Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 11.

‘We hear that the enemy, the evening on which troops burnt the houses at Charlestown, were entertaining themselves at the exhibition of a Play, which they called the Blockade of Boston; in the midst of which a person appeared before the audience, and with great earnestness declared that the Yankees were attacking Bunker's Hill. The deluded wretches at first, took this to be merely farcial, and intended as a part of their diversion. But soon convinced that the actor meant to represent a solemn reality, the whole assembly left the house in confusion, and scampered off with great precipitation.’

This play was written by General John Burgoyne. He had presented one in London previously, possibly with more success than attended the one this side the sea. In this, one of the characters was costumed as a ‘Yankee Sergeant’ and the performance was much enjoyed by the British officers and the Tory ladies who were in attendance. It was designed to impress the soldiery with contempt for the ‘Yankees’ and was succeeding finely when the ‘Sergeant’ gave the alarm ‘with great earnestness.’ Soon the order ‘officers, to your posts’ awakened everybody to the situation. In the wild scramble that ensued the fiddles of the orchestra were broken, seats overturned, and the much alarmed ladies were left to find their way home from Faneuil Hall. Their gallant escorts were unceremoniously called to other duties.

It was reported that after the evacuation of Boston the tables were turned and a play called the ‘Blockheads’ (evidently parodied) or the ‘Affrighted Officers’ was produced, in which the names of Lord Percy, Burgoyne and prominent Loyalists were thinly disguised.

Some years ago we heard of a pamphlet that undertook to prove that there never was a Battle of Bunker Hill, which seems a singular effort. It was not on account of the mistake in the name of the hill, but in discredit of the fact.

If the fact of this second battle, in which eighteen persons lost their lives and six prisoners were taken, is discredited by our readers, we refer them to the above detailed account published at the time by a son of old Medford, one of Massachusetts' early journalists.