Sealed with Blood: War, Sacrifice, and Memory in Revolutionary America

The first martyr to the cause of American liberty was Major General Joseph Warren, a well—known political orator, physician, and president of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts. Shot in the face at close range at Bunker Hill, Warren was at once transformed into a national hero, with his story appearing throughout the colonies in newspapers, songs, pamphlets, sermons, and even theater productions. His death, though shockingly violent, was not unlike tens of thousands of others, but his...