Everything about Joseph Warren totally explained
Dr.
Joseph Warren (
June 11,
1741 –
June 17,
1775) was an
American doctor and soldier, remembered for playing a leading role in
American Patriot organizations in
Boston and for his death as a volunteer
private soldier while also serving as chief executive of the revolutionary
Massachusetts government.
Life and career
Warren was born in
Roxbury, Massachusetts, to Joseph Warren and Mary (Stevens) Warren. His father was a respected farmer who was killed instantly in October 1755 when he fell off a ladder while gathering fruit in his orchard. After attending the
Roxbury Latin School, he studied medicine at
Harvard University, graduating in 1759 and then teaching for a time at Roxbury Latin. He married 18-year-old heiress Elizabeth Hooten on
September 6,
1764, but she died in 1772, leaving him with four children.
While practicing medicine and surgery in
Boston, he joined the
Freemasons and eventually was appointed as a Grand Master. He became involved in politics, associating with
John Hancock,
Samuel Adams, and other radical leaders. He became active in the
Sons of Liberty, and was appointed Chairman of the Massachusetts
Committee of Correspondence. He drafted the
Suffolk Resolves, which were endorsed by the
Continental Congress, to advocate resistance to the British. He was appointed President of the
Massachusetts Provincial Congress, the highest position in the revolutionary government.
After receiving intelligence about British troop movements, he sent
William Dawes and
Paul Revere on their famous "Midnight Rides" on
April 18,
1775, to warn Lexington and Concord of British raids. Several historians believe that his source for this information was none other than
Margaret Gage, the wife of General
Thomas Gage. During the
Battle of Lexington and Concord the following day, he coordinated and led militia into the fight alongside
William Heath as the British Army returned to Boston. He played an important role in recruiting and organizing soldiers during the
Siege of Boston.
He was appointed a
Major General by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress on
June 14,
1775. His commission hadn't yet taken effect three days later when the
Battle of Bunker Hill was fought. He served as a volunteer
private against the wishes of General
Israel Putnam and Colonel
William Prescott, who requested that he serve as their commander. Taunting the British, he uttered his famous quote: "These fellows say we won't fight! By Heavens, I hope I'll die up to my knees in blood!" He fought in the front lines, rallying his troops to the third and final assault of the battle when he was killed immediately by a musket ball fired into his head by a British officer who recognized him.
British Captain Walter Laurie, who had been defeated at
Old North Bridge, later said he "stuffed the scoundrel with another rebel into one hole, and there he and his seditious principles may remain." His body was exhumed ten months after his death by his brothers and Paul Revere, who identified the remains by the artificial teeth he'd placed in the jaw. This may be the first recorded instance of post-mortem identification by
forensic odontology. His body was placed in
Granary Burying Ground and later (in 1825) in
St. Paul's Cathedral before finally being moved in 1855 to his family's vault in
Forest Hills Cemetery.
Warren has two statues in Boston—one in the exhibit lodge adjacent to the
Bunker Hill Monument, and the other on the grounds of the Roxbury Latin School.
At the time of Warren's death, his children—Joseph Warren, H. C. Warren, Richard Warren, Elizabeth Warren, Mary Warren—were staying with
Abigail Adams at the
John Quincy Adams birthplace in
Braintree, Massachusetts. A
cairn now marks the spot where his oldest daughter observed the battle from afar after word of her father's death. The Warren children were then financially supported by
Benedict Arnold who later succeeded in obtaining support for them from the Continental Congress until they were of age.
General Gage is thought to have called Warren's death of equal value to the death of 500 men, but his death strengthened the radicals' political position because it was viewed by many Americans at the time as an act of
nationalist martyrdom. Fourteen states have a
Warren County named after him.
Warren, Michigan,
Warren, New Jersey,
Warrenton, Virginia and
Warren, Massachusetts are named in his honor. Boston's
Fort Warren, started in 1833, was named in his honor. Five ships in the
Continental Navy and
United States Navy were named
Warren in his honor.
John Warren, Joseph's younger brother, served as a surgeon during the
Battle of Bunker Hill and the rest of the war and then later founded
Harvard Medical School.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Joseph Warren'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://joseph_warren.totallyexplained.com">Joseph Warren Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
