acquit the Colonists, and every hour of the day pray Lord North to head us. After the skirmish of the seventeenth, we even commended the Troops of Putnam, who fought so gallantly, pro aris et focis. When we marched to the attack of their redoubt, they called out “Colonel Abercrombie, are the Yankees cowards?” nor did they discharge a gun until we were within fifteen yards. The fire on our left wing was so hot that our Troops broke; but the Grenadiers, with uncommon fury, attacked the trenches, and forced them, when our soldiers rallied again. We kept possession of the intrenchments till next morning, when we marched into Boston; a sad remains of those glorious fellows who were led into the field. Gen. Howe was three times in the field left by himself, so numerous were the killed and wounded about him; and alas! I grieve to tell you, that I fear nine out of ten of these gallant fellows will die of their wounds. The loss of the Provincial Troops is trifling in comparison to ours; and indeed another such onset will be our ruin. A universal murmur now runs through the Army, which ever most disagreeably invades the General’s ears. An Irish officer humorously said on the occasion, that indeed we had gained but a loss. In short, all you have yet sent by way of Troops to this Continent are but a mouthful. If you send more to add to us, we may make them a dinner; and you may continue to supply them with a supper, and then it will be a good night. Indeed, we may say with Falstaff, with great propriety, that “they make us here but food for gunpowder.” I wish all these domestick animosities were settled, and also our private ones; but even in our promotions, glaring and unjust partialities prevail. So very secret was the late action conducted, that Generals Clinton and Burgoyne knew not of it till the morning, though the Town did in general, and Putnam in particular. This man served under Prussia, and does honour to his master; he is sixty-three, and brave to the back bone. I hope better times, but these are really sad ones. Adieu.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM BOSTON TO A GENTLEMAN IN SCOTLAND, DATED JUNE 25, 1775.

About a week ago the remainder of the fleet from Ireland arrived here with the Thirty-Fifth, Forty-Ninth, and Sixty-Third Regiments of Foot, and Seventeenth of Light Dragoons, all of whom, except part of the Forty-Ninth, were landed.

At daylight on Saturday morning, the seventeenth instant, I was awakened by some cannon fired from the Lively, man-of-war, stationed at Charlestown Ferry. This firing was occasioned by their seeing a great number of the rebels at work, raising a redoubt on that height, at the back of Charlestown, nearest to Boston, known by the name of Bunker’s Hill, which they had begun the night before, and, by the help of facines, gabions, and other such materials, and by a great number of hands, they had got almost completed. This firing from the Lively was almost immediately put a stop to by the Admiral. In the mean time the General ordered three pieces of brass cannon, (twenty-four pounders,) to be mounted on a battery that had been raised on Copp’s Hill, at the north end, where he also sent some howitzers, and a large quantity of ammunition of all kinds.

At nine in the morning this battery opened, and continued to annoy the rebels all the forenoon, as did also the Glasgow, man-of-war, who lay off the point at New-Boston. At twelve o’clock the Light Infantry and Grenadiers, with the Fifth, Thirty-Eighth, Forty-Third, and Fifty-Second Regiments, embarked on board the transport boats at the Long Wharf and at the north battery, and about half past one landed on Charlestown Point, at the entrance of Mistick River, covered by a heavy fire from the Lively, and another man-of-war stationed off the north battery; a large sloop and two floating batteries at Charlestown Ferry; the battery from Copp’s Hill; a transport mounting twenty guns, lying a little higher up, and the Glasgow, man-of-war. They effected their landing without any loss, and, after resting the men a few minutes, marched on to dislodge the rebels from some posts they had taken on the back of the hill.

In half an hour after, the Forty-Seventh Regiment, part of the Thirty-Fifth, and a battalion of Marines, followed, and landed at the place where there formerly was a battery in Charlestown.

At their landing, the Town of Charlestown was set on fire by carcasses thrown from Copp’s Hill battery, and the Troops marched on, commanded by Generals Howe and Clinton.

About three quarters past three, an excessively hot fire commenced on the back of the hill, to dislodge a large body of the rebels that had posted themselves behind some fences, which they had made ball-proof by bushes, hay, earth, &c. This fire lasted about fifty minutes. As soon as they had dislodged this body, one party of our men came up on one side, and another on the other side of the redoubt, and stormed and carried it in a few minutes. From this they pursued the rebels to the hill beyond, and having drove them from that, forced them over Charlestown Neck. All this they accomplished in about four hours, having entire possession of the Neck by six o’clock. The whole body of Troops engaged was about fourteen hundred.

In the redoubt the rebels had sixteen hundred men; and behind it and the fences, which they had fortified from that to the water, about five thousand; besides some thousands more stationed on the hill behind, all of whom the Troops forced to fly over the Neck.

The loss on both sides is supposed to be nearly equal; nor can we wonder it should be so, when we consider that this handful of fourteen hundred men forced a redoubt defended by sixteen hundred, who, had they behaved with any tolerable degree of courage, and had but a small portion of military skill, they might have defended against three times their number. Our officers have suffered much, no less than eighty-six being killed and wounded. Among the killed of the rebels is Doctor Warren, who commanded at the redoubt. The Troops are now busy in fortifying the hill that commands Charlestown Neck; and the rebels are fortifying a hill about half way between that and Cambridge, from which I expect to find them dislodged in a few days.

We hear nothing from the country, as this has put an entire stop to the little communication we had before.

Had this post not been taken, it was the intention of the rebels to have set fire to Boston that night; instead of which the whole Town of Charlestown is in ruins; their leader and orator (Doctor Warren) is slain; and they must now be convinced that British Troops are capable of driving them from their strongest holds, though opposed by vast superiority of numbers.

GENERAL BURGOYNE TO LORD STANLEY.

Boston, June 25, 1775.

Boston is a peninsula, joined to the main land only by a narrow neck, which, on the first troubles, General Gage fortified; arms of the sea and the harbour surround the rest on the other side. On one of these arms, to the north, is Charlestown, or rather was, for it is now rubbish, and over it is a large hill, which is also (like Boston) a peninsula. To the south of the Town is a still larger scope of ground, containing three hills, joining also to the main by a tongue of land, and called Dorchester Neck. The heights, as above described, both north and south, (in the soldier’s phrase,) command the Town; that is, give an opportunity of erecting batteries above any that you can make against them, and consequently are much more advantageous. It was absolutely necessary we should make ourselves masters of these heights, and we proposed to begin with Dorchester; because, from the particular situation of batteries and shipping, (too long to describe, and unintelligible to you if I did,) it would evidently be effected without any considerable loss. Every thing was accordingly disposed; my two colleagues and myself, (who, by the by, have never differed in one jot of military sentiment,) had, in concert with General Gage, formed the plan. Howe was to land the transports on the point; Clinton in the centre; and I was to cannonade from the Causeway or the Neck; each to take advantage of circumstances. The operations must have been very easy; this was to have been executed on the 18th. On the 17th, at dawn of day, we found the enemy had pushed intrenchments with great diligence during the night, on the heights of Charlestown, and we evidently saw that every hour gave them fresh strength; it therefore became necessary to alter our plan, and attack on

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