landed on a peninsula in Charlestown. General Gage ordered the town of Charlestown to be fired. The British marched up the hill for the purpose of destroying the American works, but the Americans reserved their fire until "within ten rods" of the works. They then commenced a destructive fire upon the assailants, mowing them down almost in companies. The British, who were at that moment moving up at a furious charge, quailed, recovered and fired, and then retreated under a galling fire from the works of the provincials.

The British officers by threats and persuasions succeeded in getting their troops to march up the hill again to the charge. The fire of the provincials was reserved until they arrived much nearer than before. They then "let loose" upon them and tumbled them over in greater numbers than in the preceding ascent. Scared by such an awful reception, they retreated down the hill agreeing better with "a dog trot" than a walk, leaving their commander Howe far up the hill and nearly alone-he thinking it bad policy to remain a single and unprotected target, scampered off after them.

General Clinton reinforced the assailants and succeeded in rallying the troops again. In this third trip up the hill it is asserted with confidence, (although the men were styled invincibles) that the British officers pushed them upward by going behind them with swords, to jag them forward with their points as ox-drivers often do their oxen, by means of a sharp nail drove into the butt end of the ox-goad.

The ammunition within the works becoming exhausted, nothing remained for the provincials but to "silently" await the nearing of the British columns. The provincials not having been provided with bayonets gave them the best reception in their power, which was the butt ends of their muskets. Being overpowered, however, by a superior force well provided with ammunition, bayonets &c., they effected a retreat to Charlestown Neck.

This contest was altogether an unequal one. The provincials did not exceed 1500, whilst that of the royalists

exceeded 3,000. The provincials lost between 4 and 500 killed and wounded, and the royalists nearly 1100. Here was exhibited the truth of the declaration, that thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just, and leads to a repetition of the question,

"What is to be compar'd,

To the matchless sinew of a single ARM

That strikes for LIBERTY."

In this conflict many valuable provincial officers and men perished, among them that deservedly popular, able and courageous patriot General Warren.

Mr. Marshall states that "for the purpose of a more distinct arrangement, the army" had been "thrown into three grand divisions." "That part of it which lay about Roxbury, constituted the right wing, and was commanded by Major General Ward; the troops near Mystic or Medford River formed the left, which was placed under Major General Lee. The centre, including the reserve, was under the immediate command of General Washington, whose head quarters was at Cambridge."

The British occupied Boston until the spring of -76. General Washington had fortified himself in a snug manner-so as to command the town of Boston, by erecting a fortification on the night of the 4th of March. General Howe endeavored to dislodge him, his design however failed, which rendered it imperative with him, that of the evacuation of Boston. Mr. Frost states, that the British were not annoyed in their slow embarcation and for this reason, that, they would have been provoked to burn the town, a "loss which would have required years of profitable industry to repair." By the 17th of March, the embarcation was ended and "their fleet sailed for Halifax." It appears that a threat had been made by the British commander to that effect. This being the case none could possibly censure Washington, especially when nothing could have been gained by an attack at that particular time.

An expedition was fitted out during the fall of 1775

against Canada, the command of the army engaged therein was given to Brigadier General Montgomery.

Col. Ethan Allen, aided by Major Brown, made a spir ited attack on Montreal. With a small force they opposed a far greater number of British and "fought with desperate valor. Unable to cope with a force so much greater than his own, Allen was forced to surrender. Allen after his capture was loaded with chains, and sent to England there to undergo his trial as a "factious rebel."

Several victories were the offspring of this expedition to Canada. Fort Chamblee was captured and with it the Americans became possessed of a number of pieces of "cannon," and 120 barrels of powder."

In the main, however, the expedition was a failure; the lives of many valuable men and soldiers as well as officers were sacrificed. The brave and accomplished Richard Montgomery fell before Quebec. It was said that when Montgomery bade an adieu to his wife, he observed to her in the last words of his parting, "you never shall have cause to blush for your Montgomery." General Montgomery was a native of Ireland, he had settled in New York, where he "married an American lady."

In the spring of 1776, several of the colonies, by means of their assemblies, expressed their sentiments in favor of independence, and instructed their delegates in the general Congress, to propose to that respectable body to declare the united colonies free and independent states." Hanna's Glory of Columbia.

On the 7th of June, Richard Henry Lee, one of the delegates from Virginia, brought the great question of Independence before the house, by submitting the following resolution: "Resolved, That these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connexion between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

This resolution was postponed until the next day, when it was debated in committee of the whole. On the 10th, it was adopted by a bare majority of the colonies."

[Goodrich's Lives of Signers of Declaration of Independence.] About the beginning of June the British fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Peter Parker, appeared before Charleston in South Carolina; and on the 28th of June, "10 ships of war" on board of which were 3,000 troops under the command of Sir Henry Clinton, bore up and commenced bombarding Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island. Col. Moultrie and General Marion, and their brave companions in arms, in all not more than 500 men, gallantly defended it, and drove the 10 sail of the line to the distance of two miles from the fort.

THE LAST BALL;

OR, THE SIEGE OF FORT MOULTRIE.

BY H. P. B.

On the forenoon of the 28th of June, 1776, during our struggle for independence, while Col. Moultrie and his regiment were engaged in completing the fort which they had been erecting on Sullivan's Island, near the entrance of Charleston harbor, an officer on the island, wearing the American uniform, appeared to be intently scanning the distant horizon with his dark piercing eyes as if endeavoring to scrutinize the form of some object that loomed like a frog bank on the very verge of the vast expanse of waves which rolled at his feet, ever and anon, curling their rippling surf unheeded over his military boots, so deeply was his attention absorbed in the contemplation of the distant and obscure object. Shading his eye with his right hand, he darted a searching glance towards that point of the horizon, but so great was the distance that the naked eye could as yet, discern nothing distinctly-dazzled as it was with the light sunbeams dancing on the crest of the blue waves, creating a thousand mimic rainbows.

"Malvern my glass," exclaimed he to an orderly near him, who entering a tent returned almost immediately with a field telescope. The officer impatiently snatched it from him, and adjusting the focus, directing it towards the evidently approaching object. Scarcely however had he done so ere a joyous "Hurrah!" burst from his lips, and the glass fell upon the sand. "Sail, ho! sail, ho!" shouted the officer, and as the echo died away some three or four others, all bearing the American uniform, sprang to his side with the simultaneous exclamation of "where?" Hastily directing the attention of his companions, the drums immediately beat to quarters; silently each soldier took his post, and the heavy guns of Fort Moultrie loomed black and grim from their palmetto embrasures.

"Ha! Moultrie, 'tis as I thought," said an officer, addressing one who stood near him, with the familiarity of a brother soldier, "yonder come the British fleet, commanded by Parker and Clinton. Our palmetto fort will have its toughness well tried to day, for by the number and size of their vessels, this will be no boy's play."

"Yes, Marion, 'tis as you say," answered Moultrie, lowering his glass; "the banner of St. George waves proudly to the breeze, and I count near forty vessels in all. Heaven grant our stars and stripes may float as proudly from our little fort at the end of the contest as they do now; it will be a warm day's work, and many a brave fellow will sleep his last sleep ere 'tis over.What say you, Sergeant Jasper? You're an old hand at all these things.

"Aye, sir, that 't will," replied Jasper, touching his cap with true military precision, "and Colonel, if I might ask a favor, it would be to command a gun near where the flag stands, for some of our green hands may be scared out of their senses by the noise and crashing, nor even think of sticking the flag up again if it's shot down; and if there's a panic among our recruits, the day's gone. "He says well, Marion," said Moultrie ; my brave fellow, your request is granted and in delivering our ban