Abraham Tomlinson

“ Howe and Putnam dashed on through the woods, and in a few minutes fell in with the French advanced guard, who were also bewildered, and were trying to find their way to the fort. A smart skirmish ensued, and, at the first fire, Lord Howe, another officer, and several privates, were killed. The French were repulsed, with a loss of about three hundred killed, and one hundred and forty made prisoners. The English battalions were so much broken, confused, and fatigued, that Abercrombie ordered them back to the landing-place, where they bivouacked for the night. ”

“ This is a mistake. It was Breed's hill, nearer Charlestown and Boston than Bunker's hill. Colonel William Prescott, and not General Putnam, was entrenched there, and was in command during the engagement. He had been sent with a company, the night before, about a thousand strong, to throw up a redoubt on Bunker's hill. He made a mistake, and performed the work on Breed's hill. The British had no suspicion of the work that went on during that sultry June night, and were greatly alarmed when they saw a formidable breastwork overlooking their shipping in the harbor, and menacing the city. ”

“ From the entire confidence we repose in your faithfulness and abilities, we consider it the happiness of this colony that the important trust of agency for it, in this day of unequalled distress, is devolved on your hands, and we doubt not your attachment to the cause and liberties of mankind will make every possible exertion in our behalf a pleasure to you ”

“ Three companies of the above detachment went forward about two miles. In the meantime, the provincial troops returned, to the number of about three or four hundred. We drew up on the Concord side of the bridge; the provincials came down upon us, upon which we engaged and gave the first fire. This was the first engagement after the one at Lexington. A continued firing from both parties lasted through the whole day. I myself was wounded at the attack of the bridge, and am now treated with the greatest humanity, and taken all possible care of by the provincials at Medford. ”

“ By common consent, as a rule of war, a person approaching one army from another, with a white flag, is respected as a neutral; and to "fire upon a flag," as the phrase is when the bearer is fired upon, is considered a great breach of faith and honor. ”

“ We, Joseph Butler and Ephraim Melvin, do testify and declare, that, when the regular troops fired upon our people at the north bridge, in Concord, as related in the foregoing depositions, they shot one, and we believe two, of our people, before we fired a single gun at them. ”

“ Intelligence of the tragedy soon spread over the country, and from the hills and valleys of New England thousands of men, armed and unarmed, hastened toward Boston, and formed that force (of which our Journalist was one) that, for nine months, kept the British army prisoners upon the peninsulas of Boston and Charlestown. By common consent, Artemas Ward, a soldier of the French and Indian war, was made commander-in-chief, and he performed the duties of that office with zeal until he was superseded by Washington, early in July, 1775. ”

“ The following is a literal transcript of a Journal kept by a common soldier named Samuel Haws, of Wrentham, Massachusetts, who appears to have been one of the minute-men, organized toward the close of 1774 and early in 1775. At that time there were about three thousand British troops in Boston, under General Thomas Gage, who was also governor of the colony of Massachusetts. He was popularly regarded as an oppressor; and act after act of the British government, during a year preceding, had convinced the American people that they must choose the alternative to submit or fight. ”

“ The English determined to oppose force to force; and in the vicinity of the now-flourishing city of Pittsburg, in western Pennsylvania, the "French and Indian War" began. Provincial troops were raised, and armies came from England. Extensive campaigns were planned, and attempts were made to expel the French from Lake Champlain and the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Finally, in 1758, three armies were in motion at one time against French posts remote from each other—Louisburg, in the extreme east; Ticonderoga, on Lake Champlain; and Fort Du Quesne, where Pittsburg now stands. ”

“ Yet he felt uneasy concerning the gathering of ammunition and stores by the patriots at Concord, sixteen miles from Boston; and on the night of (p. 050) the 18th of April, 1775, he sent a detachment of soldiers to seize them. They proceeded by the way of Lexington, where they arrived at dawn of the 19th. The expedition became known, and the country was aroused. When the British approached Lexington, they were confronted by about seventy minute-men. A skirmish ensued: eight patriots were killed, and several were wounded. That was the first bloodshed of the Revolution. ”

“ A severe engagement took place on Clear river, the west branch of Wood creek, about a mile northwest from Fort Anne village (then the site of a picketed blockhouse, called Fort Anne) , between a party of rangers and provincials under Rogers, Putnam, and Captain Dalyell, or D'Ell, and about an equal number of French and Indians under Molang, a famous partisan leader. The English troops were marching when attacked: Putnam was in front, with the provincials; Rogers was in the rear, with his rangers; and D'Ell in the centre, with the regulars. ”

“ On the previous day, General Putnam, with a strong detachment, broke ground at Cobble hill, where the M'Lean Asylum now stands. The object was to erect batteries for the purpose of cannonading Boston. It was expected the British troops would sally out of the city and attack them, and that expectation caused Washington to issue the order for all the troops to be ready for action at a moment's warning. ”

“ And we are confident your fidelity will make such improvement of them as shall convince all, who are not determined to be in everlasting blindness, that it is the united efforts of both Englands that can save either: but that whatever price our brethren in the one may be pleased to put on their constitutional liberties, we are authorized to assure you that the inhabitants of the other, with the greatest (p. 096) unanimity, are inflexibly resolved to sell theirs only at the price of their lives. ”

“ He was appointed to the command of some of the first troops raised in Connecticut for the French and Indian war in 1755, and was an active officer during the entire period of that conflict, especially while in command of a corps of rangers. He was ploughing in his field when the news of the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord reached him. He immediately started for Boston, and, at the head of Connecticut troops, was active in the battle of Bunker Hill. ”

“ The Americans sent for reinforcements, and, at about nine o'clock at night, some three hundred men and two pieces of cannon arrived, commanded by General Putnam in person, and accompanied by Dr. Warren as a volunteer. They compelled the British to abandon their sloop, and the Americans took possession of it. The British lost twenty killed and fifty wounded. The Americans had none killed, and only four wounded. They captured twelve swivels and four four-pound cannon, besides clothing and money. ”

“ Footnote 37: "The order of march," says Major Rogers, "exhibited a splendid military show." There were sixteen thousand well-armed troops. Lord Howe, in a large boat, led the van of the flotilla, accompanied by a guard of rangers and expert boatmen. The regular troops occupied the centre, and the provincials the wings. The sky was clear and starry, and not a breeze ruffled the dark waters as they slept quietly in the shadows of the mountains. Their oars were muffled, and, so silently did they move on, that not a scout upon the hills observed them ”

“ To give a particular account of the ravages of the troops, as they retreated from Concord to Charlestown, would be very difficult, if not impracticable. Let it suffice to say, that a great number of the houses on the road were plundered, and rendered unfit for use; several were burnt; women in childbed were driven, by the soldiery, naked into the streets; old men peaceably in their houses were shot dead ”

“ They destroyed the stores, and in a skirmish killed several more American citizens. The country was now thoroughly aroused, and the minute-men hastened toward Lexington and Concord from all directions. The British found it necessary to retreat, and nothing saved the whole troop sent out the night before from utter destruction, but a strong reinforcement under Lord Percy. The whole body retreated hastily to Charlestown, and across to Boston, with a loss, in killed and wounded, of two hundred and seventy-three men. ”

“ We sincerely hope that the great Sovereign of the universe, who hath so often appeared for the English nation, will support you in every rational and manly exertion, with these colonies, for saving it from ruin ”

“ Both your brothers were there; your younger brother with his company, who gained honor by their good order that day. He was one of the first to venture on board a schooner, to land upon the island." Mr. Adams was then in the Continental Congress, at Philadelphia. (Back)
Footnote 115: On Saturday, May 27th, a detachment of Americans was sent to drive all the live stock from Hog and Noddle's islands, near Boston. They were observed by the British, who despatched a sloop, a schooner, and forty marines, to oppose them. ”

“ Horn of Lieutenant Charles Wallace, of the 1st Royal Highland regiment, curiously engraved with the names and distances of all the fortified posts from Quebec to Albany, together with the name and rank of the wearer. It was obtained from an Indian after the battle of Saratoga.
Metal button, ploughed up on Quaker hill, Dutchess county, where a division of the American array encamped in the Revolution. It has the letters "U. S. A." raised on the surface. A number of other articles belonging to the camp have been found in the neighborhood. ”

“ He was acquitted, went to England, and, after suffering imprisonment for debt, returned to America, where he remained until the Revolution broke out. He took up arms for the king, and in 1777 went to England, where he died. His "Journal of the French and Indian War" is a valuable work. (Back)
Footnote 34: Israel Putnam, afterward the Revolutionary general. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in January, 1718. He was a vigorous lad, and in 1739 we find him cultivating land in Pomfret, Connecticut, the scene of his remarkable adventure in a wolf's den, so familiar to every reader. ”

“ At night some of our brave heroick Americans went Past the Enemys Brest Work at Bunker hill and burnt several housen at the foot of Bunker hill and took 5 men and 1 woman Prisoners and came of as far as copple hill when the flames began to extend and the enemy that were in the fort perceiving a number of men gather round the fire & suposing them to be our men they kept up a bright fire for the space of near half an hour upon their own men devillightfooly [201] they [202] ....
the 9. Nothing remarkable this day. ”

“ Every Private in our company was out upon duty that was able, & about 4 a clock we came in and the orders were that every man should make (p. 032) ready to fire 3 valleys [64] and first they fired the cannon at the Fort one after tother round the Fort which is 21 then the small arms & so 3 rounds a piece and then made a great fire on the Perrade and played round it & 1 Jil of Rum a man aloud for the frollic & a Barrel of Beer for a Company [65] & very wet knight. ”

“ Major Tupper, with three hundred men, attacked the working-party, killed ten or twelve men, and took the rest prisoners. He then demolished the works, but, before he could leave, some armed boats came to oppose him. In the skirmishing that ensued, fifty-three of the British were killed or captured. Tupper lost one man killed, and two wounded. (Back)
Footnote 141: A party of British troops sallied out toward Roxbury, drove in the American pickets, and burned the tavern which was situated upon the portion of the neck nearest Roxbury. ”

“ The arrival of these produced great joy in the camp. Colonel Moylan, describing the scene, says: "Old Put [General Putnam] was mounted on the mortar, with a bottle of rum in his hand, standing parson to christen, while god-father Mifflin [afterward General Mifflin] gave it the name of Congress."
On the 29th of November, Washington commenced planting a bomb-battery on Lechmere's point, with the intention of bombarding the British works on Bunker hill. They completed it in the course of a few days, entirely unmolested. ”

“ The enemy began to fire about eight oclock into the street but did no damage except slitely wounding one or too at night I went upon the piquet and Nothing remarkable hapened also their was a man put under guard for comeing on to the parade Drunk.
the 20. Nothing remarkable hapened this day the enemy fired one shot at our fatigue party but did no damage they fired over at Bunkers hill and threw several Bombs.
the 21. Last night I was on the door guard and this morning the enemy fired small arms at our men but did no Damage in the afternoon they fired canon but to no purpose. ”