and stone fences, they poured a deadly fire on the retreating British.  The retreat soon became a flight, and the flight would have ended in capture had they not been reenforced by 900 men at Lexington.  With the help of these they reached Charlestown Neck by sundown and entered Boston.[3] All night long minute men came in from every quarter, so that by the morning of April 20th great crowds were gathered outside of Charlestown and at Roxbury, and shut the British in Boston.

[Footnote 2:  Read R. W. Emerson’s fine poem, Concord Hymn. ]

[Footnote 3:  Force’s American Archives, Vol.  II.; Hudson’s History of Lexington, Chaps. 6, 7; Phinney’s Battle of Lexington; Shattuck’s History of Concord, Chap. 7. ]

When the news of Concord and Lexington reached the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont, they too took up arms, and, under Ethan Allen, captured Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775.

%131.  Congress becomes a Governing Body.%—­The first Continental Congress had been chosen by the colonies in 1774, to set forth the views of the people, and remonstrate against the conduct of the King and Parliament.  This Congress, it will be remembered, having done so, fixed May 10, 1775, as the day whereon a second Congress should meet to consider the results of their remonstrance.  But when the day came, Lexington and Concord had been fought, all New England was in arms, and Congress was asked to adopt the army gathered around Boston, and assume the conduct of the war.  Congress thus unexpectedly became a governing body, and began to do such things as each colony could not do by itself.

%132.  Origin of the Continental Army.%—­After a month’s delay it did adopt the little band of patriots gathered about Boston, made it the Continental Army, and elected George Washington, then a delegate in Congress, commander in chief.  He was chosen because of the military skill he had displayed in the French and Indian War, and because it was thought necessary to have a Virginian for general, Virginia being then the most populous of the colonies.

Washington accepted the trust on June 16, and set out for Boston on June 21; but he had not ridden twenty miles from Philadelphia when he was met by the news of Bunker Hill.

%133.  Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775.%—­On a narrow peninsula to the north of Boston, and separated from it by a sheet of water half a mile wide, was the village of Charlestown; behind it were two small hills.  The nearer of the two to Charlestown was Breeds Hill.  Just beyond it was Bunker Hill, and as the two overlooked Boston and the harbor where the British ships lay at anchor, the possession of them was of much importance.  The Americans, learning of Gage’s intention to fortify the hills, sent a force of 1200 men, under Colonel Prescott, on the night of June 16, to take possession of Bunker Hill.  By some mistake Prescott passed Bunker Hill, reached Breeds Hill, and before dawn had thrown up a large