CHAPTER XIII.
There were several more souvenirs of the Revolution shown the youngpeople by Captain Raymond that morning,--among them Boston's "LibertyTree," or rather the sculptured representation of it set within a nicheon the front of a house, and exactly over the spot on which the treestood before its destruction by the British during the siege of Boston.
"It was under that tree the association calling themselves 'Sons ofLiberty' used to hold their meetings," he said. "They met there in thesummer of 1765 when there was a great excitement over the passage ofthe Stamp Act by the British Parliament, and continued to do so untilthe destruction of the tree by the British during the siege of Boston,1775. It was called 'Liberty Tree' and the ground under it 'LibertyHall.'
"A newspaper of that time, the 'Essex Gazette,' of Aug. 31st, 1775,describes the destruction of the tree. It says, 'They made a furiousattack upon it and after a long spell of laughing, grinning, sweatingand foaming with malice diabolical they cut down the tree because itbore the name of Liberty. A soldier was killed by falling from one ofits branches during the operation.'"
It was dinner time when our party reached the hotel, where they hadleft Grandma Elsie and Violet with the little ones and their maids. Theladies had not cared to join in the morning's excursion as they wantedto do a little shopping, and had already seen Concord, Lexington, andthe places of historical interest in the city itself.
But Bunker Hill was to be visited that afternoon, and from that littletrip neither lady asked to be excused. They all went together, startingdirectly after leaving the table.
Every one greatly enjoyed the view from the top of the monument: it waslike a vast painting, showing them the city of Boston with its harbour,where could be seen vessels from almost every part of the world, andthe many towns and villages in its vicinity, each with its own story ofits struggles for liberty in "the days that tried men's souls." Far inthe northwest the higher peaks of New Hampshire's White Mountains werevisible: on the northeast they could discern the peninsula of Nahant,while still farther in the distance was Cape Ann.
The Captain gave them a brief account of the erection of the monument.
"It was not till 1824 that a movement was made to that end," he said."General La Fayette was at the time the nation's guest, and wasinvited to lay the corner-stone, which he did on the 17th of June,1825, the fiftieth anniversary of the battle.
"The Hon. Daniel Webster made an oration on the subject to an immensecrowd which had gathered for the occasion. There were forty of thesurvivors of the battle present, and probably La Fayette met more ofhis fellow-soldiers of that war then than at any other time or place."
"Was it finished in that year, Papa?" asked Lulu.
"No, indeed, my child; not for seventeen years. The last stone wasraised about six o'clock on the morning of the 23d of July, 1842, andwith it--waving the American Flag as he went up--was Mr. Edward Carnes,Jr., of Charlestown, the roar of cannon at the same time announcing theevent to the surrounding country."
"But that wasn't the anniversary of the battle?" remarked Rosie, in atone of inquiry.
"No," the Captain said; "but on the next anniversary,--June 17th,1843,--the monument was dedicated. Daniel Webster was the orator onthat occasion also, addressing a vast audience composed of citizens andsoldiers."
"Oh, how I would have liked to hear his speech, if only he could havewaited till I was in this world and old enough to understand what hewas talking about!" exclaimed Rosie.
A remark which called forth a good-humoured laugh from her hearers.
"Now, Papa, the next thing is to tell us about the battle of BunkerHill,--isn't it?" Lulu said with a bright, coaxing look up into hisface.
"I suppose so," he replied, with an indulgent smile. "But first let uslook at these cannon,--the 'Hancock' and the 'Adams;' you will readilyunderstand for whom they were named. They belonged formerly to theAncient and Honourable Artillery Company. This one--the 'Adams'--yousee is not sound; it was burst in firing a salute. You also see thatthey bear an inscription, which I shall read aloud for the benefit ofthe company:--
"Sacred to Liberty. This is one of four cannons which constituted the whole train of field-artillery possessed by the British colonies of North America at the commencement of the war, on the nineteenth of April, 1775. This cannon and its fellow, belonging to a number of citizens of Boston, were used in many engagements during the war. The other two, the property of the government of Massachusetts, were taken by the enemy. By order of the United States in Congress assembled, May nineteenth, 1788."
"What strong faith in God and the righteousness of their cause theymust have had, to begin a war with Great Britain with only four cannonin their possession!" remarked Grandma Elsie.
"Yes," responded the Captain; "and it was by His good help that theyconquered in spite of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in theirway. It was a fearful struggle, but with God and the armies of heavenon their side they could not fail.
"The events of that ever-memorable 19th of April were speedily heraldedover the whole land, from the scenes of their occurrence down to SouthCarolina and Georgia, west to the first settlers of Kentucky, and northto Montreal and Quebec.
"It electrified its hearers, and with one impulse they of thecolonies--soon to become States--sprang to arms. As Bancroft says,'With one spirit they pledged themselves to each other to be ready forthe extreme event.' With one heart the continent cried, 'Liberty ordeath!'
"The Massachusetts Committee of Safety sent a circular to the severaltowns of that State, conjuring them to encourage enlistments by everymeans in their power, and send the troops forward to headquarters atCambridge with the expedition that the urgency and importance of theaffair demanded. But the people had not waited for the call.
"Hearing of the slaughter of their brethren, men snatched theirfirelocks from the walls and rushed to the camp, often with scarcelyany preparation, some of them with almost no provision, no moneyin their pockets, and only the clothes on their backs. They werehastening to the defence of their country and their endangered brethren.
"So Boston was besieged; Prescott of Pepperell and his Middlesexminute-men kept watch over the entrance to that city. Gage was forcedto fortify the town at all points, while the Americans talked ofdriving him and his troops into the sea.
"New Hampshire sent men under the command of John Stark, a noble fellowwell known as brave, fearless, and worthy of all confidence.
"Israel Putnam was another, who, hearing the cry from Lexington, whichreached him on the morning after the battle, while he was helping hishired men to build a stone wall on his farm, hurried thither withoutwaiting to so much as change the check shirt he was wearing in thefield; though first he roused the militia officers of the nearest towns.
"He reached Cambridge by sunrise the next morning, having ridden thesame horse a hundred miles in eighteen hours. He was full of courageand love for his country, and hundreds had already chosen him for theirleader.
"Benedict Arnold was still another who made haste to Boston to assistin the siege. By the 21st of April it was estimated that twentythousand men were collected about that city.
"The battle of Bunker Hill, you will recollect, was not fought till the17th of June. During all the intervening time the Americans had keptthe British officers and their troops besieged in Boston, and they werebeginning to be much ashamed of their confinement.
"The Americans had decided to throw up a breast-work across the roadnear Prospect Hill, and to fortify Bunker Hill as soon as a supplyof powder and artillery could be obtained; but learning that Gagehad planned to extend his lines north and south over Dorchester andCharlestown, and had fixed upon the eighteenth of June for so doing,they decided to anticipate his movement, and on the fifteenth of thatmonth the Massachusetts Committee of Safety informed the Council of Warthat, in their opinion, Dorchester Heights should be fortified; andthey recommended unanimously the establishing of a post on Bunker Hill.
"The choice of an officer
to conduct the enterprise fell upon WilliamPrescott, who was colonel of a regiment; and the next evening a brigadeof a thousand men was put under his command.
"Soon after sunset they paraded on Cambridge Common. They were notin uniform as American troops would be in these days, nor had theysuch arms; for the most part they had fowling-pieces,--no bayonetsto them,--and only a small supply of powder and bullets, which theycarried in horns and pouches.
"Four days previously a proclamation had been issued threatening allpersons in arms against their sovereign with death under martial law,by the cord as rebels and traitors. That menace these men were thefirst to defy; and he, Prescott, was resolved 'never to be taken alive.'
"Langdon, the president of Harvard College, prayed fervently withthem. Then as it began to grow dark on that summer night, they marchedsilently and without noise across the narrow isthmus, taking with themtheir wagons with intrenching tools; and Prescott, calling around himhis officers and Richard Gridley, an experienced engineer, consultedwith them as to the spot on which they should erect their earthworks.
"Bunker Hill had been proposed by the committee, but Prescott hadreceived orders to march to Breed's Hill, and obeyed them. It wasnearer Boston, and he and his companions thought it better suited thanthe other for annoying the British in the town and the shipping in theharbour.
"So the engineer drew there, by the light of the stars, the lines of aredoubt nearly eight rods square. The bells of Boston had struck twelvebefore they began their work by turning the first sod, but every man ofthe thousand plied the pickaxe and spade in turn, and so rapidly thatthe parapet soon assumed form and height sufficient for defence, andPrescott said to himself, 'We shall keep our ground if some screen,however slight, can be completed before discovery.'
"He set a watch to patrol the shore, and twice went down to the marginof the water, on which three British vessels lay at anchor,--the'Lively' in the ferry between Boston and Charlestown, and a little tothe eastward of her the 'Falcon,' sloop-of-war, and the 'Somerset,' aship-of-the-line,--and listening intently he could hear the drowsy cryof the sentinels on their decks, 'All is well.'"
Captain Raymond paused and looked at his watch.
"It is time we were going," he said. "I will just point out to you allthe localities made interesting by the events of that day, and finishmy story on board the 'Dolphin,' to which we are just about to return.We may be in the way of other visitors here, but there will be quite toourselves, and an annoyance to no one."
They went back to their hotel, where the Captain left them for alittle, saying he had some purchases to make for use on the voyage, butwould return shortly to see them on board the yacht.
He was not gone very long, and on his return the entire party--withthe exception of Donald Keith who had bidden them farewell early thatmorning--returned with him to the "Dolphin," which presently sailed outof the harbour and pursued her way up along the New England coast.