USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Walks & talks about historic Boston > Part 14
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"That resolution was like the luminous writing on the wall warning Belshazzar of impending danger." But stub- born and vindictive King George was blind and deaf and this Resolution goaded him to an insane frenzy, and he proclaimed his American subjects, "rebels." King George ex- pressed his ultimatum with bitter emphasis and scorn, in these words: "The New England governments are now in a state of
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rebellion. Blows must decide whether they are to be subject to this country or to be independent."
At a session of Parliament held January 20, 1775, Ben- jamin Franklin was present by invitation of Lord Chatham, who, taking him by the arm, introduced him to the doorkeepers, saying as he did so, "This is Dr. Frank- lin, whom I would have admitted to the house." During the session, Lord Chatham, leaning upon his crutch, in a clear voice proposed an address to the King, asking him to immediately despatch to General Gage an order to re- move his forces from Boston as soon as the rigors of the season would permit. "I wish, my lords," said Chatham, "not to lose a day in this urgent crisis. An hour now lost may produce years of calamity. I contend not for indul- gence, but justice to America. The spirit which now re- sists your taxation in America is the same which formerly opposed wars, benevolence and ship money in England; the same which established the essential maxim of your liberties, that no subject of England shall be taxed but by his own consent."
In concluding his great speech. this noble plea for jus- tice in dealing with America, he paid a high compliment to the wisdom and discretion of the Continental Congress, which is a complete refutation of some of these latter day "loyalists" who have tried to smirch the character of the leading patriots of Boston, and to belittle the intelligence of the American people. He said: "When your lordships look at the papers transmitted to us from America, when you consider the decency, firmness and wisdom, you can- not but respect their course and wish to make it your own. For myself, I must avow, that in all my reading,-and I have read Eucydides, and have studied and admired the master States of the world-for solidity of reasons, force of sagacity and wisdom of conclusion, under a complica- tion of different circumstances, no nation, or body of men, can stand in preference to the General Congress at Phila- delphia.
"The histories of Greece and Rome give nothing equal to it; and all attempts to impose servitude upon such a mighty continental nation must be vain-must be fatal. We shall be forced, ultimately. to retreat : let us retreat while we can; not when we must. These violent acts
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must be repealed ; you will repeal them. I pledge myself for it. I stake my reputation on it. You will in the end repeal them. Avoid, then, this humiliating necessity.
"With a dignity becoming your exalted station, make the first advance to concord, peace and happiness, for that is your true dignity. Concession comes with better grace from superior power, and establishes solid confidence in the foundations of affection and gratitude. Be the first to spare; throw down the weapons in your hands.
In conclusion, my lords, if the ministers thus persevere in misadvising and misleading the King, I will not say they can alienate the affections of his subjects from his crown; but I will affirm, they will make the crown not worth his wearing. I will not say that the King is be- trayed, but I will pronounce that the Kingdom is undone." This bold speech aroused the King to great anger and ex- pressed his desire for the arrival of the day "when decrepi- tude, or old age should put an end to Chatham, as a trum- pet of sedition."
"All through March and April, 1775, Boston was a caul- dron of intense feeling. Gage had been irresolute and timid, but now he resolved to nip rebellion in the bud, and proposed to seize John Hancock and Samuel Adams, as arch traitors, and send them to England, for trial on a charge of treason, also to send out troops to Concord and other places and seize all the munitions of war which the people had gathered and he fixed upon the night of April 18th as the time for carrying his plans into execution." The secret leaked out and when the 18th of April came, the patriots watched every movement of the British troops with the keenest interest. Lord Percy, who was one of Gage's confidants, heard a group of citizens conversing as he was crossing the Common and one of them said, "the British will miss their mark." "What mark?" said Percy. "The cannon at Concord," was the reply. Percy at once informed General Gage, who immediately issued orders to his guards not to allow any one to leave the city that night. It was too late. William Dawes had gone over the Neck to Roxbury with a message from Warren to Hancock and Adams, and Warren and Revere were at Charlestown awaiting the development of events. Revere had engaged
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his friend Newman, sexton of the North (Christ) Church to give him a timely signal. He said to his friend :-
"If the British march By land, or sea, from the town tonight, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower, as a signal light. One, if by land, and two, if by sea, And 1, on the opposite shore will be Ready to ride and spread the alarm, Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country folk to be up and to arm!"
And thus was ushered in that "glorious morn at Lex- ington."
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The Minute Man Statue on Lexington Common
"By the rude bridge that arched the flood. Their flag to April's breeze unfurled.
Here once the embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard 'round the world.'" Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Lexington and Concord April 19, 1775
Previous to the battle of Lexington the Patriots saw that it was their paramount duty to provide an organized mili- tary force in defence of their rights and property. Two months previous to the battle, there was a thorough mili- tary organization of the Province. The company of "Min- ute Men" in each town was made up of volunteers from its able bodied men, and these companies were well drilled. Massachusetts had 15,000 men ready for the onset. Dr. Warren saw that a conflict was inevitable in the immediate future and he advised Samuel Adams and John Hancock not to return to Boston, but to remain in Lexington. General Gage had received imperative orders from England to seize the two men and hold them as traitors.
The object of the expedition to Concord was not only to destroy supplies belonging to the Patriots, but to take these two men, but the midnight ride of Paul Revere thwarted the plan of the British General. A large amount of military supplies had been accumulating in Concord. There were 21,549 firearms, 17441 pounds of powder, 22191 pounds of musket balls, and 144.699 flints, 15,000 canteens, 1100 tents, 1000 iron soup pots. A large supply of wheelbarrows, pick axes, axes, spades, etc. Of commissary supplies they had a large amount of flour, rice. salt beef, salt fish and molasses, and many cannon of various sizes. As can readily be seen the destruction of these supplies would have been a serious loss to the patriots. There was also quite an accumulation of stores at Worcester. General Gage had his spies out in various directions to ascertain the amount and location of supplies and to report as to the best method of seizing them. One of them, a British soldier 22 years of age said: "The General asked what I thought of destroying the stores at Concord, only 18 miles. I stated that I thought 500 mounted men might go to Concord in the night and de- stroy the stores and return safe, but to go with 1000 foot to destroy the stores the country would be alarmed, and the
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greater part of them would be killed or taken." The result proved the soundness of his judgment. The night of April 18th was clear and just as the moon was rising the British troops bound for Lexington were landing at Lechmere Point. Cambridge. But Revere was ahead of them and on a swift and powerful horse was speeding towards Lexington. At Charlestown Neck, he was almost captured by British officers, but escaped by turning back towards Charlestown. and taking the Medford road. He reached Clark's house in Lexington. a little after midnight, and hurriedly inquired
Here John Hancock .. .. .. V. dreams when more his Pali the morning of the 19th of April. 1 75 I'm home of se distingue!
Visuen ida k and Claser
Hancock Clark House, Lexington
for Mr. Hancock of Sergeant Munroe, who with eight men were guarding the house. "Don't make so much noise," said the Sergeant, "the family have just retired, and I am directed not to allow them to be disturbed by any noise." "Noise." exclaimed Revere. "you will have noise enough before long. The Regulars are coming out." He knocked on the door, and Mr. Clark, the owner of the house inquired. "Who is there?" Revere answered, "I want to see Mr. Hancock." Hancock, who was in bed, but not asleep, recog- nized the voice of the messenger. and called out. "Come in, Revere, we are not afraid of you." When they heard the story of the impending danger the whole house was astir. Mr. Dawes, another messenger of the Committee of Safety, who took the route to Lexington. via Roxbury. arrived and confirmed Revere's statement. After a light refreshment.
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Revere and Dawes started for Concord, warning the in- habitants by the way, as Revere had done between Medford and Lexington. They were overtaken by Dr. Samuel Pres- cott, who had been wooing a young lady in Lexington, and he joined them in their patriotic errand. They had gone but a short distance when Revere and Dawes were sur- rounded by some British officers, and captured. Prescott dashed over a stone wall on his active horse, thus eluding capture, and pushed on to Concord, where he gave the alarm at two o'clock on the morning of April 19. The British officers questioned Revere and Dawes, but received only evasive answers. While they were threatening the prisoners, a church bell was heard to ring and then another, and one of the prisoners said to them: "The bells are ring- ing, the town is alarmed-you are dead men." The officers took fright, left their prisoners and fled post haste to Boston.
The alarm aroused the "Minute Men" who seized their guns and at two o'clock in the morning they assembled in front of the meetinghouse, where they loaded their guns with powder and ball. The roll was called by brave Captain John Parker and seventy-five patriots responded "Here." As the air was chilly, and the invaders had not yet appeared, the men adjourned to the shelter of the meetinghouse. Colonel Smith, the commander of the British force was a prudent man, and noting the uprising of the people, and listening to the alarm bells, he despatched a messenger to Boston for reinforcements. Major Pitcairn was ordered to push rapidly on through Lexington, and seize the bridge at Concord. He seized and held every man whom he met on his route. Just at dawn, he and his redcoats came in sight of the patriots drawn up on Lexington Common. They halted and loaded their muskets. Captain Parker had instructed his men not to fire unless fired upon, but he said "if they want to have a war, let it begin here." There was no wavering in that little patriot band, as they were to meet the veterans of many bat- tlefields. "Pitcairn and ome of his officers galloped forward, waving their swords over their heads, the troops rushing after them on the "double quick." "Disperse, you villains! Lay down your arms. Why don't you disperse, you rebels! Dis- perse !" said the Major.
The "Minute Men" made no reply and held their ground. Pitcairn, wheeling his horse, and waving his sword, shouted to his men, "Press forward ! Surround the rascals." Some of the
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British soldiers fired off random shots, over the heads of the Americans, but without effect. The "Minute Men" had scru- ples about firing until their own blood had been spilled. "Pit- cairn was irritated by their stubborn obstinacy, and drawing his pistol, discharged it, and at the same moment shouted to his soldiers, "Fire!" A volley from the front ranks followed the order with fatal effect, some Americans fell dead, or were mortally wounded, and others were badly hurt. There was no further hesitation on the part of the "Minute Men." "The conditions of their restraint, were fulfilled. The blood of their comrades had been shed, and as the shrill fife of young Jona- than Harrington set the drum to beating, they returned the fire with spirit but not with fatal effect. The blood of American citizens stained the green grass on Lexington Common, but no British soldier lost his life in that memorable conflict. Cap- tain Parker realizing that his little band was in danger of be- ing overpowered and perhaps massacred by a greatly superior force, ordered his men to disperse. As they did so the British continued to fire, the Americans returned the shot with spirit, and sought safety behind stone walls and buildings. Four of the "Minute Men" were slain by the first fire and four after- wards and ten were wounded. Only three of the British were wounded, with Pitcairn's horse. "The bells that rang out on that warm April morning. the mercury marking 85 degrees in the shade, at noon, tolled the knell of British domination in the thirteen colonies!" Colonel Smith came up with his detach- ment of troops and joined Pitcairn, and after having given three cheers in token of their victory, they started off for Con- cord, in high spirits and confident of success. The news of the conflict on Lexington spread with almost lightning speed through the town with the cry, "To arms! To arms! the war has begun!" At Worcester the men left their farming implements in the fields, the citizens left their homes, and the Minute Men were soon on the march, and what hap- pened at Worcester was repeated at other towns. It showed the spirit and determination of the people. Dr. Prescott reached Concord, twenty minutes after he left Revere and Dawes. He met Amos Melvin, the sentinel at the Court House and told him the regulars were coming, who seized the bell rope and rang out such a vehement alarm, that the whole town was aroused and the villagers were soon on the streets. The first to appear, with a gun, was the Rev. William Emerson, the
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beloved pastor of the town, and the Minute Men rallied around him on the village green. They heard the boom of the guns at Lexington, and they made their preparations to repel the invaders. Men, women, and children worked vigorously to remove the cannon and stores to a place of safety. The Ven- erable James Barrett, in 1848, then 86 years of age, gave a vivid account of that day. He said : "I was a lad, fourteen years old. I could not carry a musket, but I could drive oxen. Stout
LEXINGTON
Kitchen HANCOCK-CLARKE House
men and women could load carts with stores and then boys and girls of my age would go, one on each side of the oxen with goads, and whip them into a trot, and so we carried away the stores, and hid them under pine boughs, before the British regulars appeared." The Minute Men formed a battle line, be- ing veterans of the French and Indian wars. They fell back to a spot on the Common under command of Col. James Barrett, on a hill, about eighty rods from the centre of the village, which was hardly accomplished when the redcoats and flashing bayonets of the regulars were seen a quarter of a mile down the road. Some proposed to begin the fight where they stood. but cooler and wiser heads, seeing the odds against them, ad- vised falling back a little distance, where they would be much
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stronger by reason of the militia that was coming in to their aid. They took post on rising ground just beyond the North Bridge about a mile from Concord Common. "The British en- tered Concord in two divisions. Smith and Pitcairn remained in the town, and sent six companies to secure the bridges, pre- vent the militia from crossing them, and to discover and de- stroy the secreted stores, the hiding place of which had been revealed by the Tories. A party went to the house of Colonel Barrett, expecting to find stores there, but were disappointed.
The marauders could find but little for which they came. The people did their work well that morning. They demanded refreshments of Mrs. Barrett and offered to pay for them. She refused the money, saying: "We are commanded to feed our enemy if he hungers." In the village they broke open sixty barrels of flour, one half of which was afterwards saved. They broke the trunions of several cannon, burned sixteen cannon wheels, a few barrels of wooden trenchers and spoons, cut down the Liberty Pole and set the Court House on fire. The Committee of Safety did their work well in the hiding of stores and supplies. This British raid, so meagre in results, was about as poorly planned as it possibly could be. By ten o'clock the little force of Continentals had increased to four hundred for the Minute Men from Carlisle, Chelmsford. Wes- ton, Littleton and Acton. came flocking in, and they numbered about half as many as the Regulars. Major Buttrick, of Con- cord. took command. They saw the smoke rising from the village. They were a little band standing for the defence of their homes and the question arose in their minds, "What shall we do? Would it be treason to attack British troops who were destroying their property and trampling on their rights?" They took counsel of their duty and acted promptly. They pressed forward in double file, with trailed arms to drive the British from the North Bridge, which the British were trying to de- stroy. As Major Buttrick and his men rushed forward to save it, the Regulars opened fire on them. Captain Davis, of Acton, and one of his company were killed. when Buttrick shouted, "Fire, fellow soldiers, for God's sake, fire !"
The Minute Men delivered a full volley which killed three of the British and wounded several others. Several other shots were fired, when the British retreated and the Minute Men took possession of the bridge. At noon the whole invading force was in full retreat toward Lexington. The whole coun- try was in arms, as a British officer expressed it, "the Ameri-
Battle of Lexington April 19, 1775
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cans seemed to drop from the clouds." By the middle of the forenoon, the British sent to Boston for re-inforcements and at 2 o'clock Earl Percy came into Lexington at the head of 1,100 men. The war had really begun and in good earnest. In open highways, in wooded ravines and behind stone walls, fences and buildings, the exasperated yeomanry attacked the panting and fleeing British regulars. Man after man fell dead in the ranks, or was badly wounded, until great wagons were filled with slain and wounded. The heat was intense, the dust
Dawcs, a Minute Man Sent to Lexington by Dr. Warren
was intolerable : the men were suffering from want of sleep, were hungry, thirsty, and fatigued from long and constant marching, and the eight hundred men, the flower of the Brit- ish army, must have surrendered to the "farmers" but for the arrival of Earl Percy, with reinforcements.
The retreating British reached Charlestown, between 7 and 8 in the evening. Colonel Smith's men had marched 36 to 40 miles in 24 hours. All the way to Charlestown, the Minute Men of 31 towns, were harrying their rear. It was a complete rout of British regulars, who lost in killed, wounded and miss- ing, 273 men, out of a total of 800. The news first reached England, through American sources, Capt. Richard Derby, of
The Flight of the British from Concord.
Dedicated on the 11th Anniversary of the Battle of General. April 19th. 1875. Unreal by Loro. U. S. Grant Ins option Ly Ralph Wakk. I mener. Situated on "Battle Lawn
Statue of Minute Man at the Bridge, Concord
CONCORD, Mass Monument
1
Battle Monument at the Green, Concord
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Salem, a retired shipmaster, and a member of the Provincial Congress, patriotically tendered his own schooner, the diminu- tive "Quero." commanded by his son, John Derby, a bold and skilful navigator, to carry news to Franklin, the American agent in London. He took the risk of storms at sea, rocks on the shore, and British men-of-war, making the voyage in 29 days-100 miles and more a day .- and reaching London twelve days before the vessel despatched by General Gage. He car- ried copies of the Essex Gazette, giving full account of the battle which the London papers admitted, tallied very closely with the official report from General Gage. Captain John Derby of Salem, is worthy to stand by the side of the great sailors and commanders of the American Navy, who have ever been their country's pride and boast. The Provincial Congress sent a carefully prepared narrative of the affair to the people of England through Benjamin Franklin, in which was this prophetic introduction :
"On the nineteenth of April, in the year one thousand, seven hundred and seventy-five, a day to be remembered by all Amer- icans of the present generation, and which ought, and doubt- less will be, handed down to ages, yet unborn, the troops of Britain, unprovoked, shed the blood of sundry subjects of the British King, on the field of Lexington."
"The hunt had begun with the dawn of the sun,
And night saw the wolf driven back to his den,
And never since then, in the memory of men,
Has the Old Bay State seen such a hunting again."
Edward Everett Hale.
- --
Che Battle of Bunker hill
"And Massachusetts answers, 'Bunker Hill!' A watchword for us all."
Three days after the fight at Lexington and Concord the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts assembled at Water- town, and a Committee was appointed to draw up a narra- tive of the "Massacre." They took many depositions, and it was conclusively proven that the British fired the first shot. This narrative with a firm and respectful address to the inhabitants of Great Britain, was sent to Arthur Lee, the Colonial Agent in England, and was published in the "London Chronicle," on the 30th of May, nine days before General Gage's despatches were received. It caused great excitement in London. Placards, lampoons and caricatures and doggerel verses were hawked about the streets.
The retreat of the British from Concord and Lexington was properly regarded as a defeat and a flight, and the King's ministers were reviled because the great British army in Boston had been beaten by a flock of "Yankees" The news of the battle of Lexington spread rapidly through the Colonies, and it was evident to all that the time for compromise was past. Appeals were sent out to the other New England Colonies to enlist troops with all speed. These appeals were promptly answered. New Hampshire sent two thousand men under Generals Stark and Folsom. Sturdy old Israel Putnam raised troops in Connecticut and the State commissioned him a Brigadier- General. Rhode Island sent fifteen hundred men under General Nathaniel Greene, who proved to be one of the most efficient generals of the Revolution. General Artemus Ward, appointed by the Massachusetts Assembly. was the senior officer, and took command of the little army. They established a rigid blockade. and prevented supplies from reaching the town by land, the neighboring country re- fused to furnish them by water. Fresh provisions and vegetables could no longer be obtained in Boston, and the
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inhabitants soon experienced the privations of a besieged city. General Gage saw the perils of his situation. He saw himself surrounded by active and exasperated foes. Being a man wholly devoid of tact, instead of relaxing his rigor, he increased it. He forbade all intercourse with the
Bunker Hill Monument, Charlestown, Mass.
219946
country and allowed no one to leave the town. With the supplies of food and fuel cut off, hunger stared the people in the face. The British officers and soldiers were deeply chagrined at being thus hemmed in by a rustic rout, with calico frocks and fowling pieces, but these countrymen could shoot very straight. It was the same old spirit of the Cavaliers and the Roundheads. Considering Episco- nacy as the only loyal faith they burned and desecrated the sectarian places of worship in Boston. The Provincials retaliated by burning an Episcopal Church in Cambridge.
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Both parties panted for action, the humiliated British to chastise their presumptive besiegers, the Provincials, through enthusiasm for their cause, to harass and pun- ish their haughty foes. On the 28th of May several ships of war arrived at Boston from England, with large rein- forcements of troops, under command of Generals Howe, Burgoyne and Clinton. Burgoyne could not conceal his scorn and surprise and exclaimed, "What, ten thousand peasants keep five thousand King's troops shut up! Well, let us get in and we will soon find elbow room!" Two years later this same boasting Burgoyne tested the fight- ing qualities of these peasants at Saratoga, when nearly six thousand of British troops of his command, uncondi- tionally surrendered.
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