President-General Gargan said in his after-dinner address:
One hundred and twenty-five years have passed since the memorable battle of Bunker Hill, commemorated by yonder tall gray shaft at Charlestown, familiar to us all from early boyhood. We knew the story of that fight before we knew the multiplication table. Nominally a British victory, yet a victory purchased at such fearful cost to the victors as to inspire the colonists to believe that ultimately the triumph would be theirs.
We all know the story from the American standpoint; few read the British accounts of that battle. I was interested to read, a few days ago, some of the English accounts; one of them concludes in these words:
“The action has shown the bravery of the king’s troops, who, under every disadvantage, gained a complete victory over three times their number strongly posted and covered by breastworks, but they fought for their king, their law and constitution.”
That sounds like the account some of the emasculated Americans in our day would give of the fight. But Gage wrote to Lord Dartmouth, then minister for the colonies:
“The number of killed and wounded is greater than we could afford to lose. The trials we have had show that the rebels are not the despicable rabble too many may have supposed them to be.”
Burgoyne and Clinton, who saw the battle from Copp’s Hill, have also written their impressions of the battle in 1775. There were two English accounts, historical in their nature. One of these, it is thought, was written by Edmund Burke, and was published in the Annual Register of that year.
To all Americans, Bunker Hill was a battle cry and an inspiration during the seven long years of war necessary to obtain our independence. To-day its memories should rekindle our patriotism and prompt us to recall the story of the men who there died that a new republic might be born. We know that they believed in God and had high ideals.
The historical paper of the evening was by Hon. John C. Linehan and was of a high order of merit.
Brief addresses were made by Capt. Samuel McKeever, U. S. A., and by several other gentlemen present, and the company adjourned, well pleased with the celebration of the day and evening.