USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Concord > History of the siege of Boston, and of the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. Also an account of the Bunker Hill Monument. With illustrative documents > Part 33
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > History of the siege of Boston, and of the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. Also an account of the Bunker Hill Monument. With illustrative documents > Part 33
USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lexington > History of the siege of Boston, and of the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. Also an account of the Bunker Hill Monument. With illustrative documents > Part 33
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40
The earliest work was done at the granite quarry in Quincy, discovered by Mr. Willard, and secured by the Association for a trifling sum ($325). A railroad - the first one built in the country - was constructed by another corporation, to convey the stones to the wharf in Quincy, where they were put on board flat-bottomed boats, towed by steam-power to Deven's Wharf, Charlestown, and thence carried to the hill on teams. But this repeated transfer defaced the stones so much, that, after a few courses of the monument had been raised, they were teamed directly from the quarry to the hill. The build- ing of the railroad delayed the prosecution of the work. It was not until December 1, 1826, that the building committee gave its instructions to Mr. Willard; and not until April 25, 1827, that a contract for teaming the stone from Deven's Wharf to the hill had been made with Thomas O. Nichols and John Pierce.
At length the community, in the spring of IS27, saw the
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347
SUSPENSION OF THE WORK.
monument fairly under way, and watched its progress with interest and pride. The estimated cost of the obelisk was one hundred thousand dollars. The original subscription, with a grant of seven thousand dollars from the state, amounted to $64,010.55. After deducting the sums paid for the land, for laying the corner-stone, and for various necessary expend- itures, the amount applicable to the building of the obelisk was only 833,576.40. This sum, and a loan of $23,400, supported it until January, 1829, and carried the obelisk four- teen courses- about thirty-seven feet-high. It was then suspended for the want of funds. During this period, Hon. Daniel Webster and Colonel Thomas H. Perkins were the presidents of the Association.
The work now encountered obstacles which it took years to overcome. It would require too much space to give the dark side of its history, - to detail the measures, in order to raise the required funds, that were suggested, attempted, and abandoned. In spite of the efforts of its friends, and of the appeals of the press, the work remained suspended. At length Amos Lawrence, Esq., who had taken a deep interest in its progress, and had rendered it essential financial aid, proffered a liberal conditional donation, in case the Massachusetts Char- itable Mechanic Association would make an effort to finish the monument. This offer was made April 24, 1833, in a written communication to several of the members of this institution, - his object being to have the monument con- pleted according to the original plan, and to keep the whole of the battle-field open to posterity.1 - It was laid before the
" This proposition was made in a letter addressed to Samuel T. Armstrong, Charles Wells, Joseph T. Buckingham, and J. P. Thorndike, members of the Mechanic Association. After stating his desire to see the monument completed, and the battle-field kept open, Mr. Lawrence stated that sixty thousand dollars would finish the monument, and do something towards orna- menting the grounds ; and that if the association would secure fifty thousand dollars within three months, he would pay five thousand dollars ; or he would pay ten per cent. on any less sum that should be in like manner secured. It is an interesting fact, also, that Mr. Lawrence, in his will, (made April 1, 1833,) had appropriated property to complete the monument, and preserve the whole battle-field open. His father, Deacon Samuel Lawrence, of Gro- ton, was in the battle ; and also his uncle, Lieut. Faucett, who died of his wounds in Boston.
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BUNKER HILL MONUMENT.
association May 2d, and aeted upon at a special meeting, May 16, when the Association voted to make the effort. It called a publie meeting in Fancuil Hall on the 28th, when Hon. Joseph T. Buckingham, its president, presided. George Blake, Ed- ward Everett, Charles G. Greene, and Judge Story, spoke - the records say - with "an eloquence adapted to the occa- sion." The meeting was large and enthusiastic. The thril- ling.speech of Hon. Edward Everett was widely circulated in handbills, and through the press. A new diploma was pre- pared, in which the two Associations were connected, and which was given to those who contributed, and were members. The Monument Association voted that the president of the Mechanic Association, ex officio, should be its first vice-presi- dent. But still vigorous effort, from various causes, was delayed ; and it was some time before subscription papers were returned.
Meantime the affairs of the Monument Association wore a more gloomy aspeet. The debt, originally contracted in the purchase of the battle-field, had increased to about thirty thousand dollars. The Mechanic Association determined that the amount they collected should be applied to carrying up the obelisk. When the proposition was made to sell portions of the land to pay the debt, it met with much opposition, and effort was made to defeat it. At length a committee (May 5, 1834) made an elaborate report, which recommended a sale of the land. It estimated the cost of raising the monument to the height of 121 feet, at $28,967.36 ; to raise it to 159 feet 6 inches, at $42,922.40 ; and to raise it 220 fect, at $55,576.40. After long discussions, it was voted that, when the monu- ment had been raised to the height of 159 feet it should be considered as completed ! The association voted (June 17, 1834) to sell the land, which was done, and $25,000 were realized.
In the mean time the amount secured on the subscription list warranted a renewal of the work. The Monument Asso- ciation (May 5, 1834) voted "to empower and request" the Mechanic Association to apply the moneys they had collected, or might collect, to complete the monument, "by raising the same to the elevation of 159 feet 6 inches," under "the
THE MECHANIC ASSOCIATION. 349
supervision of the executive committee of the corporation." 1 The Mechanic Association (June 4, 1834) authorized its own executive committee to carry this vote into effect. Accord- ingly, Solomon Willard was again employed as the superin- tendent. Work was commenced on the 17th of June, 1S34. The Mechanic Association collected $19,073.03. They also received the subscription known as "The Ladies' Fund," ($2937.90,) which the Monument Association voted to pay over to the Mechanic Association : total, $22,010.93. The obelisk was raised to the height of eighty-two feet. Charles Pratt was the master mason, though Mr. Savage, still em- ployed by Mr. Willard, continued to render the work assist- ance. The Association expended, through Mr. Willard, $18,321.77 ; and directly to the workmen, and for contingent expenses, $2952.66. It invested the balance of its moneys ($736.50) in shares of the Tremont Bank, which were subse- quently transferred to the Monument Association. Great credit is due to this patriotic institution for making this timely effort, and for the faithful manner in which it saw the funds applied. The president was Joseph 'T. Buckingham ; the treasurer was Uriel Crocker; and the building committee were Charles Wells, George Darracott, Jonathan Whitney, Charles Leighton, and Jolin P. Thorndike. They devoted to this work much time and labor. The president of the Monu- ment Association was Judge William Prescott.
Another interval was destined to elapse before it could be said that " A DUTY had been performed." New schemes were proposed to obtain the required means to finish the monument, and the press contained indignant appeals. It was announced at meetings of the directors, in 1839, that two gentlemen were ready to give ten thousand dollars eacli, provided a sum neces- sary to complete the monument could be raised. One was Amos Lawrence, Esq., of Boston, who thus again evinced the deep interest he felt in this work ; the other was Judalı Truro, Esq., of New Orleans, who thus manifested a lib-
1 The executive committee of the Monument Association consisted of Joseph T. Buckingham, William Sullivan, George Darracott, Nathaniel Hammond, John Skinner, W. W. Stone, J. P. Thorndike, Joseph Jenkins, Ebenezer Breed.
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BUNKER HILL MONUMENT.
eral patriotism, and his regard for the land of his early days. Stimulated by these offers, another subscription was proposed, but was deemed inexpedient ; and the proposal of a fair was reasoned down or ridiculed down. So unpropitious, indeed, seemed the hour, that in the succeeding annual report (June 17, 1840) it is remarked that it was exceedingly doubtful whether the present generation would have the pleasure to see the monument completed. The remark was repeated in one of the sewing-circles of Boston, when several ladies proposed to get up a fair in its behalf. The proposal met with imme- diate favor. It received the sanction (June 25, 1840) of the board of directors, and met with the approving sentiment of the community. A circular, recommending the measure, was issued by a sub-committee of the directors, and stirring appeals were made through the press. The busy hands of woman, in the patriotic spirit of the women of the revolution, were soon "plying the needle with exquisite art" in the work of preparation. The fair was held in Quincy Hall, Boston, - commencing on the 5th, and closing on the 15th, of September. The scene that opened upon the delighted visiter, when the product of so much ingenuity was dispensed at the hands of so much grace and beauty, was brilliant and inspiring. Thousands from the city and the country flocked to the well- stored tables. The fair was conducted under the exclusive direction of the ladies.' A daily journal, "The Monument," printed in the hall, daily chronicled its success. It is but bare justice to state that it was one of the best devised and most admirably executed things of the kind ever attempted in the country. The result exceeded the expectations of its friends. It put an end to doubt and difficulty in relation to the comple- tion of the monument. And thus "garlands of grace and beauty" crowned a work "which had its commencement in manly patriotism."
The net proceeds of the ladies' fair, ($30,035.53,) the dona- tions of ten thousand dollars each from Amos Lawrence and Judah Truro, and the amount received from other sources, made the total sum realized at this effort (January 14, 1841)
. 1 The executive committee were - Catherine G. Prescott, Sarah J. Hale, Lucinda Chapman, Susan P. Warren, Sarah Darracott, Abby L. Wales.
351
CELEBRATION OF 1843.
$55,153.27. Measures were promptly taken to complete the monument. The vote passed on the 5th of May, 1834, that it should be considered to be finished at the height of 159 feet, was rescinded. An able building committee was elected, -- Charles Wells, George Darracott, J. P. Thorndike, and Charles Leighton. They had already done (1834) efficient service in the same capacity. Hon. Joseph T. Buckingham, at this time, was president of the Association. This committee contracted (November 4, 1840) with James S. Savage to com- plete the monument according to the original design of the architect, (Solomon Willard, ) and under his superintendence. Mr. Savage was to receive for the work $43,800, and the appa- ratus that might be on hand at the close of it. By a subse- quent arrangement, he was also to receive the fees taken at the monument until January, 1845, and agreed to do certain work not specified in the contract. Accordingly, work was recom- menced May 2, 1841, and steadily prosecuted until its com- pletion. The last stone was raised on the morning of July 23, 1842, in the presence of the government of the Association, -- the American flag being waved from it during its ascent,1 and salutes being fired from the Charlestown Artillery. Much additional work remained to be done, - such as grading the ground, making the walks, and building the fences. The Association took possession of the monument December 31, 1844.
Another splendid pageant is connected with the history of the monument, - the celebration, in 1843, in honor of its com- pletion. On this anniversary a grand procession, composed of the military, various associations, delegations from the states, members of the national and state governments, including the President of the United States, moved from the State House to the monument-square. It contained about one hundred of the veterans of the Revolution, -only a few of whom, about eleven, were survivors of the battle. The same eloquent voice that was heard at the ceremony of laying the corner-stone, was heard, on this proud occasion, to proclaim, from the same spot,
1 Mr. Edward Carnes, Jr., of Charlestown, accompanied the stone in its ascent, waving the American flag. A little time previous, a cannon had been raised to the top of it, and a salute fired from it.
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BUNKER HILL MONUMENT.
" The monument is finished." The scene that presented itself defies description. Before the orator, (Hon. Daniel Webster,) and around him, was an immense concourse of people. An ,hundred thousand at least had gathered on the hallowed spot. And when, after remarking, " It is not from my lips, it could not be from any human lips, that that strain of cloquence is this day to flow most competent to move and excite the vast multitude around me : the powerful speaker stands motionless before us," - he paused, and pointed in silent admiration to the sublime structure, the audience burst into a long and loud applause. It was some moments before the speaker could go on with the address. The assembly dispersed at its conclu- sion. A dinner, in the evening, at Faneuil Hall, closed the proceedings of the day.
The receipts and expenditures connected with this work have been as follows : -
RECEIPTS.
The balance of the " capital stock" account of the Treasurer,
being receipts from the following sources : -
Subscriptions to 1830, $58,582.81
Grant of the State, 7,000.00
Ladies Donation, -2.937.90
Proceeds of the Ladies' Fair, .
30,035.53
Subscriptions of Amos Lawrence and Judah
Truro,
20,000.00
Other Subscriptions and Donations of 1840, 5,123.27
The Mechanic Association - Shares of the
Tremont Bank, 800.00
Subscription of 1843, 3,550.00
Sundries, -rents, interest, fees at monument,
to 1844,
2616.34
$130,645.85
Balance of Real Estate account, profit of sale of land,
1,767.57
Fees received at the monument, 1845 and '46, 2,473.96
Borrowed to finish the walks, conductor, &c.,
3,000.00
$137,887.38
Collected by the Mechanic Association - deducting amount
invested, ($736 50,) and accounted for above, 13,330.76
$156,218.14
353
COST OF THE MONUMENT.
EXPENDITURES.
Amount debited Bunker Hill Monument on the Treasurer's books, made up of the following items : -
Expended by the Building Committee to 1830, $57,378.80
Paid James S. Savage, in 1841, 43,800.00
Grading, Engineering, &c., in 1843, 9,831.59
For Iron Fence,
5,760.00
Stone-work, Steps, &c.,
2,838.16
Paid to Mechanic Association, - Ladies'
Donation,
2,937.90
$122,546.45
Amount of Expense Account, including $4720.85 for laying the
corner-stone, .
10,398.89
Balance of Interest Account,
4,994.74
$137,940.08
Amount expended by the Mechanic Association, out of the funds it collected,
18,336.53
$156,276.61
The cost of the obelisk was about $120,000, the cost of fencing and grading about $19,000, and the contingent ex- penses about $17,000.1
The records of the Association contain many acknowledg- ments for services rendered in aid of this work. Among them are those to Hon. Daniel Webster, for early labors, and for his addresses ; to Judge William Prescott, for serving six years as president ; to Hon. Joseph T. Buckingham, for twelve years' labors as vice-president and president ; to the Mechanic Association, for its timely effort; to Amos Lawrence and Judah Truro, Esquires, for their large donations ; to the ladies engaged in the fair ; and to the late Hon. Nathaniel P. Rus- sell, the treasurer for twenty-five years. Mr. Russell's duties were important and laborious, and, besides giving them gra- tuitously, he was a liberal donor. Over three hundred and seventy thousand dollars passed through his hands. A vote of the Association (June, 1849) is expressive of the value of this
1 A small balance is due to the treasurer. The Association have paid a large portion of the $3000 borrowed to complete the grounds, out of fees received at the monument.
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354
BUNKER HILL MONUMENT.
long labor, and of the high respect entertained for his mem- ory. There are also votes .complimentary of the architect and the builder. Solomon Willard will be indissolubly con- nected with this structure, as its skilful designer and indefat- igable and patriotic superintendent. James S. Savage, a skilful mechanic, and the last contractor, carried out this design accurately, and faithfully executed his contract. The thanks of the community are due to all those patriotic indi- viduals who originated this work, or aided in carrying it to a successful result.1
In spite of the obstacles that were encountered, the work, as to economy, will bear a rigid investigation. Had means been provided at the outset to have completed it without sus-
! The officers of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, including the directors, have heen too numerous to be given. Its presidents have been as follows : John Brooks, chosen in 1823 ; Daniel Webster, in 1825 ; Thomas H. Perkins, in 1827; Levi Lincoln, in 1829; William Prescott, in 1830 ; Abner Phelps, in 1831 ; William Prescott, in 1832 ; Joseph T. Buckingham. in 1836, who continued in office until 1817, when G. Washington Warren was chosen.
The secretaries have been - William Tudor, chosen in 1823 ; Franklin Dex- ter, in 1824 ; Edward Everett, in 1825; H. A. S. Dearborn, in 1829 ; E. G. Prescott, in 1830; William Marston, in 1831; E. G. Prescott, in 1832 ; Francis O. Watts, in 1836 ; G. Washington Warren, in 1839 ; J. H. Buck- ingham, in 1817.
Its vice-presidents have been -T. H. Perkins and Joseph Story, chosen in 1823 ; William Prescott and Joseph Story, in 1827 ; John C. Warren and Amos Lawrence, in 1829 ; Jolin C. Warren and William Sullivan, in 1830 ; John D. Williams and George Odiorne, in 1831 ; John C. Warren and Wil- liam Sullivan, in 1832. The number was then increased to five. The pres- ident of the Mechanic Association, S. T. Armstrong, Charles Wells, John C. Warren, and William Sullivan, were elected in 1833 ; the same, with Joseph Jenkins in the place of William Sullivan, in 1835 ; and the same until 1839, when the president of the Mechanic Association, Charles Wells, John C. Warren, Joseph Jenkins, and Leverctt Saltonstall, were chosen. In 1840 the following were elected : - President of the Mechanic Association, Charles Wells, John C. Warren, George C. Shattuck, Leverett Saltonstall. This board continued to be elected until 1845, when Abbott Lawrence was elected in the room of Leverett Saltonstall. This board has continued up to the present time.
Hon. N. P. Russell was elected treasurer in 1823, and continued in office until his death. In 1849, his son, S. H. Russell, was chosen.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT. 355
pension or embarrassment, it might, undoubtedly, have been built for less money. The apparatus to work with was ex- pensive, and, after each suspension, became unfit for use, and required refitting ; and there was loss in drilling new gangs of hands to do such difficult work properly. Still, the work has been done at a reasonable rate. It is estimated that, if the usual price of laying stone-work had been paid for it, the obelisk would have cost two hundred thousand dollars. The result is still favorable, if tested by the cost of other works. The Washington Monument, at Baltimore, which is only one hundred and sixty feet in height, and contains but half the inimber of cubic feet of material there is in the Bunker Hill obelisk, cost two hundred and twenty thousand dollars. The Boston Custom House, it is presumed, contains about an equal quantity of granite with the obelisk, and this cost about a . million of dollars.1 If these works have been executed at fair rates, the Bunker Hill Monument has been executed at a low rate. It is probable that simply with respect to economy in the execution, it will not suffer in comparison with any work of the kind constructed in modern times. That it is so must be ascribed to the skill of the architect who planned it, to the attention of the various committees who devoted to it so much time and labor, to the fidelity of the builder, and to the well- directed labor of the workmen. It is but bare justice that this fact of economy should be borne in mind. It is gratifying to know that the patriotic offerings of the community have not only not been wasted, but have been so faithfully applied.
Monument-square is four hundred and seventeen feet from north to south, and four hundred feet from east to west, and contains nearly six acres. It embraces the whole site of the redoubt, and a part of the site of the breastwork. According to the most accurate plan of the town and the battle, (Page's,) the monument stands where the south-west angle of the redoubt was; and the whole of the redoubt was between the monument and the street that bounds it on the west. The small mound in the north-east corner of the square is sup- posed to be the remains of the breastwork. Warren fell
1 The authority for these statements is an elaborate description of the mon- ument by its architect.
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BUNKER HILL MONUMENT.
about two hundred feet west of the monument. An iron fence encloses the square, and another surrounds the monument. The square has entrances on each of its sides, and at each of its corners, and is surrounded by a walk and rows of trees.
The obelisk is thirty feet in diameter at the base, about fif- teen feet at the top of the truncated part, and designed two hundred and twenty feet high; but the mortar and the seams between the stones make the precise height two hundred and twenty-one feet. Within the shaft is a hollow cone, with a circular stairway winding round it to the summit, which enters a circular chamber at the top. There are ninety courses of stone in the shaft, - six of them below the ground, and eighty- four above the ground. The cap-stone, or apex, is a single stone, four feet square at the base, and three feet six inches in height, weighing two and a half tons.
The foundation consists of six courses of stone of two feet rise. It is sunk twelve feet below the ground, and rests upon a bed of clay and gravel. The first course is fifty feet in diameter, and consists of forty-four stones, twelve feet long, two feet six inches wide, and two feet thick -each equal to five tons in weight. The blocks were rough-dressed, and cov- ered the whole surface, except the corners. In this course there are twelve leaders on each side. The second course consists of stretchers, which fall back three feet, and lap on to the centre of the blocks in the first course. The third course has headers going back into the body of the work, and the fourth course stretchers.
The obelisk contains four faces of dressed stone, besides the steps; namely, the outside and inside of the shaft, and the out- side and inside of the cone. The outer wall is six feet thick at the bottom, and two feet thick at the top. There are twelve stones in the exterior, and six circling stones in the interior, of each course of the shaft ; there are two courses of the cone, each of six stones, and four steps to each course of the shaft. Seventy-eight of the courses of the shaft are two feet eight . inches rise ; the next five courses, making the point, are one foot eight inches. In construction the courses are alike, ex- cept diminishing as they recede from the base upwards. In order to preserve the bond, the headers are shifted to opposite
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357
DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT.
sides in each succeeding course ; namely, in the first course the headers show on the east and west sides, and in the second on the south, and so on. The corner-stone, about nine tons in weight, forms the quoin at the north-east angle. The ac- companying cut of the monument will give an idea of its construction.
The cone commences at the top of the first course, and contains one hundred and forty-seven courses, having a rise of one foot four inches. Its exterior diameter, at the base, is ten feet, - at the top, six feet three inches ; its interior diameter, at the base, is seven feet, -at the top, four feet two inches. There are two hundred and ninety-four steps winding round it, of eight inches rise. There are several apertures to admit air and light.
The chamber, at the top, is circular, eleven feet in diameter, and seventeen feet high, with four windows, facing nearly the four cardinal points. The windows are two feet eight inches high, and two feet two inches broad. Here are the two brass field-pieces, - the Hancock and Adams, - which, in 1825, were presented by the state to the association.
Directly in front of the entrance- door of the monument, on a base of granite, is a model of the original mon- ument erected by King Solomon's Lodge. It is made of Italian marble, and, with the pedestal, is about nine feet high.1
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