USA > Connecticut > The history of Connecticut, from the first settlement of the colony to the adoption of the present constitution, vol. II > Part 22
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General Washington had long been desirous of bringing on an engagement with the enemy, as soon as the ice should be firm enough to admit of his crossing over from Cambridge to Boston with his army. On the 16th of February, he laid before the council of war a written proposition and question couched in these terms : " A stroke well aimed at this critical juncture may put a final period to the war, and restore peace and tranquility so much to be wished for ; and therefore whether, part of Cambridge and Roxbury bays being frozen over, a general assault should not be made on Boston ? " *
This important question was debated by the officers in council with entire freedom and great ability. It appeared, from the form in which the question was put, as well as from his remarks in council, that Washington was in favor of making the attempt. He was strongly seconded by Putnam, who was of the opinion that some bold step ought to be taken, that the enemy would be found off their guard, and might be easily driven from the town. Indeed, this had
* Gordon, ii. 24.
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long been the sentiment that pervaded the ranks of the Con- necticut troops, who knew that the inhabitants of the colony which they represented, were anxious that something should be done that would bring the war to a speedy close.
But General Ward, who always preferred to err on the side of prudence, and General Gates, who usually made a virtue of dissenting from any opinion that was advanced by Washington, were decidedly opposed to the measure, and it was voted down: When we remember how little General Howe expected of the American army, and how the British officers were in the habit of spending their nights, we are disposed to think that the plan proposed by Washington and advocated by Putnam would have resulted in driving the enemy from Boston, and would have put a speedy termina- tion to the war.
The next best plan that seemed at all practicable, was the one advanced by General Ward, of getting possession of Dorchester Heights, and driving the enemy into an engage- ment. This proposition was agreed upon, and the manage- ment of the affair was committed to General Ward, General Thomas of Massachusetts, and General Spencer of Connec- ticut, who had the command in that quarter. The militia now began to pour in from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the other New England colonies, and the preparations for this important military movement went forward so rapidly and so openly, that fears began to be entertained that the British generals would suspect the object of their coming and anticipate it .*
General Spencer, and the officers and soldiers from Con- necticut who were under him, made very vigorous exertions in laboring night and day when the weather would permit. By the 26th of February, they had got in readiness forty- five batteaux large enough to carry eighty men each, and two floating batteries, stationed at the mouth of Cambridge river, so that they might throw a large body of troops into the west of Boston should the enemy dispatch a correspond-
* See Gordon.
251
WASHINGTON CANNONADES BOSTON.
[1776.]
ing number of men for Dorchester Heights. A council of war was now called to hit upon the time for the attempt.
It was finally suggested that the sally should be made on the night of the 4th of March, as it was believed that the action would in that event take place on the 5th, a day most inspiring to the New England soldiers, as it was the anniver- sary of the Boston Massacre .* Colonel Mifflin, the Quarter- Master-General, not only proposed that time, but advocated it against the powerful influence of General Gates. After a long debate, that night was selected by a majority of only one vote.t
Among other provisions for this nocturnal exploit, the sur- geons prepared two thousand bandages for broken limbs and other dangerous wounds. The sight of these suggestive preparations did not in the least dampen the ardor of the troops, who looked forward to the coming engagement with- out a shadow of apprehension as to its success.Į
To divert the attention of General Howe from his real design, Washington opened a heavy cannonade upon the town on the night of the 2d of March, from batteries that had been erected upon Cobble Hill, Lechmere Point, and Roxbury. This firing was kept up all that night and the two succeeding ones. The cannon, mortars and howit- zers had many of them been taken by the enterprise of Connecticut at Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and brought over while the lakes were frozen, to speak their first notes in behalf of American liberty. Shells, too, and shot, had been furnished from his majesty's store and ordnance brig at New York, in such quantities that the British were aston- ished at the din that seemed to indicate that the rebels were provided with inexhaustible supplies of ammunition. On the night of the 4th of March, the cannon and mortars opened furiously upon the town, and were answered by the shot and shells from the British batteries.§
Gordon, ii. 25.
+ Botta, i. 315. # Gordon.
§ See Botta, i. 315 ;
Gordon, ii. 26.
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
A covering party of eight hundred men now moved for- ward ; next followed ox-carts loaded with intrenching tools, and then the main body of working men to the number of twelve hundred, under the immediate command of General Thomas ; next in order came a second train of carts to the number of three hundred, piled high with fascines and bundles of pressed hay, each weighing about eight hundred pounds. These last were placed on the low ground of Dor- chester neck, on the side next to the enemy, as a protection for the troops in passing over it. As the plan had been matured under the calm eye of Washington, and had received all the impetus that could be imparted to it by such men as Putnam, Thomas, and Spencer, its execution exhibited the combined elements of regularity and force in equal perfection .*
The silent celerity of the party affords a striking contrast to the booming guns that are now discharged with redoubled violence, and the shells that seem, at irregular intervals, to set the very heavens on fire as they burst and drop their harsh fragments upon the gray ice or hollow ground. As soon as the covering party came upon the ground, it divi- ded-half of the men advancing to that point nearest to Boston, and the other half to that next to the castle. The
roads were well crusted over by the continued action of the frost, and the teamsters with their long whips and urgent whispers plied their oxen with such success, that many of them made three trips, and some four, during the night. The wind favored the intrenching party so much, that whatever noise was made in driving the stakes, and breaking through the crusts of the ground, was blown into the harbor, between the castle and the town. The old engineer, Gridley, who had laid out the redoubt on Breed's Hill, superintended the works, and it is needless to say, that they were placed in the right spot to annoy both town and castle. By 10 o'clock at night the two parties had erected
* Gordon, ii. 26 ; Botta, i. 316.
-
253
ASTONISHMENT OF GENERAL HOWE.
[1776.]
each a fort, that afforded a perfect screen against musket balls and grape shot .*
The night was warm and mild, and they kept on working merrily till three in the morning, when they were relieved. Throughout the whole of that night a soft moonlight shone mildly in the faces of the intrenching party, while a thick haze clinging around the shoulders of the heights and inter- posing its dun masses between them and the town, hid their summits from the sight of the British sentinels and officers looking out from their posts of observation, in confused bewilderment, at the sound of so many guns and the burst- ing of the shells.
It was not until after day-break that General Howe was made aware of the change that had been effected during the night. As he looked up at the forts through the skirts of the fog that was now fast melting into thin air, they seemed to be much larger than they really were. It is not surprising that those castles in the air filled him with astonishment, and that he exclaimed in his perplexity, "I know not what I shall do ; the rebels have done more in one night than my whole army would have done in months ;"+ nor that in his cooler moments he wrote to Lord Dartmouth,-" It must have been the employment of at least twelve thousand men." His officers saw the work through the same misty medium, as one of them expressed himself in a letter to a friend,- " They were raised with an expedition equal to that of the Genii belonging to Aladdin's wonderful Lamp."į But after all, whether seen in the haze of morning, or in the light of noon, it was obvious that they were likely to prove trouble- some to the town ; and what was worse, Admiral Shuldham was not backward in expressing a decided opinion that the fleet must quit the harbor, or the Americans must be driven from the heights.
Such a military leader as General Howe could not hesitate a moment what course to pursue. He knew what was expect-
* Gordon, ii. 26, 27. t Gordon, ii. 27. # Frothingham, 295.
,
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
ed of him by the British Government, and resolved not to dis- appoint the hopes of the ministry. Besides, he had much of personal honor and character at stake, and he was one of those heroic natures that prefer death to disgrace. With such an army as he had under his command, with such a train of artillery, and after all his written assurances of the weakness of the enemy, to be driven by them from his winter-quarters, would be mortifying beyond endurance. He determined, therefore, to attack the new forts with a force adequate to drive the Americans from them. He ordered two thousand four hundred men to embark in transports, repair to castle William, and at night make an attack upon the works. These were the best men in the army, and were committed to the charge of Earl Percy, the very pattern and mirror of chivalry .*
Washington had made his arrangements with the precis- ion that marked all his movements. Boston is so placed at the foot of high hills and commanding ridges, that he could see every step taken by the British in the camp, in the batteries, and upon the wharves. He had also established between Cambridge and Roxbury, signals upon the eminen- ces, by means of which he could instantly convey intelli- gence from Dorchester Heights to Roxbury, and from Rox- bury to Cambridge. It had been arranged that in case a detachment of the enemy should leave Boston for the intrenchments and be defeated, as they inevitably must have been, the tidings should be instantly sent to Cambridge, where General Putnam, with four thousand choice troops, arranged in two divisions under Sullivan and Greene, was to be in readiness to embark in boats near the mouth of Charles river, and under cover of three floating batteries, make an attack upon Boston. The first of these divisions was to land at the powder-house and get possession of Beacon Hill, while Greene was to land near Barton's Point, secure that post, and then joining Sullivan, break down the gates and let
* Frothingham, 299 ; Botta, i. 317.
255
PREPARATIONS FOR AN ATTACK.
1776.]
in the troops from Roxbury .* The inhabitants of the neighborhood now began to assemble on the tops of the hills, as they had done on the morning of the 17th of June.+
Washington was in high spirits at the admirable work- ing of his plan, and, elated with the prospect of an imme- diate engagement, went himself to Dorchester Heights, and inspected the works. He found them already in a state of formidable completeness. The sides of the hills were very steep, making the ascent difficult, and rows of barrels filled with earth were placed in front of the works, secured by small stones and ready to be rolled down upon the advancing columns of the enemy.}
Meanwhile, Earl Percy's detachment advanced to the landing place, where the transports awaited them. They are observed to look pale and dejected, and a man in front of whose door they are drawn up, hears them muttering to each other, as they look up towards the heights, "It will be another Bunker Hill affair, or worse." As they get into the boats, the Americans, not doubting but they intend to make an immediate attack, clap their hands with eager joy, while Washington, with a face suddenly transformed from the expression of grave earnestness that had before marked his demeanor, to that of a fierce and terrible avenger, cried out in a voice that rang like a silver bugle along the American lines, " Remember-it is the fifth of March-and avenge the death of your brethren!" The effect of this speech was tremendous, as those transitions always were by which this wonderful man passed on such occasions in an instant from one mood to another so totally different.§
Putnam had already drawn up his men in battle order, and with the small stock of patience that he could command, awaited the signal from Cambridge that was to bring him
* General Heath was offered the command of one of these divisions, but de- clined it ; "and remained," says Gordon, " in perfect safety with the troops left in Cambridge."
+ Gordon. # Botta, i. 317. § See Gordon, Botta, Frothingham.
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
with his four thousand men to a point where he could exhibit to British regulars the efficiency of American marksmen, when provided with that gift of the gods that he had so ear- nestly prayed for during the early part of the winter-an abundance of "powder." But he, as well as his superior officers, was doomed to disappointment. In the afternoon, the wind blew so violently that the transports could not be brought near the shore, and the boats could not have lived a moment in the surf that rolled against the rocks where they proposed to land. Three of the transports were driven ashore. A storm succeeded that night, such as had not been known to rage on the coast for years ; and towards the morning it began to rain with great violence .*
On the 6th, General Howe called a council of war, and it was soon agreed that there was now left to the army no other course than to evacuate the town as speedily as possi- ble. General Howe advised to the measure, and made a speech to the council in favor of it, as the only means now left to them of saving the fleet and army.
The morning of the 7th opened with hurry and prepara- tion. This bustle was not confined to the troops. The tories shared in it, and were as little anxious to quit the warm nest where they had spent the winter, as the troops them- selves. They had a great deal of baggage to carry with them, and there were so many in the town that General Howe found he had not vessels enough to accommodate all his passengers.t
On the 8th a flag was sent out from the selectmen to General Washington, informing him that General Howe was about to depart, and that he was disposed to leave the town standing, if he could be assured that the American army would not interrupt him while he was making ready to embark. Washington received the deputation with kindness, but refused to make any pledges, though he expressed friend- ly feelings towards the inhabitants of Boston. The news
* "Siege of Boston," p. 300. + Gordon, ii. 29.
257
HOWE PREPARES TO EVACUATE BOSTON.
[1776.]
that Howe had determined to evacuate Boston, fell heavily
1 upon the hearts of the tories. "Not the last trump," wrote Washington, in his nervous, strong style, " could have struck them with greater consternation."*
The British ships now gathered around the town in hostile array, threatening to destroy it should any demonstration be made from the American forts. Washington, on the 9th, went forward to Bird's Hill, and erected a new battery that was in fearful proximity to the British ships. On the night of the 9th, a detachment was sent to throw up works on Nook's Hill. This so alarmed General Howe that he opened a heavy cannonade upon it, which was kept up all night.t In the morning, he began to hasten his preparations for de- parture. Then followed for several days, in defiance of his orders, a series of robberies and plunderings under the super- intendence of a New York tory, that did more than any thing before had done toward informing the citizens which party were their real friends. All this time, Washington was in doubt whether the British General really intended to quit the town. On the night of the 13th, he called a coun- cil of war at Roxbury, where he met Ward, Putnam, Thomas, Sullivan, Heath, Greene, and Gates. It was resolved that if Boston was not evacuated the next day, to fortify Nook's Hill on the following night. It was also determined that the rifle battalion and five regiments should march the next day for New York. These regiments were under command of Stark, Webb, Patterson, Greaton, and Bond.§
On the night of the 16th, Washington sent an intrenching party to Nook's Hill, that began in good earnest to fortify it. The British ships opened upon them and kept up a continued fire all night. The Americans did not return it, but kept on
* Frothingham, 301, 302. The British general seemed to have a special regard for the royalists, whose hospitality he had so often shared, and now he sought to reciprocate their favors in various ways.
+ Frothingham, 305. " More than eight hundred shot were fired during the night. Five Americans were killed, and the works at Nook's Hill were sus- pended."
# Crean Brush, Esq. § " Siege of Boston," p. 309. 49
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
with their work. This resolute step brought matters to a crisis. Early on the morning of the 17th General Howe began to embark his army. At 9 o'clock the garrison left Bunker Hill, and the British and tories began to swarm upon the wharves. The troops stationed at Cambridge and Rox- bury now paraded. General Putnam at the head of several regiments soon after embarked in boats on Charles river, and joyfully took possession of Bunker Hill. He ordered another detachment into Boston, while the rest of the troops marched back to Cambridge .*
Meanwhile, General Ward, with five hundred men under the immediate command of Colonel Learned, entered the town from the Roxbury side. The command of the whole was assigned to General Putnam, who proceeded to take possession of all the posts and strongholds in the neighbor- hood, in the name of "The Thirteen United Colonies of North America."t More than one thousand tories, includ- ing members of the council, custom-house officers, commis- sioners, and all the other parasites that climb around the columns of provincial dominion, together with the British commander-in-chief and his baffled army of eleven thousand veteran troops, witnessed from the decks of their ships this spectacle, so mortifying to them, but so glorious to the thou- sands who looked down from the neighboring hills, and rent the sky with the charmed word, " Liberty."
* Frothingham. + Frothingham, 310.
CHAPTER XI.
BATTLE ON LONG ISLAND.
As a part of the hostile fleet lingered for some ten days in Nantasket Roads, about nine miles below Boston, Wash- ington still remained there with the main body of his army. It was not until the last vestige of the enemy had disappear- ed, that he deemed it safe to spare Putnam from the camp, where he still proposed to remain for awhile, until he could perfect a plan of operations for the opening campaign. It was now obvious that the enemy were bound for New York, where General Heath, who had been dispatched by the way of Norwich, with the whole body of riflemen and five bat- talions of the continental army, had already arrived. It was of course necessary, after leaving a suitable garrison at Boston to complete the works that had been begun there and to protect the place, that the main body of the army should be sent forward to New York as speedily as it could be done without confusion, in order that the works which had been abandoned by General Lee might be finish- ed, and preparations made upon a scale adequate to repel the invasion of the enemy. On the 29th of March, there- fore, Washington ordered General Sullivan with six battal- ions to begin their march for this new field of operations. Provisions were also made that the rest of the army should follow in divisions, at such intervals as would be found most convenient to provide accommodations for them on their march. On the same day, he gave General Putnam written instructions to hasten to New York, take the com- mand of the army there, and superintend the completion of the works. He was ordered to fortify the city, and secure " the passes of the East and North rivers."* The confi-
* Humphreys, p. 102, 103.
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
dence reposed in the bravery and skill of Putnam by the commander-in-chief, and the deep affectionate interest that he felt in him, is beautifully exhibited in the following con- cise yet delicate paragraphs :
" Your long service and experience will, better than my particular directions at this distance, point out to you the works most proper to be first raised ; and your perseverance, activity and zeal will lead you, without my recom- mending it, to exert every nerve to disappoint the enemy's designs.
"Devoutly praying that the Power which has hitherto sustained the American arms, may continue to bless them with the divine protection, I bid you Farewell."*
Thus invested with the most important charge in the con- tinental army, Putnam, by those long forced stages of his, in which he surpassed all other military leaders of that day, hastened to his destination. He found everything in New York in a state of disorder. Although the war had already raged for nearly a year, yet the British ships found no difficulty in supplying themselves from the town with an abundance of fresh water and provisions.
Scarcely had Putnam arrived there, when he resolved to put an end to this intercourse. With this view he published the following prohibition :
" Head Quarters, New York, April 8, 1776
" The General informs the inhabitants, that it is become absolutely necessary that all communication between the ministerial fleet and the shore should be immediately stop- ped ; for that purpose he has given positive orders, that the ships should no longer be furnished with provisions. Any inhabitants, or others, who shall be taken, that have been on board, after the publishing this order, or near any of the ships, or going on board, will be considered as enemies, and treated accordingly.
"All boats are to sail from Beekman slip. Captain James * Humphreys' Life of Putnam, p. 104.
261
PUTNAM AND SPENCER IN NEW YORK.
[1776.]
Alner is appointed inspector, and will give permits to oyster- men. It is ordered and expected that none attempt going without a pass.
" ISRAEL PUTNAM,
" Major-General in the Continental Army,
and Commander-in-chief of the forces in New York."*
It was soon evident that a living soul had at last been breathed into the army at New York. Almost at the same instant, Putnam forwarded a detachment of one thousand continental troops to occupy Governor's Island, a regiment to fortify Red Hook, and several companies of riflemen to protect the Jersey shore. The enemy soon found that it was impossible for them to go ashore for food and water. Of two boats that made the attempt to get fresh water, one was driven off the shore by the riflemen, with two or three men killed, and the other was captured with its whole crew.
Within a very few days Captain Vanderput, the senior officer of the ships stationed there, and who had immediate command of the Asia, (whose cabin was for a long time, the state saloon of His Excellency, Governor Tryon,) finding it impossible to submit to the scanty accommodations allowed him by Putnam, weighed anchor and sailed off with the whole fleet in disgust, so that when Washington arrived, about the middle of April, not a British sail was to be seen in the waters that surrounded New York. In the most hearty terms Washington thanked him for his promptness and fidelity. He was ordered to take the chief agency as before of the fortifications, and with the assistance of Briga- dier-General Spencer, of Connecticut, and Lord Sterling, of New Jersey, to assign to the different corps of the main army all the alarm posts.t
While Connecticut is thus represented in a neighboring province by Putnam, Spencer, and others of her brave sons, who are seen to play a chief part that still hallows the envi-
* Humphreys, 105. +Frothingham.
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HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
rons of New York with so many associations, let us cast a glance at the deliberations of her statesmen and councilors in the executive chamber and legislative halls.
On the 14th of June, Governor Trumbull convoked by his special order, "a General Assembly of the Governor and company of the English Colony of Connecticut, in New Eng- land, in America." The records of the session open with a preamble that is so characteristic of our people, and such a fine specimen of the composition of the greatest of all the colonial governors of that era, that I cannot forbear making an extract from it in this place. After reciting the fact that we have an existence and rights that are beyond the reach of any earthly power, and alluding to the attempt of the British government to deprive us of them, the record pro- ceeds in the following terms :
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