My Dear Mercy Watertown
June 18th. 1775
The Extraordinary Nature of the Events which have taken place in the last
48 Hours has Interrupted that steady & only Intercourse which the situation
of publick affairs allows me. the Night before last our Troops possessd.
themselves of a Hill in Charlestown & had time only to heave up an Imperfect
Breastwork the regular Troops from the Batterys in Boston & two Men of War
in the Ferryway began early next Morning a Heavy Fire on them which was
Continued till about Noon when they Landed a large number of Troops & after
a Stout resistance & great Loss on their side dispossessd. our Men, who
with the Accumulated disadvantages of being Exposed to the fire of their
Cannon & the want of Ammunition & not being supported by fresh Troops were
obliged to abandon the Town & retire to our Lines towards Cambridge to which
they made a very handsome Addition last Night. with a Savage Barbarity never
practised among Civilized Nations they fired & have Utterly destroyed the
Town of Charlestown. We have had this day at Dinner another Alarm that they
were Advancing on our Lines after having reinforced their Troops with their
Horse, &c., & that they were out at Roxbury we Expected this would have
been an Important day. they are reinforced but have not Advanced, so things
remain at present as they were we have killed many men & have killed & wounded
about [six] hundred by the best accounts I can get. Among the first of which
to our inexpressible Grief is my Friend Doctor Warren who was killd. it
is supposed in the Lines on the Hill at Charlestown in a Manner more Glorious
to himself than the fate of Wolf on the plains of Abraham. Many other officers
are wounded and some killd. it is Impossible to describe the Confusion in
this place, Women & Children flying into the Country, armed Men Going to
the field, and wounded Men returning from there fill the Streets. I shant
Attempt a description -- your Brother borrowed a Gun, &c., & went among
the flying Bullets at Charlestown retd. last Evening 10 o'Clock. The Librarian
got a |
