The Military Journals of Two Private Soldiers, 1758-1775 Part 16

"CONCORD, _April 23, 1775_.

"I, James Marr, of lawful age, testify and say, that, in the evening of the 18th instant, I received orders from George Hutchinson, adjutant of the fourth regiment of the regular troops stationed at Boston, to prepare and march: to which orders I attended, and marched to Concord, where I was ordered by an officer with about one hundred men to guard a certain bridge there. While attending that service, a number of people came along, in order, as I suppose, to cross said bridge, at which time a number of the regular troops first fired upon them.

"JAMES MARR."

"MEDFORD, _April 25, 1775_.

"I, Edward Thoroton Gould, of his majesty's own regiment of foot, being of lawful age, do testify and declare, that, on the evening of the 18th instant, under the orders of General Gage, I embarked with the light infantry and grenadiers of the line, commanded by Colonel Smith, and landed on the marshes of Cambridge, from whence we proceeded to Lexington. On our arrival at that place, we saw a body of provincial troops, armed, to the number of about sixty or seventy men. On our approach, they dispersed, and soon after firing began, but which party fired first I can not exactly say, as our troops rushed on shouting and huzzaing previous to the firing, which was continued by our troops so long as any of the provincials were to be seen. From thence we marched to Concord. On a hill, near the entrance of the town, we saw another body of provincials a.s.sembled: the light-infantry companies were ordered up the hill to disperse them; on our approach, they retreated toward Concord. The grenadiers continued the road under the hill toward the town. Six companies of light infantry were ordered down to take possession of the bridge which the provincials retreated over; the company I commanded was one.

Three companies of the above detachment went forward about two miles. In the meantime, the provincial troops returned, to the number of about three or four hundred. We drew up on the Concord side of the bridge; the provincials came down upon us, upon which we engaged and gave the first fire. This was the first engagement after the one at Lexington. A continued firing from both parties lasted through the whole day. I myself was wounded at the attack of the bridge, and am now treated with the greatest humanity, and taken all possible care of by the provincials at Medford.

"EDWARD THOROTON GOULD, "_Lieut. King's Own Regiment_."

"PROVINCE OF Ma.s.sACHUSETTS BAY, "_Middles.e.x County, April 25, 1775_.

"Lieutenant Thoroton Gould, aforenamed, personally made oath to the truth of the foregoing declaration by him subscribed, before us,

"THAD. Ma.s.sON, "JOSIAH JOHNSON, SIMON TUFTS, _Justices of the peace for the county aforesaid, quorum unus_."

"PROVINCE OF Ma.s.sACHUSETTS BAY, CHARLESTOWN, SS.

"I, Nathaniel Gorham, notary and tabellion public, by lawful authority duly admitted and sworn, hereby certify to all whom it may or doth concern, that Thaddeus Ma.s.son, Josiah Johnson, and Simon Tufts, Esqrs., are three of his majesty's justices of the peace (_quorum unus_) for the county of Middles.e.x; and that full faith and credit is and ought to be given to their transactions as such, both in court and out. In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my name and seal, this twenty-sixth day of April, _Anno Domini_ one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.

"NATHANIEL GORHAM, _Notary Public_." (L. S.)

(All the above depositions are sworn to before justices of the peace, and duly attested by notaries public, in manner of the last one.)

"IN PROVINCIAL CONGRESS, WATERTOWN, _April 26, 1775_.

"_To the Inhabitants of Great Britain._

"FRIENDS AND FELLOW-SUBJECTS: Hostilities are at length commenced in this colony by the troops under the command of General Gage; and it being of the greatest importance that an early, true, and authentic account of this inhuman proceeding, should be known to you, the Congress of this colony have transmitted the same, and, from want of a session of the Hon. Continental Congress, think it proper to address you on the alarming occasion.

"By the clearest depositions relative to this transaction, it will appear that, on the night preceding the 19th of April instant, a body of the king's troops, under the command of Colonel Smith, were secretly landed at Cambridge, with an apparent design to take or destroy the military and other stores, provided for the defence of this colony, and deposited at Concord; that some inhabitants of the colony, on the night aforesaid, while travelling peaceably on the road between Boston and Concord, were seized and greatly abused by armed men, who appeared to be officers of General Gage's army; that the town of Lexington by these means was alarmed, and a company of the inhabitants mustered on the occasion; that the regular troops, on their way to Concord, marched into the said town of Lexington, and the said company on their approach began to disperse; that notwithstanding this, the regulars rushed on with great violence, and first began hostilities, by firing on said Lexington company, whereby they killed eight, and wounded several others; that the regulars continued their fire until those of said company, who were neither killed nor wounded, had made their escape; that Colonel Smith, with the detachment, then marched to Concord, where a number of provincials were again fired on by the troops, two of them killed and several wounded, before the provincials fired on them; and that these hostile measures of the troops produced an engagement that lasted through the day, in which many of the provincials and more of the regular troops were killed and wounded.

"To give a particular account of the ravages of the troops, as they retreated from Concord to Charlestown, would be very difficult, if not impracticable. Let it suffice to say, that a great number of the houses on the road were plundered, and rendered unfit for use; several were burnt; women in childbed were driven, by the soldiery, naked into the streets; old men peaceably in their houses were shot dead; and such scenes exhibited as would disgrace the annals of the most uncivilized nations.

"These, brethren, are marks of ministerial vengeance against this colony, for refusing, with her sister-colonies, a submission to slavery; but they have not yet detached us from our royal sovereign. We profess to be his loyal and dutiful subjects, and so hardly dealt with as we have been, are still ready, with our lives and fortunes, to defend his person, family, crown, and dignity. Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny of his cruel ministry we will not tamely submit: appealing to Heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free.

"We can not think that the honor, wisdom, and valor of Britons will suffer them to be long inactive spectators of measures in which they themselves are so deeply interested--measures pursued in opposition to the solemn protests of many n.o.ble lords, and expressed sense of conspicuous commoners, whose knowledge and virtue have long characterized them as some of the greatest men in the nation--measures executing contrary to the interest, pet.i.tions, and resolves of many large, respectable, and opulent counties, cities, and boroughs in Great Britain--measures highly incompatible with justice, but still pursued with a specious pretence of easing the nation of its burdens--measures which, if successful, must end in the ruin and slavery of Britain, as well as the persecuted American colonies.

"We sincerely hope that the great Sovereign of the universe, who hath so often appeared for the English nation, will support you in every rational and manly exertion, with these colonies, for saving it from ruin; and that, in a const.i.tutional connection with the mother-country, we shall soon be altogether a free and happy people.

"Per order: "JOSEPH WARREN, _President, P. T._"

NAMES OF THE KILLED AND WOUNDED AT LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.

The following list of the names of those first martyrs in the cause of American liberty is given in the eighteenth volume of the "Ma.s.sachusetts Historical Collections:"--

LEXINGTON.--_Killed_: Jonas Parker, Robert Monroe, Samuel Hadley, Jonathan Harrington, jr., Isaac Muzzy, Caleb Harrington, John Brown, Jedediah Moore, John Raymond, Nathaniel Wyman, 10.

_Wounded_: John Robbins, Solomon Pierce, John Tidd, Joseph Comee, Ebenezer Monroe, jr., Thomas Wins.h.i.+p, Nathaniel Farmer, Prince Estabrook, Jedediah Monroe, Francis Brown, 10.

CONCORD.--_Wounded_: Charles Miles, Nathan Barrett, Abel Prescott, jr., Jonas Brown, George Meriot, 5.

CAMBRIDGE.--_Killed_: William Marcy, Moses Richardson, John Hicks, Jason Russell, Jabez Wyman, Jason Wins.h.i.+p, 6. _Wounded_: Samuel Whittemore, 1. _Missing_: Samuel Frost, Seth Russell, 2.

NEEDHAM.--_Killed_: John Bacon, Elisha Mills, Amos Mills, Nathaniel Chamberlain, Jonathan Parker, 5. _Wounded_: Eleazer Kingsbury, ---- Tolman, 2.

SUDBURY.--_Killed_: Josiah Haynes, Asahel Reed, 2. _Wounded_: Joshua Haynes, jr., 1.

ACTON.--_Killed_: Isaac Davis, Abner Hosmer, James Hayward, 3.

_Wounded_: Luther Blanchard, 1.

BEDFORD.--_Killed_: Jonathan Wilson, 1. _Wounded_: Job Lane, 1.

WOBURN.--_Killed_: Daniel Thompson, Asahel Porter, 2. _Wounded_: George Reed, Jacob Bacon, ---- Johnson, 3.

MEDFORD.--_Killed_: Henry Putnam, William Polly, 2.

CHARLESTOWN.--_Killed_: James Miller, Edward Barber, 2.

WATERTOWN.--_Killed_: Joseph Coolidge, 1.

FRAMINGHAM.--_Wounded_: Daniel Heminway, 1.

DEDHAM.--_Killed_: Elias Haven, 1. _Wounded_: Israel Everett, 1.

STOWE.--_Wounded_: Daniel Conant, 1.

ROXBURY.--_Missing_: Elijah Seaver, 1.

BROOKLINE.--_Killed_: Isaac Gardner, 1.

BILLERICA.--_Wounded_: John Nichols, Timothy Blanchard, 2.

CHELMSFORD.--_Wounded_: Aaron Chamberlain, Oliver Barron, 2.

SALEM.--_Killed_: Benjamin Pierce, 1.