Identifier: washingtonhiscou00irvi (find matches)
Title: Washington and his country, being Irving's life of Washington, abridged for the use of schools; with introduction and continuation, giving a brief outline of United States history from the discovery of America to the end of the civil war
Year: 1888 (1880s)
Authors: Irving, Washington, 1783-1859 Fiske, John, 1842-1901
Subjects: Washington, George, 1732-1799 United States -- History
Publisher: Boston, Ginn & Company
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ies of troops, being from different colonies, were inde-pendent of each other. Those from New Hampshire were in-structed to obey General Ward as commander-in-chief; with therest, it was a voluntary act, rendered in consideration of his beingmilitary chief of Massachusetts, the province which, as allies, theycame to defend. There was, in fact, but little organization in thearmy. Nothing kept it together, and gave it unity of action, buta common feeling of exasperated patriotism. The troops knew but little of military discipline. Almost allwere familiar with the use of fire-arms in hunting and fowling;many had served in frontier campaigns against the French, and in bush-fighting with the Indians. There was a regiment of artil-lery, partly organized by Colonel Gridley, a skilful engineer, andfurnished with nine field-pieces ; but the greater part of the troopswere without military dress or accoutrements ; most of them werehasty levies of yeomanry, some of whom had seized their rifles and
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To face cage 159. PRELIMINARY CAMPAIGNS. 159 fowling-pieces, and turned out in their working clothes and home-spun country garbs. It was an army of volunteers, subordinatethrough incHnation and respect to officers of their own choice, anddepending for sustenance on supplies sent from their several towns. Such was the army spread over an extent of ten or twelve miles,and keeping watch upon the town of Boston, containing at thattime a population of seventeen thousand souls, and garrisoned withmore than ten thousand British troops, disciplined and experiencedin the wars of Europe. We have already mentioned the peninsula of Charlestown, whichlies opposite to the north side of Boston. The heights, whichswell up in rear of the village, overlook the town and shipping. It was determined to seize and fortify these heights on the nightof Friday, the i6th of June. A little before sunset the troops,about twelve hundred in all, assembled on the common, in frontof General Wards quarters. They came

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