THE FORTIFICATIONS IN BOSTON. 329 Boston soon after the British troops left it, have given partial descriptions of their appearance. "We found," one says, "the works upon the Neck entire, the cannon spiked up, the shells chiefly split, and many of the cannon carriages cut to pieces; these lines upon the Neck were handsomely built, and so amazingly strong that it would have been impracticable for us to have forced them. The other works were not so well constructed as I imagined we should have found them, especially at the bottom of the common, and on Beacon Hill. They appeared to be ill-constructed, and designed for little but to frighten us." 1 Dr. Warren had an opportunity of seeing the forts as they were left by the enemy, and describes their appearance. Two redoubts, situated in the neighborhood of Beacon Hill, appeared to me, he says, "to be considerably strong. There were two or three half-moons at the hill upon the bottom of the common for small arms, and there were no embrasures at the redoubt above mentioned. Just by the shore, opposite Lechmere's Point, is a bomb battery, lined with plank, and faced with a parapet of horse-dung, being nothing but a simple line; near it lies a thirteen-inch mortar, a little moved from its bed. This is an exceeding fine piece, being, as I am sure, seven and a half inches thick at the muzzle, and near twice that over the chamber, with an iron bed all cast as one piece, the touch-hole spiked up. Just above it, upon the ascent of the hill, was a three-gun battery of thirty-two-pounders. The cannon are left spiked up, and shot drove into the boxes. There was only a simple line, being plank filled with dirt. Upon Beacon Hill were scarcely more than the fortifications of nature, a very insignificant shallow ditch, with a few short pickets, a platform, and one twenty-four-pounder, which could not be brought to bear upon any part of the hill. This was left spiked up, and the bore crammed. Copp's Hill, at the north, was nothing more than a few barrels filled with dirt, to form parapets, three twenty-four-pounders upon (a) platform, left spiked and crammed; all these, as well as the others, on carriages. The parapet in this fort, and on Beacon 1 Edward Bangs' Ms. Diary,—for which, and for other favors, I am indebted to J. Wingate Thornton, Esq. Hill, did not at all cover the men who should work the cannon. There was a small redoubt behind for small arms, very slender indeed. Fort Hill was only five lines of barrels filled with earth, very trifling indeed. Upon the Neck the works were strong, consisting of redoubts, numbers of lines with embrasures for cannon, a few of which were left as the others. A very strong work at the old fortification, and another near the hay-market. All these were ditched and picketed. Hatch's Wharf was a battery of rafters, with dirt, and two twelve-pounders, left as the others. One of these I saw drilled out and cleared for use, without damage. A great number of other cannon were left at the north and south batteries, with one or both trunnions beat off. Shot and shells in divers parts of the town, some cartridges, great quantities of wheat, hay, oil, medicine, horses, and other articles, to the amount of a great sum." Washington was evidently surprised at the formidable character of the main works. "The town of Boston," he writes, "was almost impregnableevery avenue fortified." Charlestown presented one unbroken scene of desolation here and there only a wall or a chimney. Dr. Warren, on the 21st of March, visited it, and described it as follows:"This day I visit (ed) Charlestown, and a most melancholy heap of ruins it is. Scarcely the vestiges of those beautiful buildings remain to distinguish them from the mean cottages. The hill which was the theatre upon which the bloody tragedy of the 17th of June was acted commands the most affecting view I ever saw in my life. The walls of magnificent buildings tottering to the earth below above, a great number of rude hillocks, under which are deposited the remains of clusters of those deathless heroes who fell in the field of battle. The scene was inexpressibly solemn. When I considered myself as walking over the bones of many of my worthy fellow-countrymen, who jeoparded and sacrificed their lives in these high places; when I considered that whilst I (was) musing (on) the objects around me, I might be standing over the remains of a dear brother, whose blood had stained these hallowed walks; with veneration did this inspire me. How many endearing scenes of fraternal friendship, STATE OF CHARLESTOWN. 331 now past and gone forever, presented themselves to my view! But it is enough. The blood of the innocent calls for vengeance on the guilty heads of the vile assassins. O may our arms be strengthened to fight the battles of our God! When I came to Bunker Hill I found it exceeding strong. The front parapet, about thirteen feet high, composed of earth contain (ed) in plank, supported by huge timber, with two lookouts upon the top. In the front of this were two bastions, and a semi-circular line, with very wide trenches, and very long pickets as well as trenches. Within, the causeway was secured with a and brush. All that part of the main fort which was not included with (in) (the) high works above mentioned, viz., the rear, was secured by another parapet, with a trench picketed inside as well as out. There was a half-moon which commanded the river at the side." Washington pronounced this work "amazingly strong." "Twenty thousand men," he says, "could not have carried it against one thousand, had that work been well defended." This work was destroyed by the American troops immediately after the British evacuated the town. Dr. Warren describes the other works in Charlestown as follows: "There was a block-house upon School-house Hill, enclosed by a very strong fence spiked, and a dungeon and block-house upon Breed's Hill, enclosed in a redoubt of earth, with trenches and pickets. The works which had been cast up by our forces had been entirely levelled." " 3 1 Dr. Warren's Diary. Some of this interesting Ms. is hardly legible. 2 The barracks attached to this fortress were moved into various parts of Charlestown, and improved for dwelling-houses. The low building opposite .he City Hall, in Bow-street, on the Austin estate, was one of these barracks. The groundwork of this fortress could be, until recently, very distinctly traced. 3 I have been often informed that the redoubt and works raised by the Americans were entirely levelled by the British while they were in possession of Charlestown. Contemporary accounts, however, (except the one in the text,) do not indicate this. In Waller's Orderly Book, (Ms.,) kept in Charlestown, there are several allusions to the "Rebel Redoubt." 'A guard was immediately (June 19) stationed "in the redoubt stormed by the army; it was ordered (June 20) to be cleared, and a shed built in it, to shelter the guard; the posts and rails were ordered (June 21) to be "carried to the redoubt, and piled up in order." The tools in the camp were ordered |