Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-09-09
HISTORIC SWORDS.
A Pair That Did Duty at the Bat
tie of Bunker Hill.

pair OF c'aSped hands over the door or
rhe building Of the Massachusetts His
torical society
Both these swords were used in the
heroic duel Of June Il. 11T5. the one by
the commander Of the patriot forces.
the other by the captain of one Of the
British war vessels which bomharded .
CharleStown and protected the cross
ing Of the English troops. And for |
many years these swords. which had /
not been beaten into plowshares after !
the Scriptural prophecy. but which had |
become the symbols Of peace Deverthe- !
less. hung upon the wall of great |
American historian whose father was |
the son of the American commander |
and whose wife was the granddaugh- |
ter of the British captain.
Ii was to these weapons that Thack- |
cray referred in the very first para !
graph OF his novel The Virginians."
which reads thus:
"On the library wall Of one OF the
most famous writer's of America there
hang two crossed swords. which his
relatives wore in the great War of In
dependence. The one sword was gal
/ lantly draw in the service OF the
king. and the other was the weapon Of
the brave and hOnOred republican sol
der. The p0ssesSOr Of the harmless
trophy has earned for himself name
/ alike honored in his ancestors country
+ and his own. where genius such as his
! has always n peaceful welcome"
William Hickling Prescott. author Of
/ nf I'd NJ n6
and Isabella" and other fascinating
histories. the grandson in his paternal
! line Of Colonel William Prescott. who
/ bed the hill against the British grena-
/ dierS and gave the world the first taste
! Of the valor OF the ContineGtalS and
! whose wife was the granddaughter of
/ Captain John Linzee of the royal navy.
who commanded the sloOp OF war Fai-
con during the battle. was the writer
TO whom Thackeray referred.
The only son Of Colonel Prescott Of
Bunker I'LL. named for his father, was
born thirteen years before the battle
was fought in CharleStown. This son
was educated at Harvard graduating
with the class OF 1893 Admitted 10 the
bar in 1857. he became eminent in his
profession and accumulated fortune.
His wife WAS Catherine Green HEX
ling the daughter of a Boston mer-
chant who was aftPrward consul in the
Azores. The future historian was their
son.
Captain John Linzee on that April
day in 1T15 was charged with the duty
of cannonadinG the rebels and cover
ing the passage of the British soldiers.
The British ships OF war were moored
u various points in front of the
'!hai'eS;own peninsula.
Thru. years after the battle. on Aug.
y. l1fS. the Falcon was sunk off
Newpnrt II. l.. to prevent its capture
by tie French feet under Admiral
D'EStaing.
This Captain Linzee's daughter. Han
nah Linzce. became the wife Of one
OF the leading merchants OF Boston,
Thomas c. Amory. and it was the
daughter OF Thomas and Hannah
Amory. Susan AmOry. whom William
u Prescott married Thus the TWO
swords came into the possession of one
family.
The historian bad a degree of pride
in his ancestry and liked To discourse
ul,uu urcnSiOn about these swords In
this respect ne reSrmhIed Sir Waiter
Scott. The weapons used To hang over
tn" recess of The great window in his
lir'ary used commonly aS reception
room where tAey were the more con
spiCuouS hecauce Of the thousands OF
books. the buSNS and the pictures by
which they were surrounded. 1t was
from the room Of the scholar that these
ancestral memorials were removed to
the quarters Of the historical society.
That happened IN this wise:
Upon tn" death of the historian II
was found that the thirteenth item in
his will read thus. The sword OF
Colonel William Prescott. worn by
him in the battle of Bunker HIN. l
give to the Massachusetts Historical
society as a curiosity suitable TO he
preserved among their collections. and
the sword which belonged to my
wifr's grandfather. Captain Linzee Of
tine British royal navy. who command
ed one Of the enemy's ships during the
same battle. | give To my WIFE
when William II Gardiner on April
II. 1874. sent letter to Robert G.
Winthrop. president of the Historical
eociety. formally conveying the infor'
m1tion that the swords were to be
come the property OF the institution
he said as 10 the LinZee sword. Mrs
, Prescott and the other heirs of Cap
trin Iinzee unite in requesting me to
present at the same time in their be
halr the sword Of their ancestor also
thPt the two. enriched by ali the mem
cries which now belong to them. may
= still hang together on its walls"
Il The letter read. a cover was re
moved from packet on the officers
! table. and there were the swords.
crossed presumably as they had been
= on the library wall and as they are
tndsy.-RostoB Herald.