some loss, the Americans firing upon them from behind walls, hedges, and buildings.

Fortunately for the British, here Lord Percy met them, with a reinforcement of nine hundred men, some marines, and two field-pieces. Still annoyed by the provincials, they continued their retreat to Bunker's Hill, in Charlestown, and the day following crossed over to Boston. The British lost, in killed and wounded, during their absence, two hundred and seventy-three. The loss of the Americans amounted to eighty-eight killed, wounded and missing.

28. Hostilities having commenced, it was deemed important to secure the fortresses of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Accordingly, a number of volunteers from Connecticut and Vermont, under command of Col. Ethan Allen and Col. Benedict Arnold, marched against Ticonderoga, and, on the 10th of May, took it by surprise, the garrison being asleep. The fortress of Crown Point surrendered shortly after.

On the arrival of Allen at Ticonderoga, he demanded the fort. "By what authority?" asked the commander. "I demand it," said Allen," in the name of the great Jehovah, and of the continental congress." The summons was instantly obeyed, and the fort was, with its valuable stores, surrendered.

As they advanced, the British commenced firing at some distance from the redoubt; but the Americans reserved their fire until the enemy were within twelve rods. They then opened, and

the carnage was terrible. The British retreated in precipitate confusion. They were, however, rallied by their officers, being, in some instances, pushed on by their swords, and were again led to the attack. The Americans now suffered them to approach within six rods, when their fire mowed them down in heaps, and again they fled. Unfortunately for the Americans, their ammunition here failed; and, on the third charge of the British, they were obliged to retire, after having obstinately resisted, even longer than prudence admitted. The British lost in this engagement two hundred and twenty-six killed, among whom was Major Pitcairn, who first lighted the torch of war at Lexington, and eight hundred and twenty-eight wounded. The Americans lost one hundred and thirty-nine killed, and of wounded and missing there were three hundred and fourteen. Among the killed was the lamented Gen. Warren.

The horrors of this scene were greatly increased by the con flagration of Charlestown, effected, during the heat of the battle by the orders of Gen. Gage. By this wanton act of barbarity

two thousand people were deprived of their habitations, and property to the amount of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds sterling, perished in the flames. Wanton, however, as the burning of Charlestown was, it wonderfully enhanced the dreadful magnificence of the day. To the volleys of musketry and

the roar of cannon; to the shouts of the fighting and the groans of the dying; to the dark and awful atmosphere of smoke, enveloping the whole peninsula, and illumined in every quarter by the streams of fire from the various instruments of death; the conflagration of six hundred buildings added a gloomy and amaz ing grandeur. In the midst of this waving lake of flame, the lofty steeple, converted into a blazing pyramid, towered and trembled over the vast pyre, and finished the scene of desolation.

To the Americans, the consequences of this battle were those of a decided victory. They learned that their enemies were not invulnerable. At the same time, they learned the importance of stricter discipline and greater preparations. As the result of the battle spread, the national pulse beat still higher, and the arm of opposition was braced still more firmly.

30. The second continental congress met at Philadelphia, on the 10th of May. As military opposition to Great Britain was now resolved upon by the colonies, and had actually commenced, it became necessary to fix upon a proper person to conduct that opposition. The person unanimously selected by congress was George Washington, a member of their body from Virginia.

The honor of having suggested and advocated the choice of this illustrious man, is justly ascribed to the elder President Adams, at that time a member of the continental congress. The army was at this time at Cambridge, Massachusetts, under Gen. Ward. As yet, congress had not adopted the army, nor had it taken any measures to appoint a commander-in-chief. These points could with safety be neglected no longer. This Mr. Adams clearly saw, and by his eloquence induced congress to appoint a day when the subject should be discussed.

The day was fixed. It came. Mr. Adams went in, took the floor, urged the measure of adopting the army, and, after debate, it passed. The next thing was to get a lawful commander for this lawful army, with supplies, &c. All looked to Mr. Adams, on this occasion; and he was ready. He took the floor, and went into a minute delineation of the character of General Ward, bestowing on him the epithets which, then, belonged to no one else. At the end of this eulogy, he said, "But this is not the man I have chosen." He then portrayed the character of a commander-inchief, such as was required by the peculiar situation of the colonies at that juncture; and after he had presented the qualifications in his strongest language, and given the reasons for the nomination he was about to make, he said, " Gentlemen, I know these qualifications are high, but we all know they are needful, at this crisis, in this chief. Does any one say that they are not to be

obtained in the country? I reply, they are: they reside in one of our own body, and he is the person whom I now nominate, GEORGE WASHINGTON, of Virginia."

Washington, who sat on Mr. Adams's right hand, was looking him intently in the face, to watch the name he was about to announce; and not expecting it would be his own, he sprung from his seat the moment he heard it, and rushed into an adjoining room, as quickly as though moved by a shock of electricity.

An adjournment was immediately moved and carried, in order to give the members time to deliberate on so important a measure. The following day Washington was unanimously appointed commander-in-chief of the American forces; and on presenting their commission to him, congress unanimously adopted the resolution, "that they would maintain and assist him, and adhere to him, with their lives and fortunes, in the cause of American liberty.'

Following the appointment of Gen. Washington, was the appointment of four inajor-generals, Artemas Ward, Charles Lee, Philip Schuyler, and Israel Putnam; and eight brigadier-generals, Seth Pomeroy, Richard Montgomery, David Wooster, William Heath, Joseph Spencer, John Thomas, John Sullivan, and Nathaniel Greene.

31. Gen. Washington, on his arrival at Cambridge, on the second of July, was received with joyful acclamations by the American army. He found it, consisting of 14,000 men, stretched from Roxbury to Cambridge, and thence to Mystic River, a distance of twelve miles. The British forces occupied Bunker and Breed's Hill, and Boston Neck.

The attention of the commander-in-chief was immediately directed to the strength and situation of the enemy, and to the introduction of system and union into the army, the want of which pervaded every department. This was a delicate and difficult attempt; but the wisdom and firmness of Washington removed every obstacle, and at length brought even independent freemen, in a good degree, to the control of military discipline.

32. While Washington was employed in organizing the army, and preparing for future operations, an important expedition was planned against Canada, the charge of which was assigned to Gens. Schuyler and Montgomery. On the 10th of September, one thousand American troops landed at St. Johns, the first British post in Canada, (one hundred and fifteen miles north of Ticon