The Connecticut courant and Hartford weekly intelligencer — Hartford, Conn., 1775-05-08 00:00:00, page 2

levies) are put upon a generous footing as to trade,
restricted to England only for the manufactures of
England.---England reHriCted to us, for every par
ticular we can luply them with.—As to thole which
we cannot produce a fufficient quantity of, to give
us a bounty, but allow themselves to make up what
is wanting elsewhere; why in such case, it would
not be reasonable, that we Should annually and con-
Hantly upon requisitions to our general Assemblies
contribute something proportioned to our abili
ties.---Is it not true that England incurs an additi
onal expence for our protection? And does not their
fleet protest our sea-ports and our trade?---! hope,
however, the assemblies will not pass any resolves
in nature of proposals, except such as Shall be pre
viously recommended by a GeneralCongrefs."
A SS'A C~H USE T T's B A Y,
In PROVINCIAL CONGRESS,
Watertown, April 28, 1775.
"X A 7TIERF hS, this Congress on the 12th day of
,V this instant April, appointed a committee
for each county, to receive from the committees of
correspondence in such counties, a date of the con
dud of the towns and diftrids, with refped to their
having executed the Continental and Provincial
measures, for the preservation of this country from
Slavery;---and whereas the distressed circumstances
of the colony may probably reader it very inconve
nient that fj great a number of members ihould be
absent from the Congress, on the frf Wednesday of
'May next, the day mentioned for their' firft meet
ing-
Therefore Resolved, That the firft meeting of
said committees, be postponed to the fourth Wednes
day in laid month; and it is recommended to the
several committees of correspondence, to render a
true date of the conduct of their refpedive towns
an? diHrids, on the said >urth Wednesday of May
accordingly, and efpecihily with refped to their
outstanding provincial rates; any thing contained
in the former resolve of this Congress differing here
from, notwithstanding.
A true extrad from the minutes,
SAMUEL FREEMAN, Sec. Pro. Tem.
In PROVINCIAL CONGRESS,
Watertown, April 30, 1775.
tyIiEREAS, an agreement hath been made, be
tween General Gage, and the inhabitants
of the town of Bolton, for the removal of the per
sons and effects of such of the inhabitants of the
town of Boston, as may be so disposed, excepting
their fire arms and ammunition, into the country.
Re-solved, That any of the inhabitants of this
colony, who may incline to go into the town of
Bollon with their effects, fire-arms and ammuni
on excepted, have tolleration for that purpose;
and that they be protested from any injury and in
sult whatsoever, in their removal to Boston, and
that this resolve be immediately published.
P. S. Officers are appointed for the givnig per
mits for the above purposes; one at the sign of the
fun at Charleftown, and another at the house of Mr.
John Greaton, jun. at Roxbury.
JOSEPH WARREN, President, Pro. tem.
A true extract from the minutes,
Samuel Freeman Sec. Pro. Tem.
WORCESTER, May 3.
MERICANS! forever bear in mind the BAT
TLE of LEXINGTON r-where British
troops, unmolested and unprovoked, wantonly, and
in a most inhuman manner fired upon and killed a
number of our countrymen, then robbed them of
their provisions, ransacked, plundered and burnt their
houses! nor could the tears of defencelefs women,
fume of whom were in the pains of childbirth, the
cries of helpless babes, nor the prayers of old age,
confined to beds of sickness, appease their third for
blood!--- or divert them from the DESIGN of MUR
DER and ROBBERY!
The particulars of this alarming event will, we
are credibly informed, be soon published by autho
rity, as a committee of the provincial congress have
been appointed to make special enquiry, and to
take the depositions, on oath, of such as are know
ing to the matter. In the mean time, to fatisfy the
expectation of our readers, we have collected from
those whole veracity is unquestioned, the following
account, viz.
A few days before the battle, the grenadier and
light-infantry companies were all drafted from the
several regiments in Boston, and put under the com
mand of an officer, and it was observed that most of
the transports and other boats were put together,
and fitted for immediate service. This manoeuvre
gave rife to a suspicion that some formidable expe
dition was intended by the soldiery, but what or
where the inhabitants could not determine---howe
ver, the town watches in Boston, Charleftown,
Cambridge, &c. were ordered to look well to the
landing places. About 10 o'clock on the night of
the ißth of April, the troops in Boston were disco
vered to be on the move in a very secret manner, and
it was found they were embarking in bo^ts (which
they privately brought to the place in the evening)
at the bottom of the common ; expresses fee offim
mediately to alarm the country, that they might be
on their guard. When the expresses got about a
mile beyond Lexington, they were flopped by about
fourteen officers on horfeback,who came out of Bollen
in the afternoon of that day, and were seen larking
in bye places in the country till after dark. One of
the expresses immediately fled, and was pursued
two miles by an officer, who when he had got up
with him presented a pistol, and told him he was a
dead man if he did not flop, but he rode on until
he came up to a house, when hopping of a sudden
his horse threw him off; having the presence of
mind to hollow to the people in the house. " Turn
out ! Turn out ! I have got one of them !" the officer
immediately retreated as fall as he had pursued:
the other express after passing through a ftrid exa
mination, by some means got clear. The body of
the troops in the mean time, under the command of
Lieut. Colonel. Smith, had crossed the river, and
landed at Phipp's Farm: They immediately, to the
number of 1000, proceeded to Lexington, 6 miles
below Concord, with great silence : A company of
militia, of about 80 men, mattered near the meet
ing-house; the troops came in fight of them just
before fun-rife ; .the militia upon feeing the troops
began to disperse; the troops then set out upon the
run, hallooing and huzzaing, and coming within a
few rods of them, the commanding officer accosted
the militia in words to this effect, " Dijperfe ycu
damn'd rebels !---damn you dijperje!" Upon which the
troops again huzzaed, and immediately one or two
officers difeharged.their pistols, which were instantly
followed by the firing of four or five of the soldiers,
and then there seemed to be a general difeharge
from the whole body; it is to be noticed, they fired
upon our people as they were dispersing, agreeable
to their command, and that we did not even return
the fire: Eight of our men were killed and nine
wounded ;---The troops then laughed and damned
the Yankees, and said they could not bear the smell
of gunpowder. A little after this the troops re
newed their march to Concord, where, when they
arrived, they divided into parties, and went direct
ly to several places where the province Hores were
deposited. Each party was supposed to have a tory
pilot. One party went into the goal yard, and
spiked up and otherways damaged two cannon be
longing to the province, and broke and set fire to
the carriages--- they then entered a Hore and rolled
out about 100 barrels of flour, which they unhead
ed, and emptied about 40 in the river; at the fame
time others were entering houses and Ihops, and un
heading barrels, chests, &c. the property of private
persons; some took possession of the town-house, to
which they set fire, but was extinguished by our peo
ple without much hurt. Another party of the troops
took possession of the North-bridge. About 150
provincials who mustered upon the alarm, coining
towards the bridge, the troops fired upon them with
out ceremony, and killed two upon the spot !
Thus did the troops of Britain's King fire FIRST at
two several times upon his loyal American fubjeds,
and put a period to ten lives before one gun was fir
ed upon them.---Our people then returned the
fire, and obliged the troops to retreat, who were
soon joined by their other parties, but finding they
were Hill pursued, the whole body retreated back to
Lexington, both provincials and troops firing as
they went. During this time an express was lent
from the troops to General Gage, who thereupon
sent out a reinforcement of above 1400 men, under
the command of Earl Piercy, with two field pieces.
Upon the arrival of the reinforcement at Lexington,
just as the retreating party had got there, they made
a Hand, picked up their dead, and took all the car
riages they could find and put their wounded there
on; others of them, to their eternal disgrace be it
spoken, were robbing and setting houses on fire, and
difeharging their cannon at the meeting house.
Whilst this was tranfading a few of our men at Me
notomy, a few miles distant, attacked a party cf
twelve of the enemy, (carrying stores and provisions
to the troops) killed one of them, and took posses
sion of their arms, Hores, provisions, &c. without
any loss on our fide. The enemy having halted a
bove an hour at Lexington, found it necc ffary to
make a second retreat, carrying with them many of
their dead and wounded. They continued their re
treat from Lexington to Charleftown with great pre
cipitation; our people continued the pursuit, firing
till they got to Charleftown Neck, (which they
reached a little after sun-set) over which the enemy
passed, proceeded up Bunker's Hill, and the next
day went into BoHon under the protection of the So
merset man of war 06 64 guns.
A young man, unarmed, who was taken prisoner
by the enemy, and made to assist in carrying off
their wounded, fays, that he saw a barber who lives
in Boston, thought to be one Warden, with the
troops, and that he heard them fay he was one cf
their pilots; he likcwife saw the said barber fire
twice upon our people, and heard Fail Piercy order
the troops to fire the houses: He also informs, that
several officers were among the wounded who were
carried to Boston, where our informant was dismis
sed. They tock two of our men prisoners in battle
who are now confined in barracks.
Immediately upon the return of the troops to Bos
ton, all communication to and from the town was
Hopped by Gen. Gage. The provincials who flew
to the assistance of their distressed countrymen, are
polled in Cambridge, Charleftown, Roxbury, Wa
tertown, &c. and have placed guards on Roxbury
Neck, within gun-shot of the enemy; guards are
also placed every where in view of the town to ob
serve the motion of the King's troops : The Coun
cil of war, and the different committees of fafety
and supplies set at Cambridge, and the provincial
congress at Watertown. The troops in Boston are
fortifying the place on aJI sides, and a frigate of war
is Hationed up Cambridge river, and a 64 gun Hip
between Boston and Charleftown.
Deacon Joseph Loring's house and barn, Mrs.
Mulliken's house and (hop, and Mr. Joshua Bond's
house and shop in Lexington were all consumed.
They also set lire to several other houses, but our
people extinguished the fiames. They pillaged al
moH every house they passed by, breaking and des
troying doors, windows, glades, &c. and carrying
off eloathing and other valuable effeds. It appear
ed to be their design to burn and dellroy all before
them; and nothing but our vigorous pursuit pre
vented their infernal purposes from being put in
execution. But the savage barbarity exercised upon
the bodies of our unfortunate brethren who fell, is
almost incredible : Not content with fheoting down
the unarmed, aged and infirm, they disregarded
the cries of the wounded, billing them without
mercy, and mangling their bodies in the most Lock
ing manner.
We have the pleasure to fay, that notwithstand
ing the highest provocations given by the enemy,
not one inHance of cruelty, that we have heard of,
was committed by our militia; but, liftning to the
merciful dictates of the Christian religion, they
breathed higher sentiments of humanity.
The following is a lift of the provincials who were
killed and wounded.
Killed. Mfrs. "Robert Munroe, *Jonas Parker,
"Samuel Hadley, * Jonathan Harrington, "Caleb Har
rington, *lfaac Muzzy, "John Bream, John Raymond,
Nathaniel layman, and Jedidiah Mum oe, of Lexing
ton. Mfrs. JaJon Rifell, Jabez Wyman, and Jajin
Winjhip of Menotomy. Deacon Haynes, and Mr.
Reed, of Sudbury. Capt. James Miles, of Concord.
Ca/t. Jonathan Willfon, of Bedford. Cafet. Davis,
Mr. — Hbrjmer, and Mr. James Hoveard of Ac
ton. *Mr. Azad Porter, Mr. Daniel Thompson, cf
Woburn. Mr. James Miller, and Cafet. William Bar
ber's son, aged 14, of Charleftown. Isaac Gardner,
Esq; of Brookline. Mr. John Hicks, of Cambridge.
Mr. Henry Putnam, of Medford. Mfrs. Abednego
Ramfdell, Daniel Townsend, William Flint, and Tho
mas Hadley, of Lynn. Messrs. Henry Jacobs, Samuel
Cook, Ebenezer Goldtbwait, George Southwick, Benja
min Doland, jun. Jothan Webb, and Perley Putnam, of
Danvers. Mr. Benjamin Pierce,. cf Salem.
Wounded. Messrs. John Robbins, John Tidd,
Solomon Peirce, Thomas Winjhip, Nathaniel Farmer,
Joseph Comte, Ebenezer Munroe, Francis Brovin, and
Prime Eafterbrooks (a negroman) of Lexington. Mr.
—Hemming-way, of Framingham. Mr. John
Lane, of Bedford. Mr. George Reed, and Mr. Jacoh
Bacon, of Woburn. Mr. William Polly, of Medford.
Mr. Joshua Felt, and Mr. Timothy Munroe, of Lynn.
Mr. Nathan Putnam, and Mr. Dennis Wallis, cf Dan
vers. Mr. Nathaniel Cleaves, of Beverly.
Missing. Mr. Samuel Fros, and Mr. Seth Russell,
of Menotomy.
Those difinguifeed by this [*] mark were killed by the firft
fire of the enemy.
We have seen an account of the loss of the enemy,
said to have come from an officer of one of the men
of war, by which it appears that 63 of the regulars,
and 49 marines were killed and 103 of both wound
ed. In all 215. Lieut. Gould of the 4th regi
ment, who is wounded, and Lieut. Potter of the
marines, and about thirty soldiers are prisoners.
Mr. James Howard and one of the regulars dis
charged their pieces at the fame inflant, and each
killed the other.
The public most sincerely sympathize with the
fiiends and relations of our deceased brethren, who
gloriously facrificcd their lives in fighting for the
liberties of their country. By their ncble intrepid
condu&, in helping to defeat the forces of an uij-p
grateful tyrant, they have endeared their memories
to the present generation, who will tranfrnit their
names to pollerity with the highest honour.
It is now thirteen days since Boston was entirely
shut up. The fonday after the battle, there were
but two or three religious assemblies that met in
Boston. In the forenoon there w^sa town meeting,