But the inhabitants of East Florida had never joined in the opposition to British policy, and therefore that province still enjoyed an unfettered commerce with the mother country.

The committee of safety at Charleston, which had been appointed by the provincial congress, authorized twelve persons to sail to the coast of Florida, where they surprised a ship with twelve British soldiers on board; took out 15,000 pounds of gunpowder, for which they gave the captain a bill of exchange; and although pursued, escaped safely to Charleston with their prize. In that agitated state of the public mind, and while the provincial congress was sitting, Lord William Campbell, governor of the province, arrived, and was received with the usual demonstrations of joy. The congress waited upon him with an address, in which they represented the cause of their proceedings; declared that love of innovation had no influence on their councils; that they had been forced to associate and take up arms, with no other view than that of defending their lives, liberties, and properties; and they entreated his excellency to assure his majesty of their loyal attachment. His lordship returned a prudent and conciliatory answer.

The people of Georgia, who had hitherto declined a participation in the colonial policy, about this time abandoned their cautious neutrality; espoused the cause of their countrymen; and appointed delegates to attend the continental congress. Thus the whole of the thirteen provinces were arrayed in opposi'ion to Britain.

CHAPTER III.

The British house of commons had been dissolved in September, 1774; and a new parliament met on the 30th of November following. On opening the session, the king's speech related chiefly to the insubordination in the province of Massachusetts Bay, and the refractory spirit manifested in the other colonies; and it concluded by expressing his majesty's determination to maintain the authority of the legislature over every part of the British empire.

On the 1st of February, the Earl of Chatham made another attempt toward reconciliation; and brought in the outlines of "a provisional act for settling the troubles in America; and for asserting the supreme legislative authority and superintending power of Great Britain over the colonies." But, after a keen dis cussion, the bill was rejected, without being allowed to lie upon the table. The house of commons refused to receive any petition from congress; and the ministry, encouraged chiefly, it has been said, by the representations of Mr. Hutchinson, late governor of Massachusetts Bay, resolved to enforce obedience to the obnoxious acts.

The plans of the cabinet, being now fully formed, soon developed themselves. Lord North, who had the management of the house of commons, moved an address to the king, and a conference with the lords upon it, in order that it might be the joint address of both houses. The address thanked the king for the communication of the American papers; declared that, from those papers, parliament found that a rebellion actually existed within the province of Massachusetts Bay; that the parties concerned in it had been countenanced and encouraged by unlawful combinations and engagements entered into in several of the other colonies; that parliament could never relinquish any part of the sovereign authority over all the dominions by law vested in his majesty and the two houses

of parliament; that they ever have been and always will be ready to pay attention and regard to any real grievances of his majesty's subjects, which shall in a dutiful and constitutional manner be laid before them; but at the same time they beseech his majesty to take the most effectual measures to enforce due obedience to the authority of the supreme legislature; and in the most solemn manner they assured him that, at the hazard of their lives and fortunes, they would stand by him against all rebellious attempts, in the maintenance of the just rights of his majesty and of the two houses of parliament.

The address wore such a portentous aspect, that it roused all the energies of the members in opposition, and appalled some even of the staunch adherents of the ministry; but it was carried by large majorities, and, on being presented, met with a gracious reception.

Every motion in parliament tending toward conciliation was rejected; and every petition against the coercive acts was disregarded. To one from the city of London, presented to the king on the 10th of April, his majesty replied, "It is with the utmost astonishment that I find any of my subjects capable of encouraging the rebellious disposition which unhappily exists in my colonies in North America. Having entire confidence in the wisdom of my parliament, the great council of the nation, I will steadily pursue the measures which they have recommended for the support of the constitutional rights of Great Britain, and the protection of the commercial rights of my kingdom." A few petitions in favor of the ministerial policy were presented; but as it was easy to procure them from dependants and expectants, at any time, and in any cause, they made no impression on the public mind, and afforded but a feeble support to the measures of the cabinet.

The administration having exhausted their legislative sagacity on America, began without delay to display their military talents against the colonists. Toward the end of April, they despatched Generals Howe, Clinton, and Bur

goyne to that country, and soon afterward ordered a number of transports to sail from Cork with reinforcements to General Gage.

Near the end of May the session of parliament was closed; and on the evening of the 28th of that month, Captain Derby, who had been despatched by the colony of Massachusetts Bay with an account of the events of the 19th of April, to their agent in London, reached that city. Rumors of the tidings which he brought soon circulated; but it was not till the 9th of June, when Captain Brown of the Silkey, who had sailed four days before Captain Derby, with despatches from General Gage to government, arrived in London, that the public was fully apprized of the transactions in the vicinity of Boston. For those events the public mind was in some measure prepared by what had before happened; and consequently, although the news was unpleasant, yet they excited no great surprise. The ministry prepared for active operations, and ordered six regiments of infantry to hold themselves in readiness to embark for America.

The blood shed at Lexington loosened the social bond in America, and almost dissolved the fabric of society. The great mass of the people was held together by their common apprehensions and common indignation; but in the provinces of New England, the people, for a short time, acknowledged no supreme authority to direct their operations. Every man considered himself his own master, and at liberty to pursue such measures as he deemed most expedient for the common welfare. Accordingly, a gentleman of the name of Ethan Allen, a militia colonel, in conjunction with some others, planned an expedition against Ticonderoga.

The importance of securing the communication between Quebec and the refractory colonies, by the Lakes Champlain and George, had been early perceived by the Americans; and Colonel Allen, without waiting for instructions from any constituted authority, successfully executed the project. At the head of a body of armed men he hastened toward Ticonderoga, and on his march was joined by Arnold, already raised to the rank of colonel. The commandant of Ticonderoga, without the least suspicion of his post being in danger, was somewhat remiss in the discipline of his small garrison; and, early on the morning of the 10th of May, he was surprised in bed by Allen, Arnold, and a few of their followers, who had entered the fort, and made themselves masters of it without any loss. On being ordered to surrender, he asked by what authority he was required to do so. Allen replied, "I demand it in the name of the great Jehovah, and of the continental congress." The congress, however, knew nothing of the matter; nor was its first meeting held till some hours after the transaction. The same party made themselves masters of Crown Point, situated near the southern extremity of Lake Champlain, as Ticonderoga is at the north end of Lake George. They also surprised Skenesborough, and a sloop of war, the only vessel belonging to the royal navy on those lakes. In this way, Allen and Arnold took upward of 100 pieces of cannon, and some ammunition and stores; and gained possession of Lake Champlain.

On the 10th of May the general congress met, when deputies from twelve colonies appeared. Georgia had not yet joined the confederacy. The congress chose Peyton Randolph president; but that gentleman being obliged to return home on the 24th of the month, they placed John Hancock in the chair. On receiving information of the enterprise and success of Allen and Arnold, the congress earnestly recommended it to the people of New York and Albany to remove the cannon and stores of Crown Point and Ticonderoga to the south of Lake George; and to take an exact inventory of them, that they might be returned on the restoration of the former harmony between Britain and the colonies. They agreed to present a second petition to the king, similar to that of the preceding year; but, at the same time, resolved that the colonies be put in a pos

ture of defence. They recommended to the colonists to collect salepetre and sulphur, and to manufacture gunpowder for the use of the united provinces They resolved to raise troops, and made every preparation for maintaining their privileges by force, if humble representations and petitions should prove unsuccessful.

But, amid all these warlike preparations, the greater number of the deputies had no intention of separating from Britain, or of aspiring to independence. They were resolutely determined to defend their privileges, but aimed at nothing more; although, even at this early period, a few were fully convinced that the contest must terminate either in absolute submission or complete independence. The congress addressed a letter to the oppressed inhabitants of Canada, styling themselves their friends and countrymen. Its obvious design was to inspire the Canadians with jealousy or hatred of the British government, and to gain their good will and co-operation in the measures which they were then pursuing.

On the 15th of June congress proceeded to choose, by ballot, a commander-inchief of the provincial or continental forces, and unanimously elected George Washington to that arduous office. We have already alluded briefly to his early history, and to his early military services. These had established his character as a sagacious warrior, a man of sound understanding, undaunted courage, and inflexible integrity. In addition, he enjoyed, in a high degree, the confi dence of his countrymen, and had been chosen one of the deputies to congress for his native province of Virginia. He had used neither solicitation nor influence of any kind to procure the appointment; and when the president informed him of his election, and of the request of congress that he would accept the office, he stood up in his place, and addressed the president in the following terms: "Though I am truly sensible of the high honor done me by this appointment, yet I feel great distress from a consciousness that my abilities and military ex perience are not equal to the arduous trust. But, as the congress desire it, I will enter on the momentous duty, and exert every power I possess in their service, and for the support of the glorious cause. I beg they will accept my cordial thanks for this high testimony of their approbation." He besought congress to remember that he thought himself unequal to the command with which they had honored him; that he expected no emolument from it, but that he would keep an exact account of his expenses, and hoped they would reimburse him.

The congress afterward chose Artemas Ward, Charles Lee, Philip Schuyler, and Israel Putnam, major-generals, and Horatio Gates adjutant-general. On the 22d of June they appointed Seth Pomeroy, Richard Montgomery, David Wooster, William Heath, Joseph Spencer, John Thomas, John Sullivan, and Nathaniel Greene, brigadier-generals.

While the continental congress was busily employed in taking such measures as they deemed best for the general safety, the provincial congress of Massachusetts Bay, and the colonial troops encamped before Boston, were not without their cares and toils The American army being entirely unaccustomed to military subordination, many of the militia came to camp, stayed a few days, and then returned home. The army, which at first amounted to 20,000 men, dwindled down to less than a third of that number, and gave no flattering prospect of success in a protracted contest with regular troops. But some skirmishes happened, on occasion of bringing off cattle from the islands in the vicinity of Boston, in which the Americans were successful; and this encouraged them.

In the end of May and beginning of June, Generals Howe, Burgoyne, and Clinton, with reinforcements from Britain, arrived at Boston. The British general, in common with his troops, indignant at being cooped up by a force which all despised, resolved on active operations; but every movement which they made was watched with an attentive eye by zealous Americans in Boston, who

found means to penetrate into every design before it was carried into execution, and to transmit secret intelligence to the American headquarters. About the middle of June, it was suspected that General Gage intended to cross the river Charles, on the north side of Boston, and take possession of Breed's or Bunker's Hill, in the peninsula of Charlestown. That peninsula has the river Mystic, or Medford, on the north, and the river Charles on the south, separating it from the peninsula of Boston. It is level toward the sea; but, nearly opposite Boston, a considerable eminence runs across the peninsula, between the rivers Medford and Charles, at the bottom of which, on the banks of the last-named river, stood Charlestown, opposite Boston.

On the night of the 16th of June, upward of 1,000 Americans, under Colonel William Prescott, were ordered to proceed to this eminence, and entrench themselves upon it. The movement was not without difficulty and danger; for British vessels of war were lying both in the Medford and Charles, on each side of the narrow peninsula. But the provincials marched to the place in profound silence; and about midnight began their operations. They labored with such assiduity, that before the dawn of day they had thrown up a breastwork nearly across the peninsula, and constructed a small redoubt on their right.

FIG. 59.-Throwing up Entrenchments on Bunker's Hill.

About four in the morning of the 17th of June, the American works were observed by the captain of the Lively sloop of war, lying in the river Charles, who instantly began a heavy fire upon them, and was soon joined by the other ships, and by the battery on Copp's Hill at Boston. The Americans steadily continued their labors under a furious cannonade and an incessant shower of balls and bombs; but so harmless was this fearful noise that they lost only one man in the course of the morning. As in this post the Americans overlooked Boston, it was thought necessary to dislodge them; and for this purpose, soon after midday a detachment of British troops, under the command of Generals Howe and Pigot, crossed the river in boats, and landed near the point of the peninsula; but on observing the formidable position of the Americans, they waited for a reinforcement, which soon arived. Meanwhile the steeples and the roofs of the houses in Boston, the eminences in the adjacent country, and the ships in the rivers were crowded with anxious spectators, agitated by different hopes and, fears, according to their different attachments and interests. The main body of the American army encamped beyond Charlestown Neck, were looking on; and Generals Clinton and Burgoyne, and other British officers of high rank, took their station in the battery on Copp's Hill to view the approaching conflict.