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 had taken
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 the principal
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, all the 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 sea breeze; 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 from a
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.