judges were obliged to refign their offices, in order to preferve their lives and properties from the fury of the multitude. In fome places they fhut up the avenues to the court-houfes; and when required to make way for the judges, replied, that they knew of none but fuch as were appointed by the ancient ufage and cuftom of the province. Every where they manifefted the most ardent defire of learning the art of war; and every individual who could bear arms, was most affiduous in procuriug them, and learning their exercise.

Matters at laft proceeced to fuch an height, that General Gage, thought proper to fortify the neck of land which joins the town of Bofton to the continent. This proceeding was exclaimed againft by the Americans in the moft vehement manner; but the General, inflead of giving ear to their remonftrances, deprived them of all power of acting against himself, by feizing the provincial powder, ammunition, and military flores at Cambridge and Charlestown. This excited fuch indignation, that it was with the utmost difficulty the people could be reftrained froin marching to Bofton and attacking the troops. Even in the town itself, the company of cadets that used to attend him difbanded themselves, and returned the fandard he had as ufual prefented them with on his acceffion to the government. This was occafioned by his having deprived the celebrated John Hancock, afterwards prefidenc of the congrefs, of his commiffion as colonel of the cadets. A fimilar inftance happened of a provincial colonel having accepted a feat in the new council; upon which 24 officers of his regiment refigned their commiffions in one day.

In the mean time a meeting was held of the principal inhabitants of the towns adjacent to Bofton. The purport of this was publicly to renounce all bedience to the late acts of parliament, and to form an engagement to indem nify fuch as fhould be profecuted on that account; the members of the new council were declared violators of the rights of the country; all ranks and degrees were exhorted to learn the ufe of arms; and the receivers of the public revenue were ordered not to deliver it into the treafury, but retain it in their own hands till the conftitution fhould be restored, or a provincial congrefs difpofe of it otherwife.

A remonftance against the fortifications on Bofton Neck was next prepared; in which, they fill declared their unwillingness to proceed to any hollile meafures; afferting only their firm determination not to fubmit to the acts of parliament they had already complained fo much of. The governor, to refiore ranquility if poffible, called a general affembly; but fo many of the council had resigned their feats, that he was induced to countermand its fitting by proclamation. This meafure, however, was deemed illegal; the affembly met at Salem; and after waiting a day for the governor, voted them felves into a provincial congrefs, of which Mr. Hancock was chofen prefident. A committee was inftantly appointed, who waited on the governor with a remonftrance concerning the fortifications on Bofton Neck; but nothing of confequence took place, both parties inutually criminating each other. affembly however, in a fhort time, removed from Salem to Concord, a town about twenty miles from Bofton. The winter was now coming on, and the governor, to avoid quartering the foldiers upon the inhabitants, propofed to erect barracks for them; but the felect men of Bofton compelled the workmen to defift. Carpenters were fent for to New-York, but they were refused; and it was with the utmoft difficulty that he could procure winter lodings for his troops. Nor was the difficulty lefs in procuring clothes; and the mer

chants of New-York told him, "that they would never fupply anyarticle for the benefit of men fent as enemies to their country."

This difpofition, known to be almoft univerfal throughout the continent, was in the highest degree fatisfactory to congrefs. Every one faw that the enfuing fpring was to be the feafon of commencing hoftilities, and the moft indefatigable diligence was ufed by the colonies to be well provided against fuch a formidable enemy. A lift of all the fencible men in each colony was made out, and especially of those who had ferved in the former war; of whom he had the fatisfaction to find that two-thirds of them were alive and fit to bear arms. Magazines of arms were collected, and money was provided for the payment of the troops. The governors in vain attempted to put a flop to thefe proceedings by proclamations; the fatal period was now arrived; and the more the fervants of government attempted to reprefs the spirit of the Americans, the more violent it appeared.

In the mean time the inhabitants of Boston were reduced to great diftrefs The British troops, now diftinguished by the name of the enemy, were abfolutely in pollellion of it; the inhabitants were kept as prifoners, and mightbe made accountable for the conduct of the whole colonies; and various measures were contrived to relieve the latter from fuch a difagreeable fituation. Sometimes it was thought expedient to remove the inhabitants altogether; but this was impracticable without the governor's confent. It was then propofed to fet fire to the town at once, after valuing the houses and indemnifying the proprietors; but this being found equally impracticable, it was refolved to wait fome other opportunity, as the garrifon were not very numerous, and, not being fupplied with neceffaries by the inhabitants, might foon be obliged to leave the place. The friends of British government indeed attempted to do fomething in oppofition to the general voice of the prople; but after a few ineffectual meetings and refolutions, they were utterly filenced, and obliged to yield to the fuperior number of their adverfaries.

Matters had now proceeded fo far that every idea of reconciliation or friendship with Britain was loft. The Americans therefore, without ceremony, began to feize on the military flores and ammunition belonging to government. This firft commenced at New-Port in Rhode-Ifland, where the inhabitants carried off 40 pieces of cannon appointed for the protection of the place; and on being afked the reafon of this proceeding, they replied that the people had feized them left they fhould be made ufe of againft themfelves. After this the affembly met, and refolved that ammunition and warlike ftores should be purchafed with the public money.

New-Hampfhire followed the example of Rhode-Ifland, and seized a small fort for the fake of the powder and military flores it contained. In Penfylvania, however, a convention was held, which expreffed an earneft defire of reconciliation with the mother-country; though, at the fame time, in the ftrongest manner declaring, that they were refolved to take up arms in defence of their just rights, and defend to the laft their oppofition to the late acts of parliament; and the people were exhorted to apply themselves with' the greateft affiduity to the profecution of fuch manufactures as were neceffary for their defence and fubfiftence, fuch as falt, falt-petre, gunpowder fteel, &c. This was the univerfal voice of the colonies, New-York only excepted. The affembly of that province, as yet ignorant of the fate of their last remonftrance, refufed to concur with the other colonies in their determination to throw off the British yoke: their attachment, however was very faint, and by the event it appeared that a perfeverance in the mea No. 22.

fures which the miniftry had adopted was fufficient to unite them to the reft.

As the diflurbances had originated in the province of Maffachufett's and there continued all along with the greatest violence, fo this was the province where the first hoftilities were formally commenced. In the beginning of February the provincial congrefs met at Cambridge; and as no friends to Britain could now find admittance to that affembly, the only confideration was how to make proper preparations for war. Expertnefs in military difcipline was recommended in the ftrongest manner, and feveral military inftitutions enacted; among which that of the minute-men was one of the most remarkable. These were chofen from the most active and expert among the militia; and their business was to keep themfelves in conftant readinefs at the call of their officers; from which perpetual vigilance they derived their title.—It was now eafily feen that a flight occafon would bring on hoftilities, which could not but be attended with the most violent and certain deftruction to the vanquished party; for both were fo much exafperated by a long courfe of reproaches and literary warfare, that they feemed to be filled with the utmoft inveteracy against each other.

On the 26th of February general Gage having been informed that a number of field-pieces had been brought to Salem, dispatched a party to feize them. Their road was obftructed by a river, over which was a drawbridge. This the people had pulled up, and refufed to let down: upon which the foldiers feized a boat to ferry them over; but the people cut out her bottom. Hoftilities would immediately have commenced, had it not been for the interpofition of a venerable clergyman, who reprefented to the military on the one hand, the folly of oppofing fach numbers; and to the people on the other, that as the day was far fpent the military could not execute their defign, fo that they might without any fear leave them the quiet poffeffion of the drawbridge. This was complied with; and the foldiers, after having remained for fome time at the bridge, returned without executing their orders.

The next attempt, however, was attended with more ferious confequences. General Gage, having been informed that a large quantity of ammunition and military ftores had been collected at Concord, about 20 miles from Befton, and where the provincial congrefs was fitting, fent a detachment, under the command of colonel Smith and major Pitcairn, to destroy the ftores, and, as was reported, to feize fome of the leading men of the congrefs. They fet out before day-break, on the 19th of April, marching with the utmost filence, and fecuring every one they met on the road, that they might not be difcovered. But notwithstanding all their care, the continual ringing of bells and firing of guns as they went along, foon gave them notice that the country was alarmned. About five in the morning they had reached Lexington, 15 miles from Boston, where the militia of the place were exercifing. An officer called out to them to difperfe; but fome fhots, it is faid, being at that moment fired from a houfe in the neighbourhood, the military made a discharge, which killed and wounded feveral of the militia. The detachment then proceeded to Concord, where, having deftroyed the flores, they were encountered by the Americans, and a fcuffle enfued, in which feveral fell on both fides. The purpose of their expedition being thus accomplished, it was neceflary for the king's troops to retreat, which they did through a continual fire kept upon them from Concord to Lexington. Here their ammunition was totally expended; and they would have been unavoi dably cut off, had not a confiderable reinforcement commanded by lord Percy YOL. IV.

met them. The Americans, however, continued their attack with great fury; and the British would ftill have been in the utmost danger, had it not been for two field-pieces which lord Percy had brought with him. By thefe the impetuofity of the Americans was checked, and the British made good their retreat to Bofton with the lofs of two hundred and fifty killed and wounded and that of the Americans was about fixty.

By this engagement the fpirits of the Americans were fo raised, that they meditated nothing lefs than the total expulfion of the British troops from Bofton. An army of 20,000 men was affembled, who formed a line of encampment from Roxbury to Myftic, through a space of about thirty miles; and here they were foon after joined by a large body of Connecticut troops, under General Putnam, an old officer of great bravery and experience, By this formidable force was the town of Befton now kept blocked up. General Gage however, had fo ftrongly fortified it, that the Americans, durit not make an attack; while on the other hand, his force was by far too infignificant to meet fuch an enemy in the field. But toward the end of May, a confiderable reinforcement having arrived, with Generals Howe, Burgoyne, and Clinton, he was foon enabled to attempt fomething of confeqence; and this the boafts of the provincials, that they were befieging those who had been fent to fubdue them, feemed to render neceffary. Some fkirmishes in the mean time happened in the iflands lying off Boston, in which the Americans had the advantage, and burnt an armed fchooner, which her people had been obliged to abandon after fhe was left aground by the tide. Nothing decifive, however, took place till the seventeenth of June. In the neighbourhood of Charlestown, a place on the northern fhore of the peninfula on which Bofton ftands, is a high ground called Bunker's Hill, which overlooks and commands the whole town of Boston. In the night of the 16th the Americans took poffeffion of this place; and worked with fuch indefatigable diligence, that, to the aflonishment of their enemies, they had before day-light almost completed a redoubt. with a ftrong entrenchment reaching half a mile caftward, as far as the river Mylic. Af ter this they were obliged to fuftain a heavy and inceffant fire from the fhips and floating batteries with which Charlefon Neck was furrounded, as well as the cannon that could reach the place from Bofton; in fpite of which, however, they continued their work and finished it before mid-day. A confiderable body of foot was then landed at the foot of Bunker's Hill, under the command of Generals Howe and Pigot; the former being appointed to attack the lines, and the latter the redoubt. The Americans, however, having the the advantage of the ground, as well as of their intrenchments, poured down fuch inceffant vollies as threatened the whole body with deftruction; and General Howe was for a little time left almost alone, all his officers being killed or wounded. The Americans in the mean time had taken poffethon of Charlestown, fo that General Pigot was obliged to contend with them in that place as well as in the redoubt. The confequence was, that he was overwatched; his troops were thrown in diforder: and he would in all probability have been defeated, and that General Clinton advanced to his relief; upon which the attack was renewed with fuch fury, that the Americans were driven beyond the neck that leads to Charlestown. In the heat of of the engagement the British troops were obliged to fet fire to Charlestown, which quickly obliged the Americans to yield after they were deprived of that shelter. The iofs on the British fide amounted to about one thousand,

among whom were nineteen officers killed and feventy wounded; that of the Americans did not exceed five hundred.

The British troops claimed the victory in this engagement, though they allowed that it was dearly bought; and the Americans boafted that the real advantages were on their fide, as they had fo weakened the enemy that they durft not afterwards venture out of their intrenchments. From the many advantages, however, which the Americans poffeffed, it is evident that the greateft difplay of valour was on the fide of their enemies. The former were ftrongly entrenched, and most of their fortifications cannon proof; their foldiers were all chofen, and excellent marksmen, to whom mufkets ready loaded were handed as faft as they were discharged; and when one part was wearied, another came to their alliflance, as was perceived by the spectators on the tops of the houfes at Boston. Confidering, however, that this was the firft time the provincials had been in actual fervice, it is certain that they behaved with uncommon spirit, and by no means merited the appellation of cowards, with which they were fo often branded in Britain.

In other places the fame determined spirit of refiftence appeared on the part of the Americans. Lord North's conciliatory scheme was utterly rejected by the aflemblies of Pennsylvania and New-Jerfey, and afterwards in every other colony. The commencement of hoftilities at Lexington determined the colony of New-York, which had hitherto continued to waver, to unite with the reft; and as the fituation of New-York rendered it unable to refift an attack from the fea, it was refolved, before the arrival of a Britif fleet, to fecure the military flores, fend off the women and children, and to fet fire to the city if it was fill found incapable of defence. The exportation of provifions was every where prohibited, particularly to the Britif fifbery on the banks of Newfoundland, or to fuch colonies of America as fhould adhere to the British intereft. Congrefs refolved on the enablifhment of an army, and of a large paper-currency in order to fupport it. Lu the inland northern colonies, Colonels Eafton and Ethan Allen, without receiving any orders from Congress, or communicating their defign to any body, with a party of only two hundred and fifty men, furprised the forts of Crown Point, Ticonderoga, and the reft that form a communication betwixt the Colonies and Canada. On this occafion two hundred peices of cannon fell into their hands, befide mortars and a large quantity of military flores, together with two armed veffels, and materials for the conftruction of others. After the battle of Bunker's Hill, the provincials erected fortifications, en the heights which commanded Charlestown, and ftrengthened the rest in fuch a manner that there was no hope of driving them from thence; at the fame time that their activity and boldness aftonished the British officesr, who had been accustomed to entertain too mean an opinion of their courage.

The troops, thus fhut up in Boston, were foon reduced to diftrefs. Their neceffities obliged them to attempt the carrying off the American caule on the islands before Bofton, which produced frequent skirmishes; but the provincials, better acquainted with the navigation of thefe fhores, landed on the islands, deftroyed or carried off whatever was of any use, burned the light-house at the entrance of the harbour, and took prifoners the workmen fent to repair it, as well as a party of marines who guarded them. Thus the garrison were reduced to the neceffity of fending out armed veffels to make prizes indifcriminately of all that came in their way, and of landing in different places to plunder for fubfiftence as well as they could.