they who laid down their lives at Le foreseen the rich harvests their chi reap they would have counted their o nothing.

The minute-men who had pursued from Concord and from Lexington joined by others from the several New onies, and thousand Boston and ing it on e cepting that sea. Within British forc increased un ten thousand command of Howe, Clint goyne, who h the assistance Gage. The t English so well - armed, experienced their twenty t

ponents were part raw farm knowledge of war, untrain supplied wit

with no cann
little food. 1

number of the
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greater efficie

North of Bos
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the first of
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Bunker Hi
worked at night
and as rapidly
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would stand a single round from their seasoned and battle tried opponents. Not until the British were within one hundred and fifty feet of the breastworks was this question answered, and then there was a flash of fire from the entrenchments, part of the attacking column fell, and the rest, routed, were flying back.

Urged on by their officers they turned at the foot of the Hill to renew the assault. The Americans waited in the same silence as before until the English were close at hand and again with their fatal fire drove them down the Hill. Once more the British re-formed and for the third time ascended the Hill to attempt the capture. This time they succeeded, for the Americans

PLAN OF BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.

MONUMENT AT BUNKER HILL.

had exhausted their ammunition and, although they fought desperately with stones and used their guns as clubs, the British bayonets were too much for them and they were obliged to retreat, leaving the fortifications they had so gallantly defended in the hands of the enemy.

This Battle of Bunker Hill, as it has always been called and probably always will be, was fought on June 17, 1775, and was of the greatest service to the colonial cause in showing that Continental troops, unused to war as they were, could stand fire and were not afraid to meet veterans in battle. It gave the Americans a confidence in themselves at the start which even in their worst reverses they never afterwards lost.

WHILE the siege of Boston was in progress and before the Battle of Bunker Hill took place, Congress met again (May 10, 1775) at Philadelphia and, still asserting its loyalty to the King, declared that as Parliament had begun the war upon the colonies they would defend themselves until their rights and liberties were respected. Provision was made for raising troops in addition to those around Boston, the whole to form a Continental Army of which George Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief. A system of taxation was also adopted and laws passed for the government of the country as long as the trouble with England lasted.

Two weeks after the Battle of Bunker Hill Washington arrived at the camp before Boston and began his task of drilling the besiegers into an effective body of soldiers. While he was thus busy other Americans were planning an invasion of Canada.

and with it a large number of cannon and a quantity of powder-two things greatly needed by the young colonial army. The possession of these two places left the way clear through New York to Canada. Accordingly, in the latter part of the summer of 1775 two parties set out, one under Generals Montgomery and Schuyler by way of Lake Champlain, and the other under Benedict Arnold which was to force its way through the Maine wilderness and join the first division in front of Quebec. The expedition was a failure, for though Montreal wås taken, Quebec was too strong for the American attack, and after spending the winter in a fruitless effort to capture the city, Arnold, who by the illness of Schuyler and death of Montgomery had risen to the chief command, was forced in the spring of 1776 to abandon the attempt and to leave Canada, what it has since remained, an English possession.

By March, 1776, Washington had got his army into better shape than he found it when he was made its general, and was ready to repeat the attempt which had failed the previous June. He had kept the British closely confined to Boston all winter and now thought it time to drive them out. Selecting a hill to the south of the city, called Dorchester Heights, he took possession of it at night and, aid

gan to be more generally considered and discussed than it had been before. Throughout the quarrel King George III. had constantly sided with Parliament and had approved all its measures aimed at the injury of the Americans. He displayed as much bitter feeling against them as did any of his subjects. When the news of the battle of Bunker Hill reached

ed by a storm, had it strongly fortified before the English commander in Boston, General Howe, was able to attack it. As the guns from Dorchester Heights completely commanded the city, Howe concluded it best to leave, and on March 17, 1776, set sail for Halifax, and the Americans entered Boston. No further events of importance occurred in Massachusetts during the Revolution, and in fact all of New England was from this time forth comparatively free from the British.

Thus far the colonies had been

QUEBEC.