Four o'clock
It seems probable his intention was to construct works on both hills , but a lack of picks and shovels compelled him to confine his work to the single redoubt on Breed 's Hill . -RSB- Leaving the sentinels to guard the shore , he rode to the summit of the hill , where the men were hard at work , delving in silence with pick and spade . There were not sufficient implements for all , but when one was out of breath , another took his place , and before the first glimmer of dawn appeared , the trench had been made breast deep . `` Four o'clock and all 's well ! '' came from the sentinel on the Somerset , but a moment later a sheet of flame and a white cloud burst from the side of the Lively , and the roar of a gun broke the stillness of the morning . The thunder rolled far away , arousing the British army , the people of Boston , General Gage , and Lord Howe from their slumbers . Berinthia Brandon , from her chamber window , beheld the warship Lively shrouded in smoke .