TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Superscripts are represented by ^, for example 19^{th}.
All changes in the Errata, found at the end of the narrative and
before the main Index, have been applied to the etext.
Other obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
More detail can be found at the end of the book.
[Illustration: MAJOR JOHN PITCAIRN
BY WHOSE ORDER THE OPENING VOLLEY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION WAS
FIRED.]
SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION,
WITH THE
MUSTER ROLLS
OF THE
PARTICIPATING AMERICAN
COMPANIES.
Number of copies printed:
This one No.
THE BATTLE OF APRIL 19, 1775,
IN
LEXINGTON, CONCORD,
LINCOLN,
ARLINGTON, CAMBRIDGE,
SOMERVILLE AND CHARLESTOWN,
MASSACHUSETTS.
BY
FRANK WARREN COBURN.
LEXINGTON, MASS., U. S. A.,
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR,
1912.
COPYRIGHT,
1912,
FRANK WARREN COBURN.
F. L. COBURN & CO., PRINTERS, BOSTON, MASS., U. S. A.
DEDICATION.
TO MY SON:
CHARLES LYMAN COBURN,
A NATIVE OF LEXINGTON.
PREFACE.
There have been many histories of the Battle of Lexington and of the
Battle of Concord, some of them excellent to the extent of that part
of the contest to which they were devoted. From time to time gifted
orators have gone to the one town or to the other, and eloquently
portrayed the heroic deeds of men within that town on the opening
day of the American Revolution. No fault should be found with any of
those, designed as a healthy stimulus to local pride, and to foster
sentiments of national patriotism.
But the student in American local history needs a more extensive view
of the operations of that day. He needs to be better informed as to
the various scenes of carnage that were waged along all of those
nearly twenty miles of highway. Men were slain in Lexington, and in
Concord; but there were many others slain in Lincoln, in Arlington,
in Cambridge, and in Somerville. Nor should we forget the youngest
martyr of the day, but fourteen years of age, who fell in Charlestown.
For the purpose, then, of presenting to such as may be interested,
I have assembled here the most comprehensive account that has ever
been offered, and one that aims to be a history of the entire day.
I have endeavored to make it not only complete and interesting, but
just and reliable, recognizing fully the rights of my own ancestors
to rebel, and also recognizing the rights of the mother country
to prevent such rebellion--even by an appeal to arms. Since those
days we have grown to be a mother country ourselves, and have had
reason, on more than one occasion, to exercise that accepted right of
parental control.
This narrative is based upon official reports, sworn statements,
diaries, letters, and narratives of participants and witnesses; upon
accounts of local historians and national orators; and, in a few
cases, upon tradition, if such seemed authentic and trustworthy.
But I am sorry to say, that in more than one instance, I have
found even the sworn statements at variance with each other. I am
satisfied that the authors did not intend to mislead in any way, but
simply tried to tell to others what appeared to them. Their mental
excitement naturally added a little of that vivid coloring noticeable
in most war narratives of a personal nature. My work has been to
harmonize and simplify these, and to extract simply the truth.
In 1775 the greater part of the present town of Arlington was a part
of Cambridge, and known as the Menotomy Precinct. Later it was
incorporated as a separate town and called West Cambridge. Later
still its name was changed to Arlington. Somerville, in that year,
was a part of Charlestown. What remained of Charlestown eventually
became a part of Boston, though still retaining its ancient name.
In writing of the events that happened within the boundaries of
each, I shall speak of them as of Arlington, of Somerville, and of
Charlestown.
I am glad to add that the bitterness and hatred, so much in evidence
on that long-ago battle day, no longer exist between the children of
the great British Nation.
FRANK WARREN COBURN.
Lexington Mass., April 19, 1912.
CONTENTS.
AUTHORITIES XII
IN PARLIAMENT 1
THE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS 5
BRITISH FORCES IN BOSTON 13
THE BRITISH START FOR LEXINGTON AND CONCORD 19
THE MESSENGERS OF ALARM 20
FLIGHT OF HANCOCK AND ADAMS 30
ALARMS IN OTHER PLACES 32
LIEUT.-COL. SMITH'S ADVANCE THROUGH CAMBRIDGE 47
LIEUT.-COL. SMITH'S ADVANCE THROUGH SOMERVILLE 48
LIEUT.-COL. SMITH'S ADVANCE THROUGH CAMBRIDGE 50
LIEUT.-COL. SMITH'S ADVANCE THROUGH ARLINGTON 51
LIEUT.-COL. SMITH'S ADVANCE THROUGH LEXINGTON 57
THE OPENING BATTLE ON LEXINGTON COMMON 58
LIEUT.-COL. SMITH'S ADVANCE THROUGH LINCOLN 72
LIEUT.-COL. SMITH'S ADVANCE INTO CONCORD 73
BATTLE AT NORTH BRIDGE IN CONCORD 78
LIEUT.-COL. SMITH'S RETREAT THROUGH CONCORD 95
LIEUT.-COL. SMITH'S RETREAT THROUGH LINCOLN 99
LIEUT.-COL. SMITH'S RETREAT TO LEXINGTON VILLAGE 105
EARL PERCY MARCHES TO REINFORCE LIEUT.-COL. SMITH 114
PERCY'S RETREAT THROUGH ARLINGTON 130
PERCY'S RETREAT THROUGH CAMBRIDGE 145
PERCY'S RETREAT THROUGH SOMERVILLE 150
PERCY'S ARRIVAL IN CHARLESTOWN 154
AMERICAN KILLED, WOUNDED AND MISSING 157
BRITISH KILLED, WOUNDED, PRISONERS AND MISSING 159
DISTANCES MARCHED BY THE BRITISH SOLDIERS 161
ENGLISH FRIENDS AFTER THE BATTLE 162
INDEX 165
ILLUSTRATIONS.
MAJOR JOHN PITCAIRN facing title
Copied from a rare miniature in the possession of the Lexington
Historical Society, and published in this work by their permission.
THE DOOLITTLE PICTURES.
PLATE I. THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON, APRIL 19TH,
1775 facing page 58
PLATE II. A VIEW OF THE TOWN OF CONCORD, facing page 73
PLATE III. THE ENGAGEMENT AT THE NORTH BRIDGE
IN CONCORD facing pace 78
PLATE IV. A VIEW OF THE SOUTH PART OF
LEXINGTON facing page 122
The Amos Doolittle Pictures of Lexington and Concord, copperplate
engravings, size about 12 x 18 inches, and hand-colored, were
originally published by James Lockwood in New Haven, December
13, 1775. The drawings were made by Mr. Earl, a portrait painter,
and the engravings therefrom were by Amos Doolittle. Both were
members of the Governor's Guard, and came on to Cambridge as
volunteers under Benedict Arnold immediately after the battle of
April 19th, and soon after commenced these early specimens of
American art. The student of today prizes them, not for their
artistic excellence, but for their faithfulness in depicting the
scenery, buildings, and troops engaged.
In the _Book Buyer_ for January, 1898, is an illustrated article
on Early American Copperplate Engraving, by William Loring
Andrews. I am indebted to him, and to the publishers, Charles
Scribners' Sons, for permission to copy the Doolittle set for this
work.
HUGH EARL PERCY facing page 114
From a contemporary copperplate engraving published by John
Fielding. London, 1785.
GENERAL WILLIAM HEATH, facing page 154
From a portrait in _Harper's Magazine_, October, 1883, and copied
for publication in this work by permission of Harper & Brothers.
MAPS.
BOSTON AND VICINITY IN 1775-6, facing page 19
Copied from part of the map to illustrate the Siege of Boston in
Marshall's Life of Washington, and dated 1806. I have made slight
additions to indicate Smith's and Percy's movements.
LEXINGTON COMMON AND VICINITY, page 59
CONCORD VILLAGE AND VICINITY, page 79
BATTLE ROAD THROUGH CONCORD AND LINCOLN page 100
BATTLE ROAD THROUGH ARLINGTON AND CAMBRIDGE page 131
BATTLE ROAD THROUGH SOMERVILLE AND CHARLESTOWN page 151
AUTHORITIES.
_Individuals, Societies, and Historical Works of Value to Me in the
Preparation of this Work._
Adams, Josiah. Address at Acton, July 21, 1835.
Adams, Josiah. Letter to Lemuel Shattuck, in Vindication of the
Claims of Capt. Isaac Davis.
Allen, Joseph and Lucy Clark Allen, Memorial of, by their
Children.
Almanack. George's Cambridge, or the Essex Calendar for 1776.
Almanack. Nathaniel Low, 1775.
Almanack. North American, 1775. By Samuel Stearns.
Almanack. North American, 1776. By Samuel Stearns. Containing
Rev. Wm. Gordon's Account of the Battle.
Austin, James T. Life of Elbridge Gerry.
Bacon, Edwin M. Historical Pilgrimages in New England.
Bancroft, George. History of the United States.
Barber, John Warner. Historical Collections of Massachusetts.
Barber, John W. History and Antiquities of New Haven.
Barrett, Capt. Amos. Concord and Lexington Battle, in Journal and
Letters of Rev. Henry True.
Barry, William. History of Framingham.
Bartlett, George B. Concord Guide Book.
Bartlett, S. R. Concord Fight.
Bolton, Charles Knowles. Brookline, the History of a Favored Town.
Bolton, Charles Knowles. Letters of Hugh Earl Percy.
Bond, Henry, M.D. Genealogies of the Families of Watertown.
Boston. Celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of the
Evacuation of, by the British Army.
Booth, E. C. Article in Somerville _Journal_, April, 1875.
Boutwell, George S. Oration at Acton, Oct. 29, 1851.
British Officer in Boston in 1775, in _Atlantic Monthly_, April,
1877.
Brooks, Charles, and James M. Usher. History of Medford.
Brown, Abram English. Beneath Old Roof Trees.
Brown, Abram English. History of Bedford.
Brown, Charles, of East Lexington.
Cambridge of 1776. Edited for the Ladies' Centennial Committee,
by A. G.
Clarke, Jonas. Pastor of the Church in Lexington. Opening of the
War of the Revolution. Appended to a Sermon Preached by Him,
April 19, 1776.
Cleaveland, Colonel, of the Artillery. Historical Record of the
52nd Regiment.
Concord Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary
of the Incorporation, Sept. 12, 1885.
Concord Fight, Souvenir of the 120th Anniversary of.
Converse, Parker Lindall. Legends of Woburn.
Curtis, George William. Oration on the One Hundredth Anniversary
of the Fight at Concord.
Cutter, Ben. and William R. History of Arlington.
Dana, Richard H. Oration on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the
Battle of Lexington.
Dawson, Henry B. Battles of the United States.
De Bernicre's Report of the Battle.
Depositions of Eye-witnesses and Participants.
Drake, Francis S. The Town of Roxbury.
Drake, Samuel Adams. Historic Fields and Mansions of Middlesex.
Drake, Samuel Adams. History of Middlesex County.
Drake, Samuel Adams. Old Landmarks and Historical Personages of
Boston.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Historical Discourse, Concord, Sept. 12,
1835. Containing Diary of Rev. William Emerson (eye-witness),
April 19, 1775.
Everett, Edward. Oration at Concord, April 19, 1825.
Everett, Edward. Address at Lexington, April 19 (20), 1835.
Everett, Edward. Mount Vernon Papers.
Farmer, John. Historical Memoir of Billerica.
Frothingham, Richard. History of the Siege of Boston.
Frothingham, Richard. Rise of the Republic of the United States.
Gage. Gen. Thomas. Report of the Battle.
Gettemy, Charles Ferris. True Story of Paul Revere's Ride, in the
_New England Magazine_, April, 1902.
Gordon, William, D.D. History of the United States.
Goss, Elbridge Henry. Life of Col. Paul Revere.
Graham, James. History of the United States.
Great Britain, War Office of, for Gen. Gage's Report.
Green, Samuel Abbott. Groton During the Revolution.
Hale, Edward E., in Winsor's Memorial History of Boston.
Hamlin, Rev. Cyrus. My Grandfather, Col. Francis Faulkner.
Hanson, J. W. History of Danvers.
Harper's Popular Cyclopaedia of U. S. History.
Haven, Samuel F. Historical Address, Dedham, Sept. 21, 1836.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Mosses From an Old Manse.
Hazen, Rev. Henry A. History of Billerica.
Heath, Major-General. Memoirs of. Written by Himself.
Historical Records of the British Army. The Fourth or King's Own
Regiment of Foot.
Holland, Henry W. William Dawes and His Ride with Paul Revere.
Houghton, H. M. Plans Locating Graves of British Soldiers.
Hudson, Alfred Sereno. History of Sudbury.
Hudson, Charles. History of Lexington.
Hudson, Charles. History of Marlborough.
Hudson, Frederic. Concord Fight in _Harper's New Monthly
Magazine_, May, 1875.
Hunnewell, James F. A Century of Town Life. A History of
Charlestown.
Hurd, D. Hamilton. History of Essex County.
Hurd, D. Hamilton. History of Middlesex County.
Jewett, C. F. & Co. History of Worcester County.
King, Daniel P. Eulogy at the Funeral of Gen. Gideon Foster.
Lannon, John. Lexington.
Lexington, Handbook of its Points of Interest, 1891.
Lexington, Historical Monuments and Tablets.
Lexington Historical Society, Alonzo E. Locke, President, and
various officers and attendants.
Lexington Historical Society, Proceedings of, Vol. I., II.,
III., IV. Contributions by Edward P. Bliss; Francis H. Brown,
M.D.; G. W. Brown; Albert W. Bryant; Elizabeth Clarke; Elizabeth
W. Harrington; Herbert G. Locke; James P. Munroe; Elizabeth W.
Parker; G. W. Sampson; A. Bradford Smith; Geo. O. Smith; and Rev.
Carlton A. Staples.
Lexington, History of the Fight at, From the Best Authorities.
Lexington, Proceedings at the Centennial Celebration of the
Battle of.
Lewis, Alonzo. History of Lynn.
Lincoln, William. History of Worcester.
Lincoln, Mass. Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Its
Incorporation, April 23, 1904.
Local Loiterings and Visits in the Vicinity of Boston. By a
Looker-on.
Lossing, Benson J. History of the United States.
McGlenen, Edward W., Boston.
McKenzie, Rev. Alexander. Address at Dedication of Monument Over
Cambridge Killed.
Mansfield, Rev. Isaac, Chaplain of Gen. Thomas's Regiment.
Thanksgiving Sermon in Camp at Roxbury, Nov. 23, 1775.
Marshall, John. Life of George Washington.
Massachusetts Archives, at State House, Boston.
Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, Vols. II., IV., V.,
XVIII., and Vol. IV., Second Series.
Massachusetts Historical Society Proceedings, May, 1876.
Military Journals of Two Private Soldiers, 1758, 1775. Lemuel
Lyons, Samuel Haws.
Muzzey, A. B. History of the Battle of Lexington.
Muzzey, A. B. Reminiscences and Memorials of the Men of the
Revolution.
Narrative of the Excursion and Ravages of the King's Troops.
Worcester, Printed by Isaiah Thomas, by Order of the Provincial
Congress.
New England Historic Genealogical Society.
Osgood, Charles S. and H. M. Batchelder. Historical Sketch of
Salem.
Paige, Lucius R. History of Cambridge.
Parker, Charles S. Town of Arlington, Past and Present.
Parliamentary History of England. Published Under the
Superintendence of T. C. Hansard, Vol. XVIII.
Percy, Acting Brigadier-General, His Report of the Battle.
Phinney, Elias. History of the Battle of Lexington.
Provincial Congress of Massachusetts. Journals of Each.
Rantoul, Robert, Jr. Oration at Concord, on the Seventy-fifth
Anniversary of the Events of April 19, 1775.
Revere, Paul. His Account of the Ride to Lexington. Reprinted in
the Life of Revere by Goss.
Reynolds, Rev. Grindall. Concord Fight.
Riply, Rev. Ezra. History of the Fight at Concord.
Russell, Edward J., Dorchester.
Samuels, E. A., and H. H. Kimball. Somerville, Past and Present.
Sawtelle, Ithamar B. History of Townsend.
Scull, G. D. Memoir and Letters of Capt. W. Glanville Evelyn, of
the 4th Regiment (King's Own).
Sewall, Samuel. History of Woburn.
Shattuck, Lemuel. History of Concord, Bedford, Acton, Lincoln and
Carlisle.
Sidney, Margaret. Old Concord, Her Highways and Byways.
Simonds, Eli. Article Containing his Statement about the Battle
of Lexington, Boston _Globe_, July 17, 1895.
Smith, Samuel A. West Cambridge on the Nineteenth of April, 1775.
An Address.
Smith, S. F., D.D. History of Newton.
Somerville, Handbook of the Historic Festival, 1898.
Staples, Rev. Carlton A.
Stearns, Jonathan F., D.D. Historical Discourse, Bedford
Sesqui-Centennial, Aug. 27, 1879.
Stedman, C. History of the Origin, Progress and Termination of
the American War.
Stephens, Alexander. Memoirs of John Horne Tooke.
Stone, Edwin M. History of Beverly.
Sumner, William H. History of East Boston.
Swan, Charles W. MSS. of Levi Harrington. Account of the Battle,
given by him to his son, Bowen, March, 1846. (Eye-witness on
Lexington Common, and then about fifteen years of age.)
Tenney, Wallace Fay.
Tolman, George. Concord Minute Man.
Thornton, John Wingate. Pulpit of the American Revolution.
United States Geological Survey, Maps of.
Watson, John Lee. Paul Revere's Signal. The True Story of the
Signal Lanterns.
Webber, C. H. and W. S. Nevins. Old Naumkeag. Historical Sketch
of Salem.
Wellington, Caroline, Charles A., Cornelius, and Eliza.
Wheildon, W. W. Chapter in the History of the Concord Fight.
Boston _Sunday Herald_, April 19, 1885.
Winsor, Justin. Memorial History of Boston.
Worthington, Erastus. History of Dedham.
Wyman, Thomas B. Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown.
THE BATTLE OF APRIL 19, 1775.
IN PARLIAMENT.
The Treaty of Peace signed at Paris, Feb. 10, 1763, terminated the
prolonged struggle between England and France, for supremacy in the
New World. For seven long years it had lasted, and its cost had been
treasure and blood. Justly proud were the British Colonies of the
martial success of their mother country, a goodly part of which they
had valorously won themselves.
During the war, and at its close, England had been generous
in remitting to the Colonial Treasuries large sums in partial
liquidation of the war expenses advanced by them; but subsequently
it was esteemed wise, by a majority of her statesmen, to gradually
replace such sums in the royal coffers, by a system of colonial
taxation very similar to modern methods of raising war revenues.
In the abstract this fact was not particularly disagreeable to the
colonists, for the necessity was admitted, but the arbitrary method
of levying those taxes was bitterly contested.
England's Parliament claimed the right to tax the distant Colonies
even as it taxed the neighboring Boroughs, and as a commencement of
its financial plan enacted a Stamp Act, so called, to take effect
Nov. 1, 1765, similar in intent and working, to the modern revenue
stamp of our Government. These stamps were to be purchased of the
Crown's officers and affixed to certain articles of merchandise and
in denominations according to a schedule of taxable value.
The opposition to this Act was immediate, continuous, and bitter in
the extreme, and the result was that it was repealed March 18, 1766.
The next move on the part of the Mother Country was the passage of
a Military Act which provided for the partial subsistence of armed
troops on the Colonies. Violent opposition to this was also immediate
and general, but without avail. In Boston one result was a conflict
between the troops and the inhabitants on March 5, 1770, and now
referred to as the Boston Massacre.
In June, 1767, another Act was passed, taxing tea and other
commodities, which was repealed April 12, 1770, on all articles
except the tea. Large consignments were sent to America. Ships
thus laden that arrived in New York were sent back with their full
cargoes. At Charleston the tea was landed but remained unsold. At
Boston, a party disguised as Indians threw it from the ship into the
sea.[1] Parliament in consequence passed the Boston Port Bill, March
7, 1774, closing Boston as a commercial port, and removing the Custom
House to Salem in another harbor a dozen miles or more northward up
the coast.
This Act went into effect June 1, 1774, and was immediately felt
by all classes, for all commerce ceased. Boston merchants became
poor, and Boston poor became beggars. The hand of relief, however,
was extended, even from beyond the sea. The City of London in its
corporate capacity subscribed £30,000[2]. In America the assistance
was liberal and speedy. George Washington headed a subscription paper
with £50[3].
These severe measures of Parliament, with their natural effect of
ruin and starvation among the people of America, served to stimulate
a feeling of insubordination, and hatred of the Mother Country, from
which crystalized the First Continental Congress which assembled at
Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 1774, soon followed by the First Provincial
Congress of Massachusetts which met at Salem, Oct. 7, of the same
year.
On the question of Colonial Government Great Britain and her American
colonies were not divided by the Atlantic Ocean, for on the American
side the Crown had its ardent supporters, while on the other side
friends of the American cause were almost as numerous as were the
oppressors. We have seen how the great City of London contributed
liberally to the Bostonians, shut off from the world by the Port
Bill, and on the floor of Parliament many gifted orators espoused the
American cause.
With prophetic eloquence the Lord Mayor, Mr. Wilkes, exclaimed:
"This I know, a successful resistance is a revolution, not a
rebellion.... Who can tell, sir, whether in consequence of this
day's violent and mad Address to his Majesty, the scabbard may not
be thrown away by them as well as by us?... But I hope the just
vengeance of the people will overtake the authors of these pernicious
councils, and the loss of the first province of the empire be
speedily followed by the loss of the heads of those ministers who
advised these wicked and fatal measures."[4]
Lord Chatham in his motion to withdraw the troops from Boston, said:
"As an American I would recognize to England her supreme right of
regulating commerce and navigation: as an Englishman by birth and
principle I recognize to the Americans their supreme unalienable
right in their property; a right in which they are justified in the
defence of to the last extremity."[5]
The Corporation of the City of London passed a vote of thanks to
Chatham, and to those who supported him for having offered to the
House of Lords a plan to conciliate the differences with America.[6]
When Lord North's unfriendly proposition for conciliating America was
introduced, it naturally found an advocate in the loyal and courtly
Gen. Burgoyne--courtly but courageous; loyal ever to his King but not
blind to the merits of the claims of the Colonists. While modestly
pledging his loyalty to the Crown, he could not refrain from adding:
"There is a charm in the very wanderings and dreams of liberty that
disarms an Englishman's anger."[7]
In the debate on the bill for restraining the Trade and Commerce of
the English Colonies, Lord Camden asked:--
"What are the 10,000 men you have just voted out to Boston? Merely
to save General Gage from the disgrace and destruction of being
sacked in his entrenchments. It is obvious, my Lords, that you
cannot furnish armies or treasure, competent to the mighty purpose
of subduing America.... It is impossible that this petty island can
continue in dependence that mighty continent."[8]
Continuing, he drew a picture of American union and American courage,
that in the end would prevail.
The Earl of Sandwich replied:--
"Suppose the colonists do abound in men, what does that signify? They
are raw, undisciplined, cowardly men. I wish instead of 40 or 50,000
of these brave fellows, they would produce in the field at least
200,000, the more the better, the easier would be the conquest; if
they did not run away, they would starve themselves into compliance
with our measures."[9]
And the Bill was passed.
One has but to read the stirring debates of that memorable year
in Parliament, over the Petitions for Redress of Grievances from
America; over the Petitions for Reconciliation from the Merchants
of Bristol and of London; over the Resolutions offered by its own
members; and over the addresses to them by their King;--to realize
that the great question of American rights had almost as many, and
surely as eloquent advocates, there as here.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] In a little cemetery at West Fairlee, Vt., is a memorial stone
which reads "Wm. Cox, died July 27, 1838, Aged 88. He helped steep
the tea in the Atlantic." His name seems to have been overlooked by
historians, so I mention it here.
[2] Lossing's History of the United States, page 226.
[3] Frothingham's Rise of the Republic, page 326.
[4] Hansard's Parliamentary History, XVIII, cols. 238, 240.
[5] Hansard's Parliamentary History, XVIII, col. 154.
[6] Hansard's Parliamentary History, XVIII, col. 215.
[7] Hansard's Parliamentary History, XVIII, col. 355.
[8] Hansard's Parliamentary History, XVIII, cols. 442, 443.
[9] Hansard's Parliamentary History, XVIII, col. 446.
THE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS.
As we have seen, the First Continental Congress assembled at
Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 1774. They met in Carpenter's Hall. The First
Provincial Congress of Massachusetts met at Salem, Oct. 7, following.
John Hancock was chosen President. In its first set of Resolutions
it announced: "the necessity of its most vigorous and immediate
exertions for preserving the freedom and constitution," of the
Province.
The Royal Governor, Gen. Thos. Gage, had issued his writs the
first day of September, calling upon the inhabitants to return
representatives to the Great and General Court to be convened at
Salem on the fifth of October. In the meantime, becoming alarmed at
the tumults and disorders--the extraordinary resolves passed by some
of the Counties, the instructions given by Boston and some other
towns to their representatives, and the general unhappy condition of
the Province, he determined that the time was not auspicious for such
a gathering, and accordingly issued a proclamation countermanding
the call. However, ninety representatives met on that day, waited
loyally for the Governor, and when he failed to appear, adjourned to
the next day, Oct. 6, and met as a Convention, choosing John Hancock,
Chairman. Not much in the way of business was accomplished on that
day, and they adjourned again, until the next, Oct. 7th, when they
met and declared themselves to be a Provincial Congress and chose
John Hancock, Permanent Chairman.
Thus the First Provincial Congress was, strictly speaking a
self-constituted body, with not even the sanction of a popular vote.
Yet they felt secure in a popular support. They could not pass laws,
but they could resolve, advise and recommend, and such acts were
generally heeded by a majority of their fellow citizens.[10]
The military organization of the Province was equally without
effective power, as they recognized no real commanding officer of
higher rank than Colonel. It is true that the Congress had nominated
three general officers, but their real powers to command were feeble.
The minute men and militia were enrolled by thousands, but they were
poorly equipped, without uniforms, and without discipline. They
marched to Battle Road in company formation, but upon arrival or very
soon after, manœuvred and fought as individuals simply.
The Second Provincial Congress, more nearly an elective body than
the First, realized their own lack of authority over the people and
particularly over the military branch of their constituents. They
wrote to the Continental Congress at Philadelphia, under date of May
16, 1775, stating that they were compelled to raise an army; of their
triumph at having one consisting of their own countrymen; but they
admitted a lack of civil power to provide for, and control it. And
they asked for advice from the greater congress which represented
all the Colonies as to the taking up and exercising of the necessary
powers of a civil government.[11]
Let us, then, as we go forward with this narrative, bear these facts
in mind, that we may not in this very first day of a new nation's
struggle for liberty expect too much from those who, indeed had
the wisdom, had the strength, had the courage and the skill, but
greatly lacked the first elements of a civil government or a military
force--discipline and efficiency.
The First Provincial Congress next met in Concord, Oct. 11, 1774.
Hancock was chosen President, an office higher than Permanent
Chairman. Several following days were devoted to public business.
From there they addressed a communication to Gen. Gage, wherein they
expressed the apprehensions excited in their minds by the rigorous
execution of the Port Bill; by the alteration of the Charter; by
the administration of justice in the Colony; by the number of
troops in the capital [Boston]; and particularly by the formidable
and hostile preparations on Boston Neck. And they asked, rather
pointedly, "whether an inattentive and unconcerned acquiescence in
such alarming, and menacing measures would not evidence a state of
insanity?" They entreated him to reduce the fortress at the entrance
to Boston, and concluded by assuring his Excellency that they had not
the least intention of doing any harm to his Majesty's troops.[12]
Four days later, Oct. 17, sitting at Cambridge, they received his
reply. It was altogether lacking in satisfaction. He answered them
as to the fortification on Boston Neck, that "unless annoyed," it
would "annoy nobody." And the rest of his communication was equally
unassuring.
Oct. 19, a committee was appointed to inquire into the then present
state and operations of the British Army;[13] and on Oct. 20,
another committee to report on what was necessary to be done for the
safety and defence of the Province.[14]
Matters were crystallizing very fast, for on Oct. 24, a committee
was appointed to consider and report on the most proper time for the
Province to provide a stock of powder, ordnance and ordnance stores.
That same afternoon, one of the members, Mr. Bliss, was ordered
to wait upon the Committee to ascertain their reply. They quickly
responded that their opinion was that "_now_" was the proper time to
procure such a stock.[15] Another committee was at once appointed
to take into consideration and determine the quantity and expense
thereof.[16]
On the afternoon of the following day, Oct. 25, the schedule was
presented to the Congress and one of its items called for 1000
barrels of powder, and the proposed expense was £10,737. Items
were added by the Congress to increase the amount to £20,837. It
was likewise ordered "that all the matters which shall come under
consideration before this Congress be kept secret."[17]
Oct. 26, it was resolved that a Committee of Safety should be
appointed, whose business it should be "most carefully and diligently
to inspect and observe all and every such person and persons as
shall at any time, attempt or enterprise the destruction, invasion,
detriment or annoyance of this province." And they should have the
power to alarm, muster and cause to be assembled with the utmost
expedition and completely armed for the defence, such of the militia
as they shall deem necessary for its defence.[18] And it was also
resolved that as the security of the lives, liberties and properties
of these inhabitants depend on their skill in the art military and
in their being properly and effectively armed, it was therefore
recommended that they immediately provide themselves therewith.[19]
On Oct. 27, Congress appointed a Committee of Safety consisting
of nine members, three from Boston and six from the country, John
Hancock, Chairman, and also a Commissary, or Committee of Supplies,
consisting of five members.[20] At a subsequent meeting on the same
day, Jedidiah Preble was elected to be chief in command and Artemas
Ward, second.[21]
Oct. 27 a vote was passed recommending that the inhabitants perfect
themselves in the military art.[22] On that same day a committee
was appointed to wait upon his excellency the governor to express
their surprise at his active warlike preparations, and to announce
that their constituents would not expect them to be guided by his
advice.[23] But before the conclusion of this session another
resolution was passed to the effect that the lives and liberties
of the inhabitants depended upon their knowledge and skill in the
military art.[24]
The First Provincial Congress was dissolved Dec. 10, 1774, every
session of its deliberations having been devoted to the Civil Rights
and Liberties of the People over which it had presided.
The Second Provincial Congress was convened in Concord Feb. 1, 1775.
One of its earliest acts, Feb. 9, was to appoint Hon. Jedidiah
Preble, Hon. Artemas Ward, Col. Seth Pomeroy, Col. John Thomas and
Col. William Heath, general officers.[25] The same day, in an address
to the Inhabitants of the Massachusetts Bay they said, "Though we
deprecate a rupture with the Mother State, yet we must urge you to
every preparation for your necessary defence."[26]
Nor were the Indians neglected in these strong appeals to the
patriotism of the inhabitants of the Massachusetts Bay, for under
date of April 1, 1775, an address was issued to Johoiakin Mothksin
and the rest of the Indians of Stockbridge, expressing great pleasure
that they were "willing to take up the hatchet," and announcing
that Col. Paterson and Capt. Goodridge should present each that had
enlisted a blanket and a ribbon. A committee was also appointed to
address the chief of the Mohawks.[27]
The Committee of Safety met for the first time at the house of Capt.
Stedman, in Cambridge, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 1774, and organized, as
we have stated, with John Hancock, Chairman. John Pigeon was chosen
clerk. Their first vote after organization was a recommendation to
the Committee of Supplies to procure as soon as may be, 335 barrels
of pork, 700 barrels of flour, 20 tierces of rice, 300 bushels of
peas, and that these be distributed in Worcester and Concord. On Nov.
8, following, in joint meeting with the Committee on Supplies, the
latter was advised to procure all of the arms and ammunition possible
from the neighboring provinces, and that they might with safety
engage to pay for the same on arrival.
At subsequent meetings various military stores were liberally
provided. With a unanimous vote on Feb. 21, 1775, by both committees
in joint session, it was decided that the Committee of Supplies
should purchase all kinds of military stores sufficient for an army
of 15,000 men.[28] It did not then seem to them as if a peaceful
solution of the estrangement were longer possible.
The last meeting of the Provincial Congress before the battle, was
held in Concord, April 15, and when it adjourned it was until May
10. But considering "the great uncertainty of the present times,"
it was provided, however, that a call might issue for an earlier
assembling. Only two days elapsed before apprehensions of immediate
danger arose, which grew so intense, that Richard Devens on the 18th,
issued a summons for immediate assembling at Concord. Although it was
circulated with the greatest dispatch many of the members could not
have learned of it before the marching of the British troops on that
same night from Boston Common.
The meeting was finally assembled on April 22, and quickly adjourned
to Watertown, evidently to be in closer touch with the thrilling
events that had so dramatically opened.[29]
FOOTNOTES:
[10] See their "advice" to constables and to tax collectors Oct. 14,
1774, not to pay moneys collected by them to the royal treasurer
of the province, Hon. Harrison Gray (Journals of Each Provincial
Congress, page 19) and their "recommendation" to towns, Oct. 28, to
direct their constables and tax collectors to pay such moneys to
their appointee as Receiver General, Henry Gardner (Journals of Each
Provincial Congress, page 38.)
[11] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 230.
[12] Journals of Each Provincial Congress of Mass., page 18.
[13] Journals of Each Provincial Congress of Mass., page 22.
[14] Journals of Each Provincial Congress of Mass., page 23.
[15] Journals of Each Provincial Congress of Mass., page 29.
[16] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 29.
[17] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 30.
[18] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 32.
[19] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 34.
[20] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 35.
[21] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 35.
[22] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 41.
[23] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 45.
[24] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 48.
[25] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 90.
[26] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, page 92.
[27] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, pages 115, 116.
[28] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, pages 505, 509.
[29] Journals of Each Provincial Congress, pages 146-7.
BRITISH FORCES IN BOSTON.
General Thomas Gage, Commander of the British forces in America,
and successor of Thomas Hutchinson as Governor of Massachusetts
Bay, landed in Boston, May 13, 1774. Inspired by a hope that his
administration might soften the feeling of resentment against the
Mother Country, by annulling some of its causes, his reception on the
17th was dignified and cordial. He was greeted with cheers by the
multitude, the firing of salutes in his honor, and a lavish banquet
in Faneuil Hall.[30] A few weeks before he had assured his king that
the Americans "will be lions while we are lambs; but if we take the
resolute part they will prove very weak."[31]
His military force then in Boston was less than 4,000 men,[32] and
consisted of the Fourth or King's Own; Fifth; Tenth; Seventeenth:
3 Companies of the Eighteenth; Twenty-second; Twenty-third;
Thirty-eighth; Forty-third; Forty-fourth; Forty-seventh;
Fifty-second; Fifty-ninth; Sixty-third; Sixty-fourth; six or eight
Companies of Artillery; and six or eight Companies of Marines,
numbering 460, under Major Pitcairn.[33]
Major Gen. Heath is the authority for the statement that the
Provincial Congress appointed a committee to make inquiry into the
state of operation of the British Army in Boston, and on the 20th of
March, they reported that there were about 2,850 men distributed as
follows: Boston Common, about 1,700; Fort Hill, 400; Boston Neck,
340; in Barracks at the Castle, about 330; King Street, 80; that they
were erecting works at Boston Neck on both sides of the way, well
constructed and well executed. The works were in forwardness and
mounted with ten brass and two iron cannon. The old fortification at
the entrance of the town was replaced and rendered much stronger by
the addition of timber and earth to the parapet, and ten pieces of
iron cannon were mounted on the old platform. A block house had been
brought from Governor's Island and was being erected on the south
side of the Neck.[34]
But a short time was required to show that in every political
question Gen. Gage was loyal to his king. Accordingly throughout the
Province the press, the pulpit, the expression of opinion in public
meetings, while professing loyalty to the king personally, were
extremely bitter against his representative in command.
Conventions were held in the various Counties of the Province, the
earliest one being in Berkshire County, July 6, 1774, followed by the
one in Worcester County, Aug. 9. Resolutions were passed at each,
professing loyalty to the king, but remonstrating strongly against
Parliament. It was left for the Middlesex County Convention, August
30, to pass resolutions that rang throughout the Province. While also
professing loyalty to the King their final sentence was:
"No danger shall affright, no difficulties intimidate us; and if in
support of our rights we are called to encounter even death, we are
yet undaunted, sensible that he can never die too soon, who lays down
his life in support of the laws and liberty of his country."
These resolutions were passed by a vote of 146 yeas against 4
nays.[35]
Although the town of Boston itself was the headquarters of Gen. Gage,
and his soldiers were parading in its streets, and encamping on its
Common, the patriots had by no means deserted it. There were several
secret societies who made it their business to watch for and report
hostile movements and plans. These were the "North End Caucus;" the
"South End Caucus;" the "Middle District Caucus;" and the "Long Room
Club;" all of which owned allegiance to the "Sons of Liberty," a
body which acted in the capacity of a higher council and which kept
itself in close communication with similar organizations outside of
this Province. Members of these various bodies paraded the streets
nightly, that any sudden or unusual movement of the army might be at
once reported. Paul Revere belonged to one or more of these, and was
active in patriotic work.
Nor was Gen. Gage idle in acquiring information about the Provincial
Army being assembled, and the topographical features of the country
around Boston. His troops were especially trained by marches, over
the highways in the vicinity,[36] and his spies brought him maps and
reports from the scenes of his possible future operations. The two
that acted for him in this secret service were Capt. Brown of the
52nd regiment, and Ensign De Bernicre of the 10th regiment. They were
disguised in "brown clothes" with "reddish handkerchiefs" tied about
their necks, and were accompanied by a servant. All three were well
armed.
Gen. Gage's instructions to them, under date of Feb. 22, 1775,
called for description of the roads, rivers, and hills; available
places for encampments; whether or not the churches and church yards
were advantageous spots to take post in and capable of being made
defensible. They were also told that information would be useful in
reference to the provisions, forage, etc., that could be obtained at
the several places they should pass through.
Their first trip was to Worcester, in the latter part of February,
and their next one to Concord, for which place they set out on March
20, passing through Roxbury, Brookline, and Weston, where they
stopped at the Jones Tavern.
Then they proceeded through Sudbury, crossed over the South Bridge
into Concord village, where they were entertained by a Mr. Bliss, a
friend of the royal government.
Wherever they went their mission was known in spite of their
disguises. They succeeded, however, in bringing back to Gen. Gage
a very tolerable description of the country, and so fulfilled their
mission. In Concord, especially, they located many of the provincial
military stores, information particularly useful to the invading
force on April 19th.
Having thus possessed himself of sufficient data, Gen. Gage then laid
his plans for a midnight march to Lexington and Concord with the
view, possibly, of capturing Hancock and Adams, who were known to be
at the former place, and especially of destroying all the war-like
supplies that had been gathered at Concord.
April 15, the grenadiers and light infantry had been relieved from
duty, with the excuse that they were to learn a new exercise. That
night, about twelve o'clock, boats belonging to the transports which
had been hauled up for repairs were launched and moored under the
sterns of the men-o-war.[37] The _Somerset_ was anchored near the
Charlestown Ferry.[38] These movements awakened the suspicions of
Dr. Warren, who lost no time in notifying Hancock and Adams, then at
Lexington. On the afternoon of April 18th, he learned from several
sources that the British were about to move. A gunsmith named Jasper,
learned as much from a British sergeant and lost no time in informing
Col. Waters of the Committee of Safety, who in turn gave the news to
Warren.[39] John Ballard, connected with the stable in Milk Street,
overheard some one in the Province House remark that there would "be
hell to pay tomorrow;" a remark so full of significance that he
reported it to a friend of liberty in Ann Street, thought to have
been William Dawes, who in turn reported it to Paul Revere.[40]
That night Gen. Gage despatched ten or more sergeants, partially
disguised, along the highways in Cambridge and beyond, towards
Concord. They were instructed to intercept any passers-by, and so
prevent his intended movement from becoming known. A party of his
officers dined at Wetherby's Tavern[41] in Menotomy (now Arlington),
where also met that day the Committee of Safety and Committee of
Supplies, some of whom, Mr. Gerry, Col. Orne and Col. Lee, remained
to pass the night.[42]
[Illustration: BOSTON AND VICINITY, 1775-6.
1--x Lieut.-Col. Smith's starting place.
2--x His landing place in Cambridge.
3. 3. 3. Earl Percy's route from Boston to Cambridge.
Top of the map is north.]
Solomon Brown of Lexington, a young man nineteen years old, was
the first to report in that town the unusual occurrence of so many
officers along the highways in the night, and it was surmised there
that the capture of Hancock and Adams was intended. Brown was
returning home from Boston when they passed him on the road. Somehow
gaining the front again he rode rapidly into Lexington village and
reported what he had seen. Sergeant Munroe and eight men were sent to
guard the parsonage where the patriot statesmen were stopping, and
Solomon Brown, Jonathan Loring, and Elijah Sanderson, all members
of Captain Parker's Company of Minute Men, were despatched to watch
the officers after they had passed through Lexington toward Concord.
They followed them on horseback into Lincoln, about two and a
half miles from Lexington village, where they were ambushed by the
ones they were following, and taken prisoners. It was then about 10
o'clock in the evening of April 18th. They were detained until Revere
was also captured at the same place a few hours later, early in the
morning of the 19th.
FOOTNOTES:
[30] Frothingham's Rise of the Republic of the U. S., page 330.
[31] Frothingham's Rise of the Republic of the U. S., page 318.
[32] Hale in Memorial History of Boston, III, 79.
[33] This list I make up from a document from among the Swett papers,
and an article in the Atlantic Monthly, April, 1877, entitled A
British Officer in Boston in 1775. The Swett MS. is interesting as
giving the distinctive uniforms as follows:
Fourth or King's Own, red faced with white; 5th, Lord Percy, red
faced with blue; 10th, red faced with green; 17th, Light Dragoons,
red faced with yellow; 22d, Gen. Gage, red faced with white; 23d,
Gen. Howe, red faced with blue; 38th, Gen. Piget, red faced with
yellow; 43rd, red faced with light buff; 44th, red faced with yellow;
52d, red faced with white; 59th, called the Pompadours, red faced
with crimson; 63d, red faced with yellow; 64th, red faced with black;
artillery, blue faced with red; Marines, red faced with white.
Some of these were encamped on the Common.
[34] Heath's Memoirs, written by himself. Boston, 1798. Page 11.
[35] Journals of Each Provincial Congress of Mass., page 114.
[36] Rev. Mr. Gordon, of Roxbury, wrote a very interesting account
of the commencement of hostilities which was published in the North
American Almanack for 1776. He speaks of one of their practice
marches, on March 30, when about 1100 men marched to Jamaica Plain,
by way of Dorchester and back to Boston, about five miles. On this
particular march the soldiers amused themselves by pushing over stone
walls.
[37] Frothingham's Siege of Boston, page 56.
[38] Holland, pages 7, 8.
[39] Holland, page 9.
[40] Holland, page 9.
[41] Known also as the Black Horse Tavern.
[42] Frothingham, page 10.
THE BRITISH START FOR LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
The grenadiers and light infantry under command of Lieut.-Col.
Francis Smith, of the 10th Regiment, augmented by a detachment of
Marines under Major John Pitcairn, assembled at the foot of Boston
Common, on the evening of April 18th, and at about half-past ten
o'clock embarked for Lechmere Point, or, as it was often called at
that time, Phip's Farm, in East Cambridge. They numbered about eight
hundred men.[43]
The "Foot of the Common," was not far from the present corner of
Boylston and Charles Streets, and just there was the shore line of
the Back Bay, a large body of water opening out into the Charles
River. Since then the Bay has been filled in and is now an attractive
residential district bearing still its ancient aquatic name however.