The Military Journals of Two Private Soldiers, 1758-1775 Part 14

the 9. Nothing very remarkable at night their was thre of our Amarican Boys made their escape from the Enemy in Boston and were taken up by our men who were Patroling on Dorchester Point to and they brought of things to considerable value.

the 10. Nothing Strange this day.[207]

[Footnote 207: Here the Journal ends abruptly, and we have no clew to the writer afterward. As he had enlisted for the campaign of 1776, he doubtless remained with the army until after the expulsion of the British from Boston, in March following, unless he was killed in some of the skirmishes that frequently occurred, or was obliged to leave the army on account of sickness. Whatever was his fate, the veil of oblivion is drawn over it, for he was one of the thousands who with warm hearts and stout hands struggled in the field for the liberties of their country, lie in unhonored graves, and have had no biographers. If he lived until the conflict ended, and died in his native town, no doubt his grave is in the old churchyard at Wrentham. His family was among the earliest settlers there, for Daniel Haws was a resident of the village when it was burnt, in the time of King Philip's war, almost two hundred years ago; and on a plain slab in that old burial-place is the name of Ebenezer Haws, who died in 1812, at the age of ninety-one years.]

SUPPLEMENT, CONTAINING OFFICIAL PAPERS ON THE SKIRMISHES AT LEXINGTON AND CONCORD, AND A LIST OF REVOLUTIONARY ARTICLES IN THE POUGHKEEPSIE MUSEUM.

SUPPLEMENT.

OFFICIAL PAPERS CONCERNING THE SKIRMISHES AT LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.

In the preceding Journal of a Soldier, in 1775, his narrative commences on the day of the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, the opening conflicts of the Revolution. Some official matters relating to those events, which are inaccessible to the general reading-public, will doubtless be acceptable, as they certainly are appropriate, in this connection.

The skirmishes occurred on the 19th of April, 1775. On the 22d, the Provincial Congress of Ma.s.sachusetts a.s.sembled, and, deeming it important to have the whole truth known, appointed a committee to take depositions in relation to the transactions of the British troops in their route to and from Concord. Another committee was appointed the following day, consisting of Dr. Church, Elbridge Gerry, and Thomas Cushing, to draw up a narrative of the ma.s.sacre. The committee to take depositions held their sessions at Concord and Lexington, on the 23d and 25th of April. Feeling it to be expedient to send an account immediately to England, a committee, consisting of Dr. Warren, Mr.

Freeman, Mr. Gardiner, and Colonel Stone, was chosen to prepare a letter to Dr. Franklin, the colonial agent in London. They reported a letter, and also an "Address to the Inhabitants of Great Britain," on the same day. Captain Richard Derby, of Salem, was employed to proceed immediately with the despatches. He placed them in the hands of Doctor Franklin on the 29th of May, and on the following day the address was printed and circulated. It gave the first intelligence of the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, to the British public.

The following, copied from the Journals of the Continental Congress, are the several papers referred to:--

"_To the Hon. Benjamin Franklin, Esq., at London._ "IN PROVINCIAL CONGRESS, WATERTOWN, _April 26, 1775_.

"SIR: From the entire confidence we repose in your faithfulness and abilities, we consider it the happiness of this colony that the important trust of agency for it, in this day of unequalled distress, is devolved on your hands, and we doubt not your attachment to the cause and liberties of mankind will make every possible exertion in our behalf a pleasure to you; although our circ.u.mstances will compel us often to interrupt your repose, by matters that will surely give you pain. A singular instance hereof is the occasion of the present letter. The contents of this packet will be our apology for troubling you with it.

"From these you will see how, and by whom, we are at last plunged into the horrors of a most unnatural war.

"Our enemies, we are told, have despatched to Great Britain a fallacious account of the tragedy they have begun; to prevent the operation of which to the public injury, we have engaged the vessel that conveys this to you, as a packet in the service of this colony, and we request your a.s.sistance in supplying Captain Derby, who commands her, with such necessaries as he shall want, on the credit of your const.i.tuents in Ma.s.sachusetts Bay.

"But we most ardently wish that the several papers herewith enclosed may be immediately printed and dispersed through every town in England, and especially communicated to the lord-mayor, aldermen, and council, of the city of London, that they may take such order thereon as they may think proper. And we are confident your fidelity will make such improvement of them as shall convince all, who are not determined to be in everlasting blindness, that it is the united efforts of both Englands that can save either: but that whatever price our brethren in the one may be pleased to put on their const.i.tutional liberties, we are authorized to a.s.sure you that the inhabitants of the other, with the greatest unanimity, are inflexibly resolved to sell theirs only at the price of their lives.

"Signed by order of the Provincial Congress, "JOSEPH WARREN, _President, P. T._

"A true copy from the original minutes, "SAMUEL FREEMAN, _Sec. P. T._"

The depositions relative to the commencement of hostilities are as follows:--

"LEXINGTON, _April 25, 1775_.

"We, Solomon Brown, Jonathan Loring, and Elijah Sanderson, all of lawful age, and of Lexington, in the county of Middles.e.x, and colony of the Ma.s.sachusetts Bay in New England, do testify and declare that, on the evening of the 18th of April, instant, being on the road between Concord and Lexington, and all of us mounted on horses, we were, about ten of the clock, suddenly surprised by nine persons, whom we took to be regular officers, who rode up to us, mounted and armed, each having a pistol in his hand, and, after putting pistols to our b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and seizing the bridles of our horses, they swore, if we stirred another step, we should be all dead men, upon which we surrendered ourselves. They detained us until two o'clock the next morning, in which time they searched and greatly abused us, having first inquired about the magazine at Concord, whether any guards were posted there, and whether the bridges were up, and said four or five regiments of regulars would be in possession of the stores soon. They then brought us back to Lexington, cut the horses' bridles and girths, turned them loose, and then left us.

"SOLOMON BROWN, "JONATHAN LORING, ELIJAH SANDERSON."

"LEXINGTON, _April 25, 1775_.

"I, Elijah Sanderson, above named, do further testify and declare, that I was on Lexington common, the morning of the 19th of April aforesaid, having been dismissed by the officers above mentioned, and saw a large body of regular troops advancing toward Lexington company, many of whom were then dispersing. I heard one of the regulars, whom I took to be an officer, say, "d.a.m.n them, we will have them;" and immediately the regulars shouted aloud, run and fired upon the Lexington company, which did not fire a gun before the regulars discharged on them. Eight of the Lexington company were killed while they were dispersing, and at a considerable distance from each other, and many wounded; and, although a spectator, I narrowly escaped with my life.

"ELIJAH SANDERSON."

"LEXINGTON, _April 23, 1775_.

"I, Thomas Rice Willard, of lawful age, do testify and declare that, being in the house of Daniel Harrington, of said Lexington, on the 19th instant, in the morning, about half an hour before sunrise, looked out at the window of said house, and saw (as I suppose) about four hundred regulars in one body, coming up the road, and marched toward the north part of the common, back of the meeting-house of said Lexington; and as soon as said regulars were against the east end of the meeting-house, the commanding officer said something, what I know not, but upon that the regulars ran till they came within about eight or nine rods of about a hundred of the militia of Lexington, who were collected on said common, at which time the militia of Lexington dispersed.

Then the officers made a huzza, and the private soldiers succeeded them: directly after this, an officer rode before the regulars to the other side of the body, and hallooed after the militia of said Lexington, and said, "Lay down your arms, d.a.m.n you, why don't you lay down your arms?"--and that there was not a gun fired till the militia of Lexington were dispersed. And further saith not.

"THOMAS RICE WILLARD."

"LEXINGTON, _April 25, 1775_.

"Simon Winship, of Lexington, in the county of Middles.e.x, and province of Ma.s.sachusetts Bay, New England, being of lawful age, testifieth and saith, that on the 19th April instant, about four o'clock in the morning, as he was pa.s.sing the public road in said Lexington, peaceably and unarmed, about two miles and a half distant from the meeting-house in said Lexington, he was met by a body of the king's regular troops, and being stopped by some officers of said troops, was commanded to dismount. Upon asking why he must dismount, he was obliged by force to quit his horse, and ordered to march in the midst of the body; and, being examined whether he had been warning the minute-men, he answered, 'No, but had been out, and was then returning to his father's.'

Said Winship farther testifies that he marched with said troops, till he came within about half a quarter of a mile of said meeting-house, where an officer commanded the troops to halt, and then to prime and load: this being done, the said troops marched on till they came within a few rods of Captain Parker's company, who were partly collected on the place of parade, when said Winship observed an officer at the head of said troops, flourishing his sword, and with a loud voice giving the word, 'Fire! fire!' which was instantly followed by a discharge of arms from said regular troops; and said Winship is positive, and in the most solemn manner declares, that there was no discharge of arms on either side, till the word 'Fire' was given by the said officer as above.

"SIMON WINSHIP."

"LEXINGTON, _April 25, 1775_.

"I, John Parker, of lawful age, and commander of the militia in Lexington, do testify and declare that, on the 19th instant, in the morning, about one of the clock, being informed that there were a number of regula-officers riding up and down the road, stopping and insulting people as they pa.s.sed the road; and also was informed that a number of regular troops were on their march from Boston, in order to take the province stores at Concord, ordered our militia to meet on the common in said Lexington, to consult what to do, and concluded not to be discovered, nor meddle or make with said regular troops (if they should approach), unless they should insult or molest us; and, upon their sudden approach, I immediately ordered our militia to disperse, and not to fire. Immediately said troops made their appearance, and rushed furiously, fired upon, and killed eight of our party, without receiving any provocation therefor from us.

"JOHN PARKER."

"LEXINGTON, _April 24, 1775_.

"I, John Robins, being of lawful age, do testify and say that, on the 19th instant, the company under the command of Captain John Parker, being drawn up (some time before sunrise) on the green or common, and I being in the front rank, there suddenly appeared a number of the king's troops, about a thousand, as I thought, at the distance of about sixty or seventy yards from us, huzzaing, and on a quick pace toward us, with three officers in their front on horseback, and on full gallop toward us, the foremost of which cried, 'Throw down your arms, ye villains, ye rebels!' upon which said company dispersing, the foremost of the three officers ordered their men, saying, 'Fire, by G.o.d! fire!' at which moment we received a very heavy and close fire from them; at which instant, being wounded, I fell, and several of our men were shot dead by me. Captain Parker's men, I believe, had not then fired a gun. And further the deponent saith not.

"JOHN ROBINS."

"LEXINGTON, _April 25, 1775_.

"We, Benjamin Tidd, of Lexington, and Joseph Abbot, of Lincoln, in the county of Middles.e.x, and colony of Ma.s.sachusetts Bay, in New England, of lawful age, do testify and declare that, on the morning of the 19th of April instant, about five o'clock, being on Lexington common, and mounted on horses, we saw a body of regular troops marching up to the Lexington company, which was then dispersing. Soon after, the regulars fired, first, a few guns, which we took to be pistols from some of the regulars who were mounted on horses, and then the said regulars fired a volley or two before any guns were fired by the Lexington company; our horses immediately started, and we rode off. And further say not.

"BENJAMIN TIDD, JOSEPH ABBOT."

"LEXINGTON, _April 25, 1775_.

"We, Nathaniel Mullokin, Philip Russell, Moses Harrington, jun., Thomas and Daniel Harrington, William Grimes, William Tidd, Isaac Hastings, Jonas Stone, jun., James Wyman, Thaddeus Harrington, John Chandler, Joshua Reed, jun., Joseph Simonds, Phineas Smith, John Chandler, jun., Reuben c.o.c.k, Joel Viles, Nathan Reed, Samuel Tidd, Benjamin Lock, Thomas Winship, Simeon Snow, John Smith, Moses Harrington the 3d, Joshua Reed, Ebenezer Parker, John Harrington, Enoch Willington, John Hornier, Isaac Green, Phineas Stearns, Isaac Durant, and Thomas Headley, jun., all of lawful age, and inhabitants of Lexington, in the county of Middles.e.x, and colony of the Ma.s.sachusetts Bay, in New England, do testify and declare, that, on the 19th of April instant, about one or two o'clock in the morning, being informed that several officers of the regulars had, the evening before, been riding up and down the road, and had detained and insulted the inhabitants pa.s.sing the same; and also understanding that a body of regulars were marching from Boston toward Concord, with intent (as it was supposed) to take the stores, belonging to the colony, in that town, we were alarmed, and having met at the place of our company's parade, were dismissed by our captain, John Parker, for the present, with orders to be ready to attend at the beat of the drum. We further testify and declare, that, about five o'clock in the morning, hearing our drum beat, we proceeded toward the parade, and soon found that a large body of troops were marching toward us. Some of our company were coming up to the parade, and others had reached it, at which time the company began to disperse. While our backs were turned on the troops, we were fired on by them, and a number of our men were instantly killed and wounded. Not a gun was fired by any person in our company on the regulars, to our knowledge, before they fired on us, and they continued firing until we had all made our escape.

"Signed by each of the above deponents,"