e rebels, in council, or in
the field, but at a proper time, and by proper management, might have
been bought."--BURGOYNE to Lord Rochfort, June, 1775. Fonblanque's
"Burgoyne," 149-150.

[85] Frothingham's "Siege," 101.

[86] "And yet to-day, if you should ask ten Boston men, 'Who was Artemas
Ward?' nine would say he was an amusing showman. If you asked 'Who was
John Thomas?' nine would say he was a flunky commemorated by
Thackeray."--E. E. HALE, "Memorial History of Boston," iii, 100.

[87] Frothingham's "Siege," 110.

[88] Adams Letters, p. 64.

[89] Graves was the admiral, Sewall the attorney-general, and Paxton and
Hallowell were commissioners of customs.

[90] Frothingham's "Siege," 116.

[91] Inscription in Cambridge.

CHAPTER X

THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL

The strategy of Bunker Hill battle has been criticised as often as the
battle has been described. We have already seen that the choice of
Charlestown instead of Dorchester was owing to ignorance, on the part of
the Committee of Safety, of the advantages of the latter. From
Dorchester Heights the town could equally well have been threatened, the
shipping more effectively annoyed, reinforcements more safely summoned,
and retreat much better secured. Nevertheless, since at this stage the
British might have taken any fortification, it is fortunate that the
Americans chose as they did, and left Dorchester for a later attempt.

Prescott's party of twelve hundred marched in silence to Charlestown,
and on the lower slope of Bunker Hill the men rested for some time
while the officers discussed the situation. On the ground were Prescott,
Putnam, and "another general,"[92] with Colonel Richard Gridley, the
chief engineer. Their discussion was as to the proper point to fortify.

The peninsula of Charlestown, as has already been said, stretched toward
Boston from the northwest. The approach to it was by a narrow neck of
land, on one side of which, the northeast, ran the Mystic River; while
on the southwesterly side was an inlet from the Charles. The town, a
settlement of several houses, was on the bulge of the peninsula nearest
Boston; but along the Mystic rose a series of three hills, from the
lowest at Morton's or Moulton's Point, to the highest at Bunker Hill.
Morton's Hill was 35 feet high, Breed's, in the centre, was 75 feet, and
Bunker's was 110. The question arose, should Bunker Hill be fortified,
as in the orders, or Breed's, which was nearer B