. The town of Shrewsbury, its location, advantages and attractions as a place of residence and for business . own that twice theattacking British troops were repulsed, and that it was only uponthe third attack, under Sir Henry Clinton, that the provincial sol-diers were forced to retire; Gen. Ward, it is said, was repeatedlyurged to reinforce the body of troops on the hill, but steadilyrefused. It is recorded that after the battle Col. Prescott, who felt little confidence in the results of the work he had done that day, wentto Gen. Ward and implored him to give him more troops that hemight ret
. The town of Shrewsbury, its location, advantages and attractions as a place of residence and for business . own that twice theattacking British troops were repulsed, and that it was only uponthe third attack, under Sir Henry Clinton, that the provincial sol-diers were forced to retire; Gen. Ward, it is said, was repeatedlyurged to reinforce the body of troops on the hill, but steadilyrefused. It is recorded that after the battle Col. Prescott, who felt little confidence in the results of the work he had done that day, wentto Gen. Ward and implored him to give him more troops that hemight retrieve the disaster and disgrace of the day, as he deemedit. He could not see that for a hundred years, and indeed for alltime, the American people would hold in the highest honor thevalor which that day ended in defeat though not disgrace. It wasa defeat which we can afford to celebrate ! Gen. Ward was severelycriticised, but there can be no question that he was guided by thesoundest judgment to decline to enter upon a task doubly attract-ive to him as a patriot and an intrepid soldier, but involving far. too great a risk to the slender resources of the provincials, andwhich even if most successful, could serve but little purpose in astruggle which for the greater part was a systematic avoidance otpitched battles. On the first of July, 1775, Washington, recendyelected by a unanimous vote Commander-in-Chief by the Provin-cial Congress, assumed command from the hands of Gen. Ward,under the historic elm at Cambridge, only fourteen days after thebattle of Bunker Hill. The world looks at the great future thenbefore Washington, but we can now see that great as were hisdifficulties, they would have been much greater had it not been II for the careful husbanding of the provincial strength due to themoral courage of Gen. Ward ; Gen. Ward said No, at a tryingmoment, when undoubtedly he himself, as well as others, wouldhave rejoiced could he have given assent. He showed then andthere the
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