Today is the birth day of my favorite Founding Father. Joseph Warren was the only one who died for independence.
Everyone has heard of Sam Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere. They were all Boston patriots that gave the British hell, but none died for what they believed in. Joseph Warren did. Warren graduated from Harvard and became a doctor. When a smallpox outbreak occurred, he made the bold decision to inoculate his patients, thus saving many lives and earning him the reputation as the leading doctor in Massachusetts. He got involved in the movement opposing British policies. He became a leading Son of Liberty. He wrote the Suffolk Resolves which demanded that Britain repeal the Intolerable Acts. He operated a system of couriers to keep other colonies informed about rebel activities in Massachusetts. He gathered intelligence and found out the British were going to try to capture John Adams and Hancock at Lexington. He figured out they would continue on to Concord. When the British began the move, he sent Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn the duo and the Minutemen. While Adams and Hancock fled, Warren joined the ranks and took shots at the marching Redcoats. He got his wig shot off. Warren continued in the army as it laid siege to Boston. He insisted on being just a private, but was soon promoted to Major General. He helped organize the army. When the British threatened to assault Breed’s Hill, Warren went to the site of the fight. He refused to take command even though his rank allowed him to. He felt that he did not have the military experience, but he could take his place in the redoubt alongside the common soldiers. When the British finally broke in, Warren was killed instantly when a bullet hit him in the face. The enraged British mutilated his body by bayoneting his face and then dumped the body in a common grave. Later, the body was identified by way of two artificial teeth that Paul Revere had made for him. This was one of the first times dental records were used to identify a body. Here’s a picture so you can identify him, since he is not on any our currency. Don’t get me started.
https://historycollection.co/18-all-but-forgotten-american-war-heroes/
The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill by John Trumbull
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