Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-08-31
HISTORIC SWORDS
A Pair That Did Duty at the Bat
tile of Bunker Hill.
z IN THAT CONFLICT.
Now They Are Ciasped IN Peace In the
Massachusetts Historical Society
Building-A Legacy From the His-
torian Prescott and His Wife.

Massachusetts Historical Society
Building-A Legacy From the Hie-
torian Prescott and His Wife.
The most impressive memorials OF
the battle Of Bunker Hill are the huge
shaft over in Charlestown and a pair
OF swords which hang crossed like a
pair OF clasped hands yer the door or
the building Of the Massachusetts His
lorical society.
Both these swords were used in the
heroic duel Of June Il. 1915. the one by
the commander OF the patriot forces.
the other by. the captain Of M of the
British war vessels which bombarded
Charlestowu 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 neverthe-
less. hung upon the wall Of a great
American historian whose father was
the SOP of the American commander
and whose wife was the granddangb
ter OF the British captain.
1t was 10 these weapons that Thack
cray referred in the very first para
graph Of his novel The Virginians,''
which reads thus:
ION 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 drawn in the service Of the
king. and the other was the weapon Of
the brave and honored republican sol
der. The poSsessor of the harmless
trophy has earned for himself a name
alike honored i'm his ancestors country
and his own. where genius such rs his
has always a peaceful welcome"
William Hickling Prescott. author of
1.-THE Conquest Of Mexico" Ferdinand
and Isabella" and other fascinating
histories. the grandson in his p%aternal
line Of Colonel William Prescott. who
held the hill against the British grena
diers and gave the world the first taste
Of the valor Of the Continentals and
whose wife was the granddaughter of
Captain John LinZee Of the royal navy.
who commanded the sloop Of war Fal
con during the battle. was the writer
to whom Thackeray referred.
The only son of Colonel Prescott of
Bunker Hill. 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 1888. Admitted to the
bar in 1877. he became eminent in his
profession and accumulated a fortune.
His wife was Catherine Green Hick-
ling. the daughter of a Boston mer-
chant who was afterward consul in the
Azores. The future historian was their
son.
Captain John Linzee on that April
day In 1775 was charged with the duty
of ~cannonading the rebels and over
ing the passage of the British soldiers.
The British ships Of wal were moored
at various points in front of the
Charlestown peninsula.
Three years after the battle. on Aug.
8. IT'S. the Falcon was sunk Off
Newport, r. l.. TO prevent its capture
by the French feet under Admiral
D'Estaing.
This Captain Linzee's daughter. Han
nah LinZee. became the wife Of
of the leading merchants Of Boston,
Thomas O.. Amory. and it was the
daughter of Thomas and Hannah
Amory. Susan Amory. whom William
Fl. Prescott married. Thus the two
swords came into the possession of one
family.
The historian had a degree of pride
in his ancestry and liked TO discourse
upon occasion about these swords. in
this respect he resembled Sir Walter
Scott. The weapons used TO hang owe
the recess of the great window in his
library used commonly as a reception
room. where they were the more on
spicuous because Of the thousands OF
books. the buSts and the pictures by
which they were surrounded. Ii was
from the room of the scholar that these
ancestral memorials were removed 10
the quarters of the historical society
That happened in this wise;
Upon the 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. i
give to the Massachusetts Historical
society as a curiosity suitable TO be
preserved among their collections. ana
the sword which belonged TO my
wife's grandfather. Captain IinZee or
the British royal navy. who command
ed one Of the enemy's ships during the
same battle. ! give IN my wife"
When William ii. Gardiner on April
u. 1859. sent a letter 10 Robert G..
Winthrop. president of the Historical
society. formally conveying the infor
nation that the swords were to be-
come the property or the institution
he said as to the Linzee sword. Mrs
Prescott and the other heirs of Cap
tain L.inzee unite In requesting me To
present at the same time in their he
half the sword Of their ancestor also.
that the two. enriched by All the mem
cries which now belong to them. may