. The popular history of England : an illustrated history of society and government from the earliest period to our own times . army having possession of these two hills on the north,and of Dorchester heights on the south, would have Boston at its British generals had seen the importance of the acclivities of CharlesTown, and had determined to land a force to take possession of them on the18th of June. This became known to the Massachusetts Committee of Safety ;and it was resolved to anticipate the movement of the British, by establishinga post on Bunkers HiU. After sunset on the 16
. The popular history of England : an illustrated history of society and government from the earliest period to our own times . army having possession of these two hills on the north,and of Dorchester heights on the south, would have Boston at its British generals had seen the importance of the acclivities of CharlesTown, and had determined to land a force to take possession of them on the18th of June. This became known to the Massachusetts Committee of Safety ;and it was resolved to anticipate the movement of the British, by establishinga post on Bunkers HiU. After sunset on the 16th of June, a brigade of a * Walpole— Last Journals, vul. i. p. 431. t See Plan of Boston, in Maps of Lsefu. Knowledge Sooiety. 1775.] BATTLE OF BUNKERS HILL. 357 thousand men, under the command of William Prescott, assembled on Cam-bridge Common, armed mostly with fowling-pieces, and carrying their powderand ball in horns and pouches. A proclamation had been issued from theBritish head-quarters, that all persons taken in arms should be handed asrebels. The rebels marched on with a determination never to betaken Bunkers Hill. They crossed Charles Town Neck ; and took up their position, not on BunkersHill, as the Committee of Safety had proposed, but on Breeds Hill. Theyhad an engineer with them, and abundance of intrenching tools. The linesof a redoubt were drawn; aud the troops who, in their occupations of hus-bandmen had useful familiarity with spades and pickaxes, worked through thenight, whilst their commander anxiously listened for any extraordinary move-ment that would indicate they were discovered by the ships of war in theharbour. The defences were nearly completed as day dawned. Then theredoubt, which had arisen in the night as if by magic, was visible to theBritish naval and land officers, with throngs of men still labouring at theirentrenchments. The cannon of the Lively sloop commenced a fire upon theearth-works ; and a battery was mounted on the Boston si
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade188, bookpublisherlondon, bookyear1883
