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Dear Students,
Hello out there, whoever you are. My name is George Robert Twelves Hewes. My friend, Mr. Edgar, the author who is coming to your school to
speak to you folks, asked me to help him out. Said he knew I was once a Son of Liberty, back in Boston in the old days. That's true. I was a true Patriot who fought for liberty - what we called "the Cause" back in the year 1775.
Mr. Edgar said it was only
proper that a Son of Liberty like myself should tell you folks a little bit about those days. Maybe explain what was going on back then.
How it led up to the first big battle of the Revolution - the Battle of Bunker Hill, which is what his talk will be about. So here goes.
First off, before any of you get confused, let me set the record straight about the name of this here battle. Don't be fooled! The Battle of Bunker Hill actually took
place on Breed's Hill, not Bunker Hill.
Yes, that's right. You see,
we Patriots were supposed to
build the fort on top of
Bunker Hill. But, instead,
we built it on the next hill
we came to - Breed's Hill -
which of course should have
been the name for the
battle. Problem was, some
chowderhead back at camp
- who wasn't even at the
battle that day! - wrote a
report about the battle.
Said it took place on Bunker
Hill, when everyone knows it
took place on Breed's Hill.
Hmmh! What a chowderhead!
Oh well, enough about that.
Let me get on with what I'm
supposed to tell you folks.
It was 1775, the year before
we declared our independence
from England and became the
United States. So, we were
still the colonies, you
know, not states yet. Each
of us was a citizen of the
British Empire, just like
the people in mother England
itself, way across the
ocean.
But the British government
for many years had not been
treating us right. For one
thing, they kept thinking up
new laws that said we had to
pay some kind of new tax on
this thing, or that thing.
Seemed like every year they
thought up a new tax to lay
on us. It was very annoying!
Well, we weren't about to
let someone way across the
ocean tell us what to do, no
sirrah! Those of us who
loved freedom and called
ourselves "Patriots" or
"Sons of Liberty" decided to
do some thinking of our own.
We thought up clever ways to
protest these new tax laws.
When I say "protest" what I
mean is we'd get together
and do something to let the
British know how we felt
about their new taxes.
Like the tea tax, for
instance. You see, we all
drank lots of tea back then,
not coffee like folks do
now. Well, wouldn't you know
it, the British government
decided we should start
paying a new tax on tea
leaves. Naturally, we didn't
like that - we'd never paid
tax on tea leaves before,
and we weren't about to
start, no sirrah. So,
in all the colonies, from
way down in Georgia all the
way up to Massachusetts Bay,
the Sons of Liberty had
protests against this new
tea tax.
I remember one night, whooee!
Why, we Sons of Liberty in
Boston dumped a whole
shipful of British tea
leaves right into the ocean!
Boy, the fishes drank tea
that night. For many days
after that, no one would buy
fish, because they were
afraid the fish might have
drunk the tea. Of course, we
all knew it was wrong to
dump the British tea into
the ocean. But we had to do
it, you see, to make sure no
one could buy the tea and
pay the tea tax.
Yes, that was one of our
best riots - er, I mean
protests. We Sons of Liberty
dressed up that night as
Mohawk Indians - to disguise
ourselves, you know. We
painted our faces, then
grabbed our tomahawks, and
marched to the tea ship,
yelling, "Mohawks! Grab your
axes, and pay no taxes!"
As you might expect, the
British government didn't
like that. To make us
behave, and pay for the tea
we destroyed, they sent an
army over here to Boston.
Well, we didn't pay for it,
army or no army. Instead, we
prepared to defend
ourselves, and fight for our
rights. - Wouldn't you? Sure
you would!
We started collecting
muskets and rifles, and
cannons, and of course
gunpowder to fire them off.
We stored it all in a town
outside of Boston, a place
called Concord. It's just
past a little village called
Lexington. Well, don't you
know, the British army
learned about it from their
spies. So, they planned a
raid. They marched out of
Boston, real sneaky like, in
the middle of the night.
They wanted to march to
Lexington and Concord, to
find the guns we'd
collected, and destroy them
before we could use them
against the British army.
That night, my good friend
over in Boston, Paul Revere,
was keeping his eye on the
Regulars. Oh, I suppose I
should explain why we called
the British soldiers
"Regulars." It was because
soldiering was their regular
job, you see, not like us
Patriots who only did
soldiering when we had to.
As I was saying, Paul Revere
saw the Regulars that night,
about to march out of Boston
on their secret raid. Now
Paul was a good Son of
Liberty just like me, one of
our best Patriots, you know.
So Paul knew he had to do
something to warn the
Patriots about the secret
British raid that night.
Wouldn't you know it, he
decided to sneak out of
Boston himself - which was a
mighty dangerous thing for
Paul to do, what with all
those British Regulars in
the streets that night.
But Paul chanced it. Made it
out of Boston, he did. Rowed
across the Charles River.
Borrowed a horse from a Son
of Liberty on the other
side. Rode that horse as
fast as he could to spread
the alarm. What a night!
Whooee! Paul woke up the
Patriots in all the towns he
went through. As he rode by,
he shouted, "The Regulars
are out! The Regulars are
out tonight!"
Many years later, some poet
who wasn't even there that
night wrote a famous poem
about the midnight ride of
Paul Revere. Maybe you heard
of it. Ever since then,
people think Paul shouted,
"The British are coming! The
British are coming!"
Don't you believe that
nonsense! Who you gonna
believe - me, who was a
trustworthy Son of Liberty
and personal friend of
Paul's - or some chowderhead
who wasn't even there?
Grabbing their muskets and
rifles, Patriots came
running from all directions.
We shot at the British
Regulars all day long, as
they marched the 18 miles
from Concord back to Boston.
Of course, we fought the way
the Indians had taught our
grand-daddies and
grand-mammies to, many years
before, when they first came
over here from England. Say
what you like about the
Indians, but they sure
aren't chowderheads when it
comes to fighting. They
taught us to take cover
behind trees and stone
walls, so as to protect
ourselves when we fire at
our enemies.
Oh, those British, they
didn't like that, no sirrah!
Said we didn't fight fair,
didn't stand out in the open
like the British do when
they fight. Said they would
get even with us, first
chance they could. That
chance would come a few
weeks later, just across the
river from Boston, up on
Breed's Hill. You know, at
the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Well, there you are. Time
for my friend, Mr. Edgar, to
tell you all about it when
he comes to your school to
talk to you folks about the
Battle of Bunker Hill. So
long for now.
Your most humble and
obedient servant,
George Robert Twelves Hewes,
Son of Liberty
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