
ho, h0vy re- n
horn and pouch, carried a scant sup
ply of powder and bullets.
President Langdon, of Harvard Col
'lege, prayed with the men and then,
amid the shadows of the night they
took up the march for Charlestown.
Wagons, burdened with tools for
throwing up earthworks, were the rat
Ting, creaking companions of this
shadowy column.
They moved across Charlestown
neck. They halted in the country road
that wound past Breeds hill, though
there had been some preference for
Bunker. Across the water came the
sweet resonant tones of Boston mid
night bells. 1t was time to pick and
shovel, SnOVeI ana PICK.
Then the heroic 1000 went to work.
They we're the moles that made the
disturbance of the earth's surface that
the British spied in the morning.
Pickax and spade were the claws of
the American mole. Earthworks about
eight rods square lighted up by the
rays of the sun that broke across Bos-
ton harbor. That is now the situa-
tionI a rebel garrison on Breeds hill.
Something must be done by the
British in addition to the thunder
from the fleet and the battery on
Copp's hill
Gen. Gage is in command Of the
Boston garrison, reputed to number
5000 effective British soldiers. Nu-
merically they make a large show.
Among Cages officers is Gen. Howe,
a British nobleman. He is selected to
command British force that will dis
pute with the Middlesex farmers the
possession of the Charlestown hill.
Two thousand men are detailed for
this assault. All the forenoon is con-
sumed in getting this battering-ram
ready for it's hill work.
In the meantime the farmers are re-
ceiving reinforcements. Gen. Putnam,
a host in himself, arrives in the night.
Gen. Joseph Warren comes early in
the morning from WATERFOWL, by way
of Cambridge.
Seth Pomeroy of Northampton, a
venerable pilgrim of 70 years, tramps
over Charlestown neck, his fowling
piece over his shoulder. He is cheered
by his fellow-farmers.
Col. John Stark brings a detach-
ment of New Hampshire troops
These men are variously stationed.
Between the hill and Mystic river
there is a stretch of low ground and
Of elevated land, and the farmers have
just been moving the June grass.
There is a rail fence, set in a stone
wall, that runs toward the Mystic
The farmers stuff the space between
the rails with the mown grass. There
lis an uncovered territory between the
redoubt and the wall Of stone, rails
and grass. The British will be quite
likely to make flank movement and
go up this way. The farmers can but
know this, and they wait-for what
life or death? -. ..... -
Now, let us go back to the British
force in Boston. 1t seems a long time
to wait until noon, and the sun pours
down it's sharp June heat. -..
? N ,#s.z=-s@ -
Redcoats Embark for Action. ...<s5
The British troops are finally ready,