had received his appointment from the Massachusetts Congress as a major-general, was the occasion of great sorrow. The British considered his death as better for them than that of five hundred men. Charlestown was now a heap of ruins, the women and children barely escaping with their lives. General Joseph Warren was born in Roxbury, 1741, and was graduated at Harvard at the age of eighteen. His political sentiments were often in advance of public opinion; for he held that all taxation imposed by the British government upon the colonies was nothing less than tyranny. His firmness and decision as a leader were only equalled by the prudence and wariness of all his plans. He was twice chosen to deliver the oration on the 5th of March, in commemoration of the Boston Massacre. The second of these was pronounced in the Old South Meeting House, in defiance of the threats of the British officers, that any man who should make a public address on that anniversary should lose his life. He was a delegate to the Massachusetts Congress in 1774, over which he presided. He was chairman of the Committee of Public Safety, and as such exercised the executive power of the new commonwealth. . The re 262. Results of the Battle. sult of this battle on the one hand was to inspire courage in the minds of the colonists, and on the other to give to the British a clearer idea of the greatness of the task which they had undertaken. General Gage at once saw that it would be difficult to subdue America. To the Americans the consequences of the battle were equal to a decided victory. General Ward in a general order said: "We shall finally come off victorious, and triumph over the enemies of freedom and America." Dr. Franklin wrote to his English friends: "The Americans will fight; England has lost her colonies forever." On the other side, General Gage wrote to Lord Dartmouth: "The rebels are not the despicable rabble whom many have supposed them to be. The conquest of this country is not easy." CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE SIEGE OF BOSTON. 263. The Second Congress. On the 10th of May, 1775, a few hours after the surrender of Ticonderoga, the second Continental Congress met at Philadelphia. It was a notable body, and it had a remarkable work before it. Peyton Randolph was its first president. Its members were experienced and sagacious men. Among them were Washington, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry; Franklin, Jay, and Livingston; John Adams, Richard Henry Lee, and George Clinton; and others almost equally well known throughout the colonies, conspicuous for their ability and statesmanship. They sought a redress of grievances, but it soon began to appear that independence was their only means of relief. They listened to the narrative of the deeds at Lexington and Concord. They learned of the capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. It was apparent that a continental army must be organized. 264. Washington appointed Commander-in-Chief. A request for a continental army came from the Congress of Massachusetts, and John Adams suggested that Washington should be appointed commander-inchief. On the 15th of June, he was elected by a unanimous ballot. His commission styled him "General and Commanderin-Chief of the Army of the United Colonies." This phrase "The United Colonies" continued to be used until the Declaration of Independence substituted the name "The United States." Congress now assumed the defence of the country: it adopted a continental currency; it established a treasury de The "Washington Elm," Cambridge, Mass. partment; it organized a post-office department and appointed Franklin as postmaster-general; it created an army and appointed a general, four major-generals, and eight brigadier-generals. 265. The New Commander. The principal part of the army being in the vicinity of Boston, Washington repaired thither. He arrived. at Cambridge on the 2d of July. On the next day, the continental forces were formed in close column upon and around the Common. When they had been drawn up in order, Washington, beneath a tall elm-tree, whose long and graceful branches seemed to nod assent as they waved back and forth in the summer breeze, mounted his horse, drew his sword, and assumed command. This was almost one hundred and twenty-five years ago, yet the old elm is still standing, an object lesson in patriotism to multitudes of pilgrims, and a constant reminder of the great deeds of the fathers to the thousands of students gathered from all parts of our broad land within the halls of Harvard University. 266. Washington's Army. Washington was now forty-three years of age. He was tall, sinewy, well-proportioned. "His chest was broad, his figure stately, blending dignity of presence with ease." He was dressed according to the fashion of the time, in a "blue broadcloth coat, buff small-clothes, silk stockings, and a cocked hat." The army which Washington was to command numbered about fourteen thousand men. It was a motley crowd, badly clothed, poorly armed, with many unfit for service. In August, Washington divided his forces into three divisions, and placed them under command respectively of Generals Ward, Lee, and Putnam. The headquarters were at Roxbury, Cambridge, and Winter Hill. Washington made every effort to feed and clothe his army, and to bring them to a better condition of military discipline. He issued orders respecting profanity, gambling, religious bigotry, gossip, and indecency, which illustrate his conception of the character of a patriotic citizen soldiery. 267. The Winter of 1775-76.-The winter which followed was long and wearisome to all. All connection between Boston and the surrounding country was cut off, and Gage was completely penned up in the town. There was much suffering among the inhabitants from a scarcity of provisions. The British army endeavored to make the best of their situation. The Old South meeting-house was turned into a riding-school. Faneuil Hall became a play-house, where the officers appeared as actors, and balls and even a masquerade were planned. - 268. Boston evacuated. In March, Washington fortified Dorchester Heights by night. In the morning, Lord Howe, who was now in command of the British forces, was astonished to see these new intrenchments, which overlooked and threatened the city. General Clinton had advised him to fortify this height; his neglect |