USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lexington > History of the town of Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1868, Volume I > Part 54
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Our loss, in the several actions of that day, was 49 killed, 34 wounded, and 5 missing, who were taken prisoners, and have since been exchanged. The enemy's loss, according to the best accounts, in killed, wounded and missing, about 300.
As the war was thus began with savage cruelty, in the aggressors; so it has been carried on with the same temper and spirit, by the enemy in but too many instances. Witness the wanton cruelty, discovered in burning Charlestown, Norfolk, Falmouth, etc. But as events which have taken place since the ever memorable nine- teenth of April, 1775, do not properly come within the compass of this narrative, they must be left for some abler pen to relate.
1 "Deacon Loring's house and barn, Mrs. Lydia Mulliken's house, and her son's shop, and Mr. Joshua Bond's house and shop."
2 ""'Quorum pars magna fui.' Vir."
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THE FOLLOWING IS A CORRECT LIST OF THE PROVINCIALS,1 WHO WERE KILLED, WOUNDED AND MISSING IN THE ACTION OF THE 19TH OF APRIL, AND THE TOWNS TO WHICH THEY RESPECTIVELY BELONGED.
Town.
Killed.
Wound. Missing.
LEXINGTON
Jonas Parker,
1
Robert Munroe,
Samuel Hadley,
Jonathan Harrington, Jun.,
Killed in the Morning.
7
Isaac Muzzy,
Caleb Harrington, John Brown,
Jedidiah Munroe,
John Raymond,
Killed in the Afternoon.
3
Nathaniel Wyman,
John Robbins,
Solomon Pierce,
John Tidd,
Joseph Comie,
Ebenezer Munroe, Jun.,
Wounded in the Morning.
9
Thomas Winship,
Nathaniel Farmer,
Prince Estabrook (colored),
Jedidiah Munroe,
Francis Brown, wounded in the afternoon.
1
CAMBRIDGE
William Marcy,
Moses Richardson,
John Hicks,
Killed.
6
Jason Russell,
Jabish Wyman,
Jason Winship,
Samuel Whittemore,
-
Samuel Frost,
Missing.
2
Seth Russell,
CONCORD
Charles Miles,
Nathan Barnet,
Wounded.
3
Abel Prescott,
Wounded.
1
1 Appended to Phinney's History of the Battle at Lexington, Boston, 1825. Ed. :
APPENDIX
535
Town.
Killed.
Wound. Missing.
NEEDHAM
Lieut. John Bourn,
Elisha Mills,
Amos Mills,
Killed.
5
Nathaniel Chamberlain,
Jonathan Parker,
Eleazer Kingsbury, Tolman,
Wounded.
2
SUDBURY
Josiah Haynes,
Killed.
2
Asahel Reed,
Joshua Haynes, Jun.
Wounded.
1
ACTON
Capt. Isaac Davis,
1
Abner Hosmer,
Killed.
3
James Heywood,1
BEDFORD
Jonathan Wilson, Job Lane,
Killed. Wounded.
1
1
WOBURN
Asahel Porter,
Killed.
2
Daniel Thompson,
George Reed,
Wounded.
3
Johnson,
MEDFORD
Henry Putnam,
- Killed.
2
William Polly,
CHARLESTOWN
James Miller,
Killed.
2
C. Barber's son,
1 Killed in Lexington, at the house formerly owned by Benjamin Fisk. He was coming to the house, and met a British soldier coming out. They both took aim and fired, and both fell.
Jacob Bacon,
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Town.
Killed.
Wound. Missing.
WATERTOWN Joseph Coolidge, Killed.
1
FRAMINGHAM
Daniel Hemenway, Wounded.
1
DEDHAM
Elias Haven,
Israel Everett,
Killed. Wounded.
1
1
STOW
Daniel Conant, Wounded.
1
ROXBURY
Elijah Seaver, Missing.
1
BROOKLINE
Isaac Gardner, Esq., Killed.
1
BILLERICA
John Nickols,
Wounded.
2
Timothy Blanchard,
CHELMSFORD
Aaron Chamberlain,
- Wounded.
2
Oliver Barron,
SALEM
Benjamin Pierce,
Killed.
1
NEWTON
Noah Wiswall,
Wounded.
1
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APPENDIX
Town.
Killed.
Wound.
Missing.
DANVERS
Henry Jacobs, Samuel Cook, Ebenezer Goldthwait, George Southwick, Benjamin Daland, Jotham Webb, Perley Putnam, Nathan Putnam, Dennis Wallace, Joseph Bell,
Killed.
7
Wounded.
2
Missing.
1
BEVERLY
Reuben Kenyme,
Killed.
1
Nathaniel Cleves,
Samuel Woodbury,
Wounded.
3
William Dodge, 3d,
LYNN
Abednego Ramsdell,
Daniel Townsend, William Flint, Thomas Hadley,
Killed.
4
Joshua Felt,
Timothy Munroe, Josiah Breed,
Wounded. Missing.
2
1
49
36
5
The enemy lost 65 killed: 180 were wounded, and 28 taken prisoners. Holmes's Annals.
. An English account, published in the Historical Collections, states their loss to have been 73 killed, 174 wounded, and 26 missing.
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DEPOSITIONS (TAKEN IN 1824-25) OF TEN SURVIVORS OF THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON 1
No. 1
I, ELIJAH SANDERSON, of Salem, in the county of Essex, cabinet- maker, aged seventy-three years, on oath depose as follows:
In the spring of 1775, I resided at Lexington, and had resided there then more than a year. In the spring of that year, the officers of the British regular troops in Boston were frequently making ex- cursions, in small parties, into the country, and often, in the early part of the day, in pleasant weather, passed through Lexington, and usually were seen returning before evening. I lived then on the main road, about three quarters of a mile east of the meeting-house.
On the evening of the 18th April, 1775, we saw a party of officers pass up from Boston, all dressed in blue wrappers. The unusually late hour of their passing excited the attention of the citizens. I took my gun and cartridge-box, and, thinking something must be going on more than common, walked up to John Buckman's tavern, near the meeting-house. After some conversation among the citi- zens assembled there, an old gentleman advised, that some one should follow those officers, and endeavour to ascertain their object. I then observed, that, if any one would let me have a horse, I would go in pursuit. Thaddeus Harrington told me, I might take his, which was there. I took his, and Solomon Brown proposed to ac- company me on his own horse. Jonathan Loring also went with us. We started, probably, about nine o'clock; and we agreed, if we could find the officers, we would return and give information, as the fears were, that their object was, to come back in the night, and seize Hancock and Adams, and carry them into Boston. It had been rumoured, that the British officers had threatened, that Han- cock and Adams should not stay at Lexington. They had been boarding some time at Parson Clarke's.
We set out in pursuit. Just before we got to Brooks's in Lincoln, while riding along, we were stopped by nine British officers, who were paraded across the road. They were all mounted. One rode up and seized my bridle, and another my arm, and one put his pis- tol to my breast, and told me, if I resisted, I was a dead man. I asked, what he wanted. He replied, he wanted to detain me a little while. He ordered me to get off my horse. Several of them dis- mounted and threw down the wall, and led us into the field. They examined and questioned us where we were going, &c. Two of them staid in the road, and the other seven with us, relieving each other from time to time. They detained us in that vicinity till a quarter
1 Appended to Phinney's History of the Battle at Lexington, Boston, 1825. Ed.
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past two o'clock at night. An officer, who took out his watch, in- formed me what the time was. It was a bright moon-light after the rising of the moon, and a pleasant evening. During our de- tention, they put many questions to us, which I evaded. They kept us separately, and treated us very civilly. They particularly inquired where Hancock and Adams were; also about the popula- tion. One said, "You've been numbering the inhabitants, haven't ye?" I told him how many it was reported there were. One of them spoke up and said, "There were not so many, men, women and children." They asked as many questions as a yankee could.
While we were under detention, they took two other prisoners, one Allen, a one-handed pedlar, and Col. Paul Revere; also, they attempted to stop a man on horseback, who, we immediately after understood, was Dr. Prescott's son. He was well mounted, and, after turning from the road into the field toward us, he put spurs to his horse and escaped. Several of the officers pursued him, but could not overtake him.
After they had taken Revere, they brought him within half a rod of me, and I heard him speak up with energy to them, "Gentle- men, you've missed of your aim!" One said, rather hardly, "What of our aim!" Revere replied, "I came out of Boston an hour after your troops had come out of Boston and landed at Lechmere's Point, and if I had not known people had been sent out to give in- formation to the country, and time enough to get fifty miles, I would have ventured one shot from you, before I would have suf- fered you to have stopped me." Upon this, they went a little aside and conversed together. They then ordered me to untie my horse, (which was tied to a little birch,) and mount. They kept us in the middle of the road, and rode on each side of us. We went toward Lexington. They took all of us, (Revere, Loring, and Brown, and myself.) My horse not being swift, and they riding at considerable speed, one of the officers pressed my horse forward, by striking him with his hanger. When we had arrived within fifty or one hundred rods of the meeting-house, Loring (as he afterwards informed me) told them, "The bell's a ringing, the town's alarmed, and you're all dead men." They then stopped - conferred together. One then dismounted, and ordered me to dismount, and said to me, "I must do you an injury." I asked, what he was going to do to me now? He made no reply, but with his hanger cut my bridle and girth, and then mounted, and they rode in a good smart trot on toward Boston. We then turned off to pass through the swamp, through the mud and water, intending to arrive at the meeting-house before they could pass, to give information to our people. Just before they got to the meeting-house, they had halted, which led us to hope, we should get there first; but they soon started off again at full speed, and we saw no more of them.
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I went to the tavern. The citizens were coming and going; some went down to find whether the British were coming; some came back, and said there was no truth in it. I went into the tavern, and, after a while, went to sleep in my chair by the fire. In a short time after, the drum beat, and I ran out to the common, where the militia were parading. The captain ordered them to fall in. I then fell in. 'T was all in the utmost haste. The British troops were then coming on in full sight. I had no musket, having sent it home, the night previous, by my brother, before I started for Concord; and, reflecting I was of no use, I stepped out again from the company about two rods, and was gazing at the British, coming on in full career. Several mounted British officers were forward; I think, five. The commander rode up, with his pistol in his hand, on a canter, the others following, to about eight or ten rods from the company, per- haps nearer, and ordered them to disperse. The words he used were harsh. I cannot remember them exactly. He then said, "Fire!" and he fired his own pistol, and the other officers soon fired, and with that the main body came up and fired, but did not take sight. They loaded again as soon as possible. All was smoke when the foot fired. I heard no particular orders after what the commander first said. I looked, and, seeing nobody fall, thought to be sure they could n't be firing balls, and I did n't move off. After our militia had dispersed, I saw them firing at one man, (Solomon Brown,) who was stationed behind a wall. I saw the wall smoke with the bullets hitting it. I then knew they were firing balls. After the affair was over, he told me he fired into a solid column of them, and then retreated. He was in the cow yard. The wall saved him. He legged it just about the time I went away. In a minute or two after, the British musick struck up, and their troops paraded and marched right off for Concord.
I went home after my gun, - found it was gone. My brother had it. I returned to the meeting-house, and saw to the dead. I saw blood where the column of the British had stood when Solomon Brown fired at them. This was several rods from where any of our militia stood; and I then supposed, as well as the rest of us, that that was the blood of the British.
I assisted in carrying some of the dead into the meeting-house.
Some days before the battle, I was conversing with Jonas Parker, who was killed, and heard him express his determination never to run from before the British troops.
In the afternoon I saw the reinforcement come up under Lord Percy. I then had no musket, and retired to Estabrook's Hill, whence I saw the reinforcement meet the troops retreating from Concord. When they met, they halted some time. After this, they set fire to Deacon Loring's barn; then to his house; then to widow Mulliken's house; then to the shop of Nathaniel Mulliken, a watch
541
APPENDIX
and clock maker; and to the house and shop of Joshua Bond. All these were near the place where the reinforcements took refresh- ments. They hove fire into several other buildings. It was extin- guished after their retreat.
During the day, the women and children had been so scattered and dispersed, that most of them were out of the way when the re- inforcements arrived.
I now own the musket, which I then owned, and which my brother had that day, and told me he fired at the British with it.
ELIJAH SANDERSON.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
ESSEX, ss. December 17th, 1824. - Then the above-named Eli- jah Sanderson, a gentleman of truth and respectability, subscribed and made oath to the above-written affidavit, before
BENJ. MERRILL, Just. Peace and Quorum.
No. 2
I, WILLIAM MUNROE, of Lexington, on oath do testify, that I acted as orderly sergeant in the company commanded by Capt. John Parker, on the 19th of April, 1775; that, early in the evening of the 18th of the same April, I was informed by Solomon Brown, who had just returned from Boston, that he had seen nine British officers on the road, travelling leisurely, sometimes before and some- times behind him; that he had discovered, by the occasional blow- ing aside of their top coats, that they were armed. On learning this, I supposed they had some design upon Hancock and Adams, who were then at the house of the Rev. Mr. Clarke, and immediately assembled a guard of eight men, with their arms, to guard the house. About midnight, Col. Paul Revere rode up and requested admittance. I told him the family had just retired, and had re- quested, that they might not be disturbed by any noise about the house. "Noise!" said he, "you'll have noise enough before long. The regulars are coming out." We then permitted him to pass. Soon after, Mr. Lincoln came. These gentlemen came different routes. Revere came over the ferry to Charlestown, and Lincoln over the neck through Roxbury; and both brought letters from Dr. Warren in Boston to Hancock and Adams, stating, that a large body of British troops had left Boston, and were on their march to Lexington. On this, it was thought advisable, that Hancock and Adams should withdraw to some distant part of the town. To this Hancock consented with great reluctance, and said, as he went off, "If I had my musket, I would never turn my back upon these troops." I however conducted them to the north part of the town, and then returned to the meeting-house, where I arrived at about
542
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two o'clock on the morning of the 19th. On the arrival of Col. Revere, the alarm had been given, and, on my return, I found Capt. Parker and his militia company paraded on the common, a little in the rear of the meeting-house. About that time, one of our messen- gers, who had been sent toward Cambridge to get information of the movement of the regulars, returned and reported, that he could not learn, that there were any troops on the road from Boston to Lexington, which raised some doubt as to their coming, and Capt. Parker dismissed his company, with orders to assemble again at the beat of the drum. Between day-light and sun-rise, Capt. Thaddeus Bowman rode up and informed, that the regulars were near. The drum was then ordered to be beat, and I was commanded by Capt. Parker to parade the company, which I accordingly did, in two ranks, a few rods northerly of the meeting-house.
When the British troops had arrived within about a hundred rods of the meeting-house, as I was afterwards told by a prisoner, which we took, "they heard our drum, and supposing it to be a challenge, they were ordered to load their muskets, and to move at double quick time." They came up almost upon a run. Col. Smith and Maj. Pitcairn rode up some rods in advance of their troops, and within a few rods of our company, and exclaimed, "Lay down your arms, you rebels, and disperse!" and immediately fired his pistol. Pitcairn then advanced, and, after a moment's conversation with Col. Smith, he advanced with his troops, and, finding we did not disperse, they being within four rods of us, he brought his sword down with great force, and said to his men, "Fire, damn you, fire!" The front platoon, consisting of eight or nine, then fired, without killing or wounding any of our men. They immediately gave a second fire, when our company began to retreat, and, as I left the field, I saw a person firing at the British troops from Buck- man's back door, which was near our left, where I was parading the men when I retreated. I was afterward told, of the truth of which I have no doubt, that the same person, after firing from the back door, went to the front door of Buckman's house, and fired there. How many of our company fired before they retreated, I can- not say; but I am confident some of them did. When the British troops came up, I saw Jonas Parker standing in the ranks, with his balls and flints in his hat, on the ground, between his fect, and heard him declare, that he would never run. He was shot down at the second fire of the British, and, when I left, I saw him struggling on the ground, attempting to load his gun, which I have no doubt he had once discharged at the British. As he lay on the ground, they run him through with the bayonet. In the course of the day, I was on the ground where the British troops were when they first heard our drum beat, which was about one hundred rods below the meeting-house, and saw the ends of a large number, I should judge
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two hundred, of cartridges, which they had dropped, when they charged their pieces. About noon, I was at the north part of the town, at the house of a Mr. Simonds, where I saw the late Col. Baldwin, who informed me, that he had the custody of some pris- oners, that had been put under his charge, and requested to know of me what should be done with them. I gave my opinion, that they should be sent to that part of Woburn, now Burlington, or to Chelmsford. On the return of the British troops from Concord, they stopped at my tavern house in Lexington, and dressed their wounded. I had left my house in the care of a lame man, by the name of Raymond, who supplied them with whatever the house afforded, and afterward, when he was leaving the house, he was shot by the regulars, and found dead within a few rods of the house. WILLIAM MUNROE.
MIDDLESEX, 7th March, 1825. - Then personally appeared the aforesaid William Munroe, and made oath to the truth of the afore- going affidavit, by him subscribed, before me,
AMOS MUZZY, Justice Peace.
No. 3
I, JOHN MUNROE, of Lexington, a collector of tolls for the Middle- sex Turnpike, being in the seventy-seventh year of my age, on oath do depose and say, that I was a corporal in the Lexington company of militia, which was commanded by the late Capt. John Parker, in the year 1775; that, for some weeks previous to the 19th of April of that year, the company was frequently called out for exercise, and desired to furnish ourselves with arms and ammunition, and to be in constant readiness for action.
On the morning of the 19th, at about two o'clock, as near as I can recollect, Francis Brown, who was sergeant in the same company, called me out of my bed, and said, the British troops had left Bos- ton, and were on their march to Lexington. I immediately repaired to the place of parade, which was the common, adjoining the meet- ing-house, where sixty or seventy of the company had assembled in arms. Capt. Parker ordered the roll to be called, and every man to load his piece with powder and ball. After remaining on pa- rade some time, and there being no further accounts of the approach of the regulars, we were dismissed, but ordered to remain within call of the drum. About day-light, Capt. Parker had information, that a regiment of British troops were near, and immediately or- dered the drum beat to arms. I took my station on the right. While the company were collecting, Capt. Parker, then on the left, gave orders for every man to stand his ground until he should order them to leave. Many of the company had withdrawn to a considerable distance, and, by the time sixty or seventy of them had collected,
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the drum still beating to arms, the front ranks of the British troops appeared within twelve or fifteen rods of our line. They continued their march to within about eight rods of us, when an officer on horseback, Lt. Col. Smith, who rode in front of the troops, exclaimed, "Lay down your arms, and disperse, you rebels!" Finding our company kept their ground, Col. Smith ordered his troops to fire. This order not being obeyed, he then said to them, "G-d damn you, fire!" The front platoon then discharged their pieces, and, another order being given to fire, there was a general discharge from the front ranks. After the first fire of the regulars, I thought, and so stated to Ebenezer Munroe, Jun. who stood next to me on the left, that they had fired nothing but powder; but, on the second firing, Munroe said, they had fired something more than powder, for he had received a wound in his arm; and now, said he, to use his own words, "I'll give them the guts of my gun." We then both took aim at the main body of the British troops, - the smoke pre- venting our seeing any thing but the heads of some of their horses, - and discharged our pieces. After the second fire from the British troops, I distinctly saw Jonas Parker struggling on the ground, with his gun in his hand, apparently attempting to load it. In this situ- ation the British came up, run him through with the bayonet, and killed him on the spot. After I had fired the first time, I retreated about ten rods, and then loaded my gun a second time, with two balls, and, on firing at the British, the strength of the charge took off about a foot of my gun barrel.
Such was the general confusion, and so much firing on the part of the British, that it was impossible for me to know the number of our men, who fired immediately on receiving the second fire from the British troops; but that some of them fired, besides Ebenezer Munroe and myself, I am very confident. The regulars kept up a fire, in all directions, as long as they could see a man of our com- pany in arms. Isaac Muzzy, Jonathan Harrington, and my father, Robert Munroe, were found dead near the place where our line was formed. Samuel Hadley and John Brown were killed after they had gotten off the common. Asahel Porter, of Woburn, who had been taken a prisoner by the British on their march to Lexington, attempted to make his escape, and was shot within a few rods of the common. Caleb Harrington was shot down on attempting to leave the meeting-house, where he and some others had gone, before the British soldiers came up, for the purpose of removing a quantity of powder that was stored there.
On the morning of the 19th, two of the British soldiers, who were in the rear of the main body of their troops, were taken prisoners and disarmed by our men, and, a little after sun-rise, they were put under the care of Thomas R. Willard and myself, with orders to march them to Woburn Precinct, now Burlington. We con-
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ducted them as far as Capt. James Read's, where they were put into custody of some other persons, but whom I do not now recol- lect.
JOHN MUNROE.
MIDDLESEX, SS. December 28th, 1824. - Then the above-named John Munroe made oath to the truth of the foregoing affidavit, by him subscribed, before me,
NATHAN CHANDLER, Justice of the Peace.
No. 4
I, EBENEZER MUNROE, of Ashburnham, in the county of Worces- ter and commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the seventy-third year of my age, on oath depose and say, that I was an inhabitant of Lexington in the county of Middlesex in the year 1775; that, during the night of the 18th of April of that year, I was alarmed by one Micah Nagles, who stated, that the British troops were on their march from Boston, and that Lieut. Tidd requested myself and others to meet on the common as soon as possible. I accordingly repaired to the common, the usual place of parade, where I found Capt. Parker, and, I should think, about forty of the company had collected. The weather being rather chilly, after calling the roll, we were dismissed, but ordered to remain within call of the drum. The men generally went into the tavern adjoining the common. In the mean time, persons were sent toward Boston to get some intelligence, if possible, of the regulars. The last person sent was Thaddeus Bowman, who returned between day-light and sun-rise, and informed Capt. Parker, that the British troops were within a mile of the meeting-house. Capt. Parker immediately ordered the drum beat to arms. I was the first that followed the drum. I took my station on the right of our line, which was formed from six to ten rods back of the meeting-house, facing south. About seventy of our company had assembled when the British troops appeared. Some of our men went into the meeting-house, where the town's powder was kept, for the purpose of replenishing their stock of ammunition. When the regulars had arrived within eighty or one hundred rods, they, hearing our drum beat, halted, charged their guns, and doubled their ranks, and marched up at quick step. Capt. Parker ordered his men to stand their ground, and not to molest the regulars, unless they meddled with us. The British troops came up directly in our front. The commanding officer advanced within a few rods of us, and exclaimed, "Disperse, you damned rebels! you dogs, run! - Rush on my boys!" and fired his pistol. The fire from their front ranks soon followed. After the first fire, I received a wound in my arm, and then, as I turned to run, I discharged my gun into the main body of the enemy. As I fired, my face being
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