Commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill (actually Breed’s Hill) cannot be properly achieved without tribute to Liberty’s martyr – Joseph Warren. A prominent young physician and widowed father of four small children, Warren was the foremost Patriot leader in the months leading to the Battles of Lexington and Concord until his ultimate sacrifice on Breed’s Hill.
Joseph Warren ignited the American Revolution! Anticipating an imminent encounter with the British, most Patriot leaders fled Boston in early April of 1775. Warren’s friends, John Hancock and Samuel Adams were hiding in Lexington to elude arrest warrants. Warren was aware that there was an arrest warrant for him as well; regardless, he remained in Boston.
After receiving intelligence on April 18th that the British were marching to Lexington to arrest Adams and Hancock – and then to Concord to confiscate colonial military supplies Warren was forced to make the decision – alone – to call out the militia. It was Warren who sent Paul Revere and Billy Dawes to warn the countryside and get his friends Adams and Hancock to safety. Warren’s departure from Boston was unhurried. On the morning of April 19th, after learning that shots had been fired on the Lexington Green, he took a public ferry out of Boston, unmolested.
Warren was and remains an enigma. A protege of Samuel Adams, Warren’s influence began through his writings and orations as a staunch defender of the right of self-government for the American colonists. He served enthusiastically as leader of the Boston Committee of Correspondence, chairman of the Committee of Safety, and ultimately president of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. His writings, activities and actions against the Crown were publicly known as early as 1768. He played a major role in forcing out of office the detested royal appointed governor of Massachusetts, Francis Bernard. Warren took part in every major event in Massachusetts including the Liberty incident, the Boston Massacre (after which he treated the wounded), and the Tea Party. He co-authored the Solemn League and Covenant and authored the Suffolk Resolves, which was unanimously endorsed by the First Continental Congress. Warren not only called the militia to confront the British in Lexington and Concord – he then worked tirelessly to bring military and governmental order out of chaos in the weeks leading to the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Joseph Warren was the embodiment of the American colonists’ struggle to secure their rights within the British empire. In June of 1775, he had just turned thirty-four. He was a widowed father of four young children, whom he secreted away to a place of safety to the home of a friend thirty-miles away from Boston before the conflict began. He held together, and seeming commanded the respect of the 16,000 militia troops from Massachusetts and surrounding colonies that congregated outside Boston after the Battles of Lexington and Concord. But military order and discipline were lacking, and he was concerned how long his authority would hold with troops from outside Massachusetts.
Frequently notifying his friend Samuel Adams in Philadelphia of occurrences, he urged him to petition the Continental Congress to appoint a commander in chief – even suggesting that George Washington be the man. Not certain of if, or when, the Continental Congress would act, Warren sought a commission as major general of the Massachusetts forces. This commission was not yet officiated when news came that the British intended to occupy one of the hills outside of Boston.
As president of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and chairman of the Committee of Safety, Warren not only oversaw and approved the plans for the Battle of Bunker Hill, but as a newly appointed major general, intended to participate in the imminent combat. Attempts to dissuade him from the danger were in vain. For ten years he had encouraged these men to stand against the tyranny of Great Britian. Now, he would stand with them on the battlefield. A story passed down through the centuries tells of his mother imploring him to offer his service as a physician, not a warrior. “Wherever danger is, dear mother,” he replied to her, “there will your son be. Now is no time for one of America’s children to shrink from the most hazardous duty; I will either set my country free or shed my last drop of blood to make her so.”
Next: The Battle of Bunker Hill: Joseph Warren’s last day (part two)
SOON TO BE RELEASED – LIBERTY’S MARTYR: THE STORY OF DR. JOSEPH WARREN. LOOK FOR IT ON AMAZON IN LATE JUNE 2025!