THE

ENGLISH NATION.

General Gage.

BORN A. d. 1721.-died A. D. 1788

THIS officer was the second son of Viscount Gage. He entered the army in early life, and in April, 1774, was appointed governor of Massachusetts in the room of Mr Hutchinson, who, finding himself unable to curb the disaffected spirits in that province, applied for leave to return home.

The day after that on which Gage entered on the duties of his governorship, a meeting was called in Boston, and a general congress determined on. The first measures of the governor were mild and conciliatory; but the delegates to the congress, which met at Philadelphia, set his authority at defiance. They met on the day appointed; deliberated with closed doors; and drew up and published a declaration of rights. General Gage now recalled the writs which he had issued for convening the general court of representatives in October, but they met in direct contempt of his authority; voted themselves into a provincial congress, with Hancock at their head; appointed a committee to present a remonstrance to the governor couched in a very daring strain; and, on his refusing to recognise them as a lawful assembly, proceeded to exercise all the functions not only of the legislative but also of the executive power. At one of their subsequent meetings, a plan was drawn up for the immediate defence of the province; magazines of ammunition and stores were provided for 12,000 militia; and an enrolment was made of minute-men,-so called from their engaging to turn out with their arms at a minute's warning. General Gage foresaw the inevitable issue of such proceedings; but still confined himself to the mildest measures that were consistent with prudence and caution. He admonished the people not to be deceived by the provincial congress, nor led by their influence to incur the penalties of sedition and rebellion; he also proceeded to fortify the narrow isthmus called Boston Neck, which connects that town with the continent, by means o which the inhabitants became in some sort hostages for the behaviour

of the rest of their countrymen; he secured such magazines as were within his reach, and spiked the cannon of some batteries so as to prevent their being serviceable to an enemy.1

The colonists, nothing daunted by the governor's remonstrances, proceeded to put themselves in the best possible posture of defence. Provisions were collected and stored in different places, particularly at Concord, about twenty miles from Boston. General Gage determined to destroy the stores which he knew were collected for the support of a provincial army. Wishing to accomplish this without bloodshed, he took every precaution to effect it by surprise, and without alarming the country. At eleven o'clock at night on the 18th of April, 800 grenadiers and light infantry marched for Concord, under the command of Lieutenant-colonel Smith. About two in the morning, 130 of the Lexington militia had assembled to oppose them; between four and five o'clock in the morning the British troops made their appearance. Major Pitcairn, who led the advanced corps, rode up to them, and called out, "Disperse, you rebels! throw down your arms and disperse!" But they still continued in a body, on which he advanced nearer, discharged his pistol, and ordered his soldiers to fire. This was done, and with this act commenced the American war.

Intelligence that the British troops had marched out of Boston into the country on some hostile purpose, having been forwarded by expresses from one committee to another, great bodies of the militia, not only from Massachusetts but the adjacent colonies, marched to oppose them. Hitherto the Americans had had no regular army. From principles of policy they cautiously avoided that measure, lest they might subject themselves to the charge of being the aggressors. All their military transactions were carried on under the old established militialaws. For the defence of the colonies, the inhabitants had been enrolled in companies, and taught the use of arms. The laws for this purpose had never been more closely observed than for some months previous to the Lexington affair. Immediately after this encounter the forts and magazines throughout the country were for the most part taken possession of by parties of the provincial militia. Public money was also seized for common services. The provincial congress of Massachusetts voted that "an army of 30,000 men be immediately raised; that 13,600 be of their own province; and that a letter and delegate be sent to the several colonies of New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode island." In consequence of this vote, the business of recruiting was begun, and in a short time a provincial army was paraded in the vicinity of Boston, which, though far below what had been voted by the provincial congress, was much superior in numbers to the royal army.

On the 15th of June, George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of all the forces raised, or to be raised, for the defence of the colonies. When General Washington joined the American army, he found the British intrenched on Bunker's hill, having also three floating batteries in Mystic river, and a twenty gun ship below the ferry, between Boston and Charleston. They had also a battery on Copse's hill, and were strongly fortified on the Neck. The Americans were intrenched at Winter hill, Prospect hill, and Roxbury, communicating

1 Miller's History.