The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-05-08 00:00:00

THE LEXINGTON CENTENARY.

The American Correspondent of The Times, writing from
Philadelphia, April 20, thus describes the celebration of the
Lexington Centenary :

The "Centennial" is upon us. The newspapers
overflow with it, and ihe people are catching the in-
fectious spirit. For the past few days all eyes have
been turned towards New England, where yesterday the
memory of the events marking the opening of the war
of the American Revolution culminated in the Centen-
nial celebrations at Lexington and Concord. This
centenary of the memorable doings of April 19, 1775,
has been attended by the President, Cabinet Ministers,
and Governors of States, and other prominent men
from all parts of the country. The first shot of the
Revolution was fired at Lexington about daylight on
the 19th of April, and it occurred in this wise. At
Concord, about twenty miles from Boston, was one of
the depots of arms and ammunition appointed by the
Massachusetts "Committee of Safety." General
Gage, in command of the British forces at Boston,
3,000 strong, determined to destroy these stores, and
for that purpose secretly despatched towards midnight,
on the 18th of April, 800 men on that errand. Although
the expedition was secretly devised, it became known
to Dr. (afterwards General) Joseph Warren, Chairman
of the Committee of Safety," who sent out messengers
to alarm the country, to summon the "minute men"
for the defence of Concord, and to remove the stores,
.These "minute men" gathered as the British made
their midnight march on the road to Concord, which
passed through Lexington. At daylight the British
,encountered some sixty or seventy of them on
"Lexington Green." These' afterwards romantically
described as "too few too fight, too brave to fly,'
stood for awhile, received a volley, and then dispersed,
ten or twelve being killed or wounded. The British
column marched on to Concord, destroyed such of the
stores as had not been removed, tore down the "liberty
pole," and were ready to return, when they found the
country aroused and the armed farmers swarming
about the roads. At Concord bridge there was a brief
fight, and then the retreat began, and from that time
until they got back to Boston there was a running
fight, in which the British were severe sufferers,
losing 271 killed, wounded, or captured. The original
expedition would have been cut off had not General
Gage sent out a reinforcement of 1,200 men, who pro-
tected the retreat.
The glory of these events is shared by Lexington,
Concord, and Boston, and consequently all join in cele-
brating the Centenary. As the contest roused the
colonies from ,one end to the other, the entire Union
shares in the celebration, and hence the official pil-
grimages which have been made by dignitaries and
deputations to these famous Revolutionary places. The
President and suite arrived at Boston on the 16th of
April, and the next day was spent in State visits to the
Governor and Legislature, a reception at the Revere-
house, and a dinner given by the Commercial Club at
the Parker-house. At this dinner the Hon. Alexander
H. Rice presided, and 126 guests sat down at the
tables. In the evening the President went to Concord,
where on Sunday, the 18th of April, he attended the
Unitarian Church, and visited various places of his-
torical interest. Concord was gaily decorated, and a
vast multitude began to come into both Concord and
Lexington in anticipation of the next day's celebration.
At Lexington, in the evening, the Centenary began
with public services in the Town-hall, an oration being
delivered by the Rev. William Adams, of New York,
and a large chorus and military band furnishing the
music. At Boston the Centennial service also began
on the night of the 18th, at "Old North Church."
This church, known originally as "Christ Church,"
was one of the three Church of England churches in Bos-
ton in 1775, and from its steeple warning signal-lights
were displayed when the British expedition left Boston
for Lexington and Concord. This steeple was burnt in
1804, but was afterwards restored in as nearly as pos-
sible the original form. The building was profusely
decorated, and the Vice-President, the Hon. Henry
Wilson was the chief guest at the Centennial Services.
commemorative of
the the the
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rode out of Boston--Paul Revere. The Hon. George
B. Loring, General Joseph, It. Hawley, and others
delivered addresses among them being one by Mr.
Newman; a son of 'Walter Newman, the old sexton
who hung out the lights.
April 19 was a cold, bright day, and was ushered
in by military salutes at sunrise both at Lexington

whiz;

and Concord. Every one who could possibly do so
visited one or other of those cities, and every
road leading to them was filled with vehicles and
pedestrians. It is said that 100,000 people crowded
into them to witness the celebrations. Tents and
pavilions had been erected for the public meetings,
and long before the- ceremonies began these were
filled to overflowing. The crowds were so great that
locomotion was impeded in the streets, while the
railways were unable to carry half the people
anxious to take passage. At Lexington, when the
meeting was called to order, Mr. Thomas Merriam
Stetson was appointed chairman, and the proceedings
opened with an oration by Mr. Richard Henry Dana,
Jun. With impressive ceremonies, statues of
John llancock and Samuel Adams were then un-
veiled, the address being delivered by Mr. Charles
Hudson, who fervently eulogized both. The proceed-
ings then closed with religious services. The platform
was decorated with relics of the Lexington battlefield,
and prominent upon it were a pine and a palmetto,
representing the union of Massachusetts and South
Carolina. Subsequently the President and suite ar-
rived from Concord, having ridden over the road
taken by the British troops in their retreat, and then
a long procession was formed, which passed through
the town over a route which included several places of
historical interest connected with the battle. There
was then a public dinner, with patriotic toasts, among
them being "England and the United States." This
toast was responded to by reading a letter from Mr.
Gladstone :

"London, April 5, 1875. —Gentlemen,—l have the honour
to receive the letter in which you convey to me a very warm
and courteous invitation to attend the banquet which it is
proposed to hold at Lexington, in comemoration of the
attainment of independence by the United States of America.
The circumstances of the war which yielded that result, the
principle it illustrates, and the remarkable powers and cha.
racter of the principal men who took part, whether as
soldiers or civilians, in the struggle, have always invested
It with a peculiar interest in my eyes, quite independent)
the intimate concern of this country in the events themselves.
On account of these features, that war and its accompani.
ments seem to me to constitute one of the most instructive
chapters of modern history, and I have repeatedly recom-
mended them to younger men as subjects of especial study.
With these views, I need not say how far I am from regarding
the approaching celebration with indifference. It is
entirely beyond my power to cross the sea, even
with the present admirable communications for
the purpose of attendance. The present time happens
to be, for me, even independently of my attendance
in Parliament, one ef very urgent occupations which I am
not at liberty to put aside. But I earnestly hope, and I
cannot doubt, that the celebration will be worthy of the
occasion In a retrospective view of the eventful period,
my countrymen can now contemplate its incidents with
Impartiality. I do not think that they should severely
blame their ancestors, whose struggle to maintain the
unity of the British Empire is one which must, I think, after
the late great war of the North and South, be viewed in
America with some sympathy and indulgence. We can
hardly be expected to rate very highly the motives of those
other Powers who threw their weight into the other scale,
and who so sensibly contributed toward determining the
Issue of the war. Yet for one I can moat truly say that,
whatever the motives, and however painful the process,
they, while seeking to do an injury, conferred upon us a
great benefit by releasing us from efforts, the continuation
of which would have been an unmixed evil. As regards
the fathers of the American Constitution themselves, I
believe we can and do now contemplate their great qualities
and achievements with an admiration as pure as that of
American citizens themselves, and can rejoice no less
heartily that in the counsels of Providence they were made
the instruments of a purpose most beneficial to the world
The circumstances under which the United States began
their national existence, and their unexampled rapidity of
advance in wealth and population, enterprise and power,
have imposed on their people an enormous responsibility.
They will be tried as we shall be at the bar of history, but on
a greater scale. They will be compared with the men not
only of other countries, but of other times. They cannot
escape from the liabilities and burdens which their greatness
Imposes on them. No one desires more fervently than Ido
that they may be enabled to realize the highest hopes and
anticipations that belong to their great position in the family
of man. I have the honour to be, gentlemen, your obliged
and faithful servant, W. E. GLADSTONE.

As the banquet progressed the cold became more and
more intense, the mercury gradually falling below 20
deg., and the guests dropped off, so that when it closed
only a small party was left. In the evening there was
a promenade concert and ball.

At Concord the festivities opened with a procession,
which was about three miles in length, and in which
the President appeared in a carriage, ac3ompanied by
the Vice-President. The procession marched to two
large pavilions which had been erected on the parade-
ground, and there the exercises began, the Hon. E. R.
Hoar, M.C., presiding. An address was delivered by
Ralph Waldo Emerson and an oration by George
William Curtis, and the statue of the "Minute Man"
was unveiled. This statue is on the very spot where
the "minute men" stood in defending Concord-bridge.
It is a figure of the patriot farmer just as he left the
plough to grasp the gun. A poem by James Russell
Lowell was also read. Before the exercises closed the
increasing cold caused the same trouble as at Lexing-
ton, the audience dispersing before the wintry blasts.
The vast crowd also broke down the benches, and at
times there was great confusion. There was then a
banquet, but before it began the President left for
Lexington, and it was not marked by any notable pro-
ceedings, the intense cold bringing it to an early ter-
mination. A ball in the evening closed the festivities.