CHAPTER XIII.
Return to Boston—Reception of Lafayette by the Legislature of Massachusetts—Celebration of the anniversary of Bunker’s Hill—History of the Revolution familiar to the Americans—Departure from Boston.
We arrived at Albany before sunrise, on the 12th of June, and some hours afterwards we had already crossed the Hudson, and advanced rapidly towards Massachusetts, whose western border is traced parallel to that river at about twenty-five miles from the left bank; we had still to travel one hundred and fifty miles before reaching Boston, but the excellence of the roads insured us a rapid journey, and hence General Lafayette was certain of arriving in time to fulfil his engagements. Nevertheless, he determined to stop only for such time as was absolutely necessary for repose. We therefore entered Boston on the 15th at a little before noon. In publishing this happy arrival,the newspapers caused much astonishment and joy, throughout the Union. Few persons believed in the possibility of his return for the anniversary of Bunker’s hill, and every one considered the journey he had performed as almost magical. In fact, had he not travelled, in less than four months, a distance of upwards of five thousand miles, traversed seas near the equator, and lakes near the polar circle, ascended rapid rivers to the verge of civilization in the new world, and received the homage of sixteen republics! And our astonishment is increased, when it is recollected that this extraordinary journey was performed by a man of 67 years of age! The plan of this journey had been, it is true, ably and skilfully planned by Mr. M’Lean, the postmaster-general, General Bernard, and Mr. George Lafayette; and had been followed with a precision and exactness, that could only have resulted from the unanimity of feeling which animated both the people and the magistrates of the different states; but, during so long a journey, amidst so many dangers, it would have been impossible to foresee accidents, one of which, by delaying us only a few days, would have deranged all our calculations, and yet our good luck was such that we never lost a moment of the time so exactly portioned out, and arrived on the precise day fixed upon.
In returning to the city of Boston, where so many old and firm friends expected him, General Lafayette would have experienced unalloyed satisfaction, if he had not been obliged to deplore the loss of two sincere friends, whom death had snatched away during his short absence, the ex-governor Brooks and Governor Eustis, who departed this life, in possession of the esteem and regret of all who knew them, and had experienced their sage administration. This was the commencement of the accomplishment of the prophetic words of Lafayette’s companions in arms, who all, in shaking him by the hand, had exclaimed, “We have again seen our old general—we have lived long enough!”
The day after our arrival, in accordance with an invitation that had been given him, the general went to the Capitol, where the new governor, Mr. Lincoln, the senate, house of representatives, and civil authorities of Boston, had united to receive and compliment him. After we hadtaken our places in this assembly, the governor rose, and in the name of the state of Massachusetts, congratulated the guest of the nation on the happy termination of his long journey.
As soon as the general had made his reply, the members of the two houses left their places, and crowded round him to offer him an individual expression of their feelings, and sincere congratulations were showered upon him from the galleries, which were filled by a great number of ladies anxious to see him once again. Among the strangers of distinction who were present at this scene, we recognized with much pleasure, Mr. Barbour, appointed secretary of war since Mr. Adams had entered on his functions as president; Colonel M‘Lane of the state of Delaware, Colonel Dwight, Drs. Mitchill and Fisk, General Courtland and Colonel Stone of New York, who had all arrived within a few days to be present at the ceremonies of the 17th of June.
On leaving the capitol, the general was reconducted by a numerous escort of friends to the house of Senator Lloyd, where we found our accommodations prepared the preceding evening, through the hospitable attentions of his amiable family.
The sun of the fiftieth anniversary of the battle of Bunker’s hill arose in full radiance, and thousands of voices uniting with the joyous sounds of the bells and reports of artillery saluted it with patriotic acclamations. At seven o’clock in the morning, passing through a crowd, agitated by glorious recollections of the 17th of June 1775, General Lafayette went to the grand lodge of Massachusetts, where deputations from the grand lodges of Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Jersey, had joined the officers of the chapter and knights of the temple, to receive and compliment him.
At ten o’clock, two thousand free masons, sixteen companies of volunteer infantry and a corps of cavalry, the different corporation and the civil and military authorities, assembled at the capitol, where the procession was formed under the command of General Lyman, whilst the grand master, and deputies of the masonic order, went for General Lafayette to Mr. Lloyd’s, where he had retired on leaving the temple.
At half after ten, the procession took up the line of march. It was composed of about seven thousand persons. Two hundred officers and soldiers of the revolution marched at the head; forty veterans, the honourable remains of the heroes of Bunker’s hill, followed in eight open carriages; they were decorated with a large riband on which was this inscription: June 17th, 1775. Some wore the cartouch boxes they had emptied on that remarkable day, and one who had been a drummer, still carried the instrument whose sound had so often rallied the American battalions, broken by the English columns; behind them marched a long array of numerous subscribers to the monument, formed in ranks of six, and followed by two thousand masons, covered with rich ornaments and symbols of the order; afterwards came General Lafayette in a superb calash drawn by six white horses. Following him were a long file of carriages, in which were his son, his secretary, the governor of Massachusetts and staff, and a great number of persons of distinction, both natives and foreigners. This column advanced to the sound of music and bells, in the midst of two hundred thousand citizens, collected from all the states in the Union, whilst discharges of artillery and general acclamations saluted it at short intervals. It arrived at Bunker’s hill at half after twelve; and in a short time every one was arranged in regular order on the hill on which the monument was to be elevated, as a mark of national gratitude to the first heroes of the revolution.
The modest pyramid formerly raised over the remains of Warren and his companions, and which we had seen on our first visit to Bunker’s hill, had disappeared. From its principal piece of timber, a cane had been formed, on the gold head of which was an inscription, alluding to its origin, and mentioning that it was presented by the masons of Charlestown to General Lafayette, who accepted it as one of the most precious relics of the American revolution; and a large excavation indicated the spot on which the new monument was to be placed.
A short time after we had taken our places around this excavation, and silence was established throughout the innumerable crowd, who waited in religious meditation for the commencement of the ceremony, the grand master of the grand lodge of Massachusetts, accompanied by theprincipal dignitaries of the order, brother Lafayette, Mr. Webster and the principal architect, proceeded to lay the first stone, with the forms prescribed by masonic regulations; in an iron box were placed medals, pieces of money, a plate of silver on which was engraved an account of the foundation of the monument; over this box was laid a stone on which the grand master poured corn, wine and oil, whilst the Rev. Mr. Allen, the chaplain of the day, pronounced the benediction. The masonic order to finish the monument, was then given, and a discharge of artillery proclaimed that the first part of the ceremony was accomplished.
The procession then marched to a vast amphitheatre constructed on the north-east side of the hill, in the centre of which rose a platform, from which the orator of the day could make his voice heard by the fifteen thousand auditors placed in the amphitheatre; all the officers and soldiers of the revolution, some of whom had arrived from distant places to assist at this solemnity, were seated in front of the platform; the survivors of Bunker’s hill forming a small group before them. At the head of these, in a chair, was the only surviving general of the revolution, General Lafayette; and immediately behind, two thousand ladies, in brilliant dresses, appeared to form a guard of honour to the venerable men, and to defend them against the tumultuous approaches of the crowd; behind the ladies, were more than ten thousand persons seated on the numerous benches placed in a semi-circular form on the side of the hill, the summit of which was crowded by more than thirty-thousand spectators, who, although beyond the reach of the orator’s voice, maintained the most perfect silence. After the agitation that inevitably accompanies the movement of so large a concourse had subsided, the melodious voices of a great number of musicians were heard; these, placed behind the speaker’s stand, chaunted a patriotic and religious ode, whose sweet and simple harmony prepared all minds for the deep impressions of eloquence. To this chaunt, succeeded a prayer by Dr. Dexter. When that venerable pastor, who had the honour of combating at Bunker’s hill, appeared before the assembly, with his white locks falling over his shoulders, when he lifted upwards his hands withered by time, and in a voice which was still strong, implored the benediction of the Eternal on the labours of the day, allthe bystanders were penetrated with inexpressible emotions. At last, the orator of the day, Mr. Webster, presented himself; his lofty stature, his athletic form, noble expression of face, and the fire of his looks, were in perfect harmony with the grandeur of the scene around. Already celebrated for his eloquence, Mr. Webster was received by the assembly with strong marks of satisfaction; the flattering murmur with which he was saluted, rose from the base to the summit of the hill, and prevented him from commencing his discourse for some moments. During his speech, the orator was sometimes interrupted by bursts of applause from his auditory, who could not restrain the expression of their sympathetic feelings, when Mr. Webster addressed himself to the revolutionary veterans and General Lafayette, and they, uncovering their venerable heads, arose to receive the thanks he bestowed upon them in the name of the people. A hymn chaunted in chorus by the whole assembly succeeded the discourse, and terminated the second part of the ceremony.
At a signal gun, the procession was again formed, ascended the hill, and seated themselves at a banquet, spread on the summit; there, under an immense wooden building, four thousand persons were accommodated at table without confusion or discomfort; the tables were disposed with so much art, that the voice of the president and of those who gave the toasts or delivered addresses was easily heard, not only by the guests, but likewise by a great number of the spectators around; the names of Warren, of the orator of the day, and of the guest of the nation, were successively proclaimed during the repast. Before leaving the table, General Lafayette rose to return his thanks to the members of the association for erecting the monument on Bunker’s hill; and concluded by offering the following toast: “Bunker’s hill, and that holy resistance to oppression, which has already disenthralled the American hemisphere. The anniversary toast at the jubilee of the next half century will be, to Europe freed.”
This toast was enthusiastically received, and immediately afterwards the guests left the table in order to return to their homes.
The brilliance and heat of a clear summer’s day was succeeded by a delicious evening, cooled by a gentle seabreeze; to enjoy it the better, Mr. George Lafayette proposed to me to return to Boston on foot. I accepted his invitation, and we mingled with the crowds that were slowly descending the hill and discussing the ceremonies of the day; these discussions were always mingled with a mention of the guest of the nation, and a recital of the principal actions that had entitled him to the gratitude of the American people. Here, as in all other assemblies of the people, that I had an opportunity of observing, during our journey, I was struck with a remarkable peculiarity; the perfect knowledge of the events of the revolution that is disseminated through all classes of community, not even excepting the children; I have often heard boys of from eight to ten years of age, talking to each other of the events of the revolutionary war with astonishing precision; they related to each other what they had read or learnt, how, for example, Lafayette arrived in the United States, his receiving a wound at Brandywine, what he had done at Rhode Island and Monmouth; that, whilst he was commander in chief in Virginia, he had, after a campaign of five months, forced Cornwallis to take refuge in Yorktown, where the French fleet under Count de Grasse, and Washington at the head of Rochambeau’s division and that of Lincoln, had joined him and laid siege to that town, and forced the English and their Hanoverian auxiliaries to capitulate. I am aware that the arrival of Lafayette in the different towns, gave rise to a recollection of those facts; I also had constant proofs, that the other events of the revolution were equally familiar to all classes of society, from the veterans, with whom they were a never failing topic of conversation, to school children, who were proud of the deeds of their ancestors, and of the republican liberty, they had the happiness to enjoy. Another very remarkable trait in the American character, is, that the people are not only free and happy, but that they appreciate this happiness and liberty; and what English travellers have termed vanity, is only the firm conviction of the superiority of the institutions and civil dignity maintained by the Americans, as a man in perfect health returns thanks to heaven for the blessings he enjoys; this is so true, that American patriotism (we may say the same of French liberalism, but not of English patriotism) is entirely free froma jealousy of other nations, whose liberty and prosperity are cordially hailed by the people of the United States.
Yielding to the wishes of the inhabitants of Boston, General Lafayette remained several days in their city after the ceremonies at Bunker’s hill, and divided his time amidst the society of his private friends and the public, who, till the last moment, bestowed on him testimonies of their attachment. On the 20th he accepted a dinner given him by the Mechanics’ Society, where he met all the public functionaries, and the most distinguished personages of the state, who had accepted the invitation with equal warmth, so great is the deference paid by every one in the United States to the useful classes of society.
During his visit to Boston, General Lafayette received and accepted invitations from the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, where his presence was impatiently looked for by the people, and one from the city of New York, who ardently desired that he would celebrate the 4th of July, the anniversary of American independence, with them. To fulfil all these engagements in so short a time, appeared difficult, but still the general did not despair of accomplishing it, for he knew by experience how much both the magistrates and the people strove to render his journeys agreeable and rapid. On the 20th he went to take leave of his old friend, John Adams; and employed all the day of the 21st to receiving farewell visits in the city; on the 22d he set out, accompanied by the committee of arrangement and a corps of volunteer cavalry.