The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-01-04

our people lmprudently spoke aloud
that our powder was all gone, which
being heard by some of the regular
officers they encouraged their men to
march up to the trenches with fixed
bayonets and enter them; on which
our people were ordered to retreat,
which they did with all speed, till
they got out of musket shot. They
then formed, but were not pursued.
"In the meantime six of the British
men-of-war and four of their floating
batteries were brought up, and these
kept up continual fire on the cause
way that leads on to Charlestown;
our people retreated through the fire:
but not without the loss of many in
dead and injured.
sour loss is sixty men in killed and
missing and about one hundred and
forty wounded. The brave Doctor
Warren is among the former, and Col
onel Lardner among the latter. We
left six field pieces on the hill. Our
people are now entrenched on Pleas
ant Hill within cannon shot of Bun
ker Hill. The loss of the kings
troops must be very considerable; the
exact number one cannot tell. If our
people had been supplied with ammu-
milton they would have held posses
sion most carefully. The enemy have
begun firing on RoXbury with fire.
brands to set it on fire, but have not
yet succeeded.
"Our people are in high spirits and
are very earnest to put this matter
on another trialr
The Second Letter.
The second letter, written from on
board one of his majesty's ships in
Boston harbor to a gentleman in Lon
don, on June %, reads as follows:
"On the evening of the 10th we
were informed that the Provincials
were erecting battery on the heights
near CharlestOwn and that they in
tended from thence to lombard the
city of Boston. Early on the 18th we
were alarmed with an account that
they had been at work upon it all
night and had nearly completed it. We
were Immediately ordered to land
some battalions and in the meantime
our great guns were fired against
those who appeared to be busily en-
ployed at the battery. Whether our
shots did not reach far enough to Gre
ate any confusion among them, or it
fn I
not say; but certain it is that the
moment they discovered the landing
of our troops they formed in order
of battle and so far from retreating,
as we expected, they marched towards
us with the utmost GOODNESS and reg
ularity. ..... ...
Nothing can exceed the panicky
and apparent dislike of most of the
kings troops to enter into this en-
gagement. They, for the most part,
openly express a dislike to the service
in which they are engaged, and moth
ing but the fear of military punish
ment prevents their daily deserving.
The generals, perceiving the strength
and order of the Provincials, ordered
reinforcement to join the troops al.
ready landed, but before they came
up, the cannonading on both sides be-
gan. The Provincials poured down
like a torrent, and fought like men
who had no care for their persons;
they disputed every inch of the ground.
and their number were far superior
to ours. The kings troops gave way
several times and it required the ut
most efforts of the generals to rally
them. At the beginning of the en-
gagement many of them absolutely
hot a fire from the Americans. The
latter feigned a retreat in order, as
we suppose, to draw our troops after
them and by that means to cut them
in pieces, and we are informed that
the enemy had reserve of four thou
sand men for that purpose.
THE kings troops, concluding that
the Americans quilted the field
through fear, pursued them under
that apprehension but did not proceed
far enough to be convinced by that
fatal experience which was, as we
hear, designed for them, of their mis-
take. The engagement lasted up
wards: of four hours and ended in
.initelS to our. disadvantage. The
flower of our army are killed and
wounded. During the engagement
Charlestown was set on fire by the
kings troops in order to stop the
progress of the Provincials, who after
their sham retreat returned to attack
them; but think it was a wanton act
of the kings troops who certainly aft
er they had Joined the main body of
our army, had no occasion to take
that method of retarding the return
of the Americans who, upon perceiv-
ing that their General Ward stood
still without reserve. laid aside their
intentions.
"Our troops are Sickly, and a great