The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-09-08

Concord, rode forward, calliug up tn
Dhabitantssas they passed along, till il
Lincoln they fell upon party Of Bii.
ish officers. Revere and Dawes was seiz
ed and taken back to Lexington, wher'
they were relea. ed; but Prescott leapet
over low stone wall, and galloped oil
for Concord.
There, at about two in the morning
a peal from the belfry of the meeting
house called the inhabitants of the plac,
to their town hail. They came forth
young and old, with their frelocks
ready to make good the resolute word
of their town debates. Among the mos
alert was William Emerson the minister
with gun in hand, his powder horn ane
pouch for balls slung over his shoulder
BY his sermons aud his prayers, he hac
so hallowed the enthusiasm of his flock
that they held the defence of their lib
er ties part of their covenant with God
his presence with arms, proved his sin
cerity and strengthened their sense oi
duty. From daybreak to sunrise, the
summons ran from house to house thro
Acton Express messengers aud volleys
Lexington. in l775, may have had
700 iuha abitants, forming one Parish,
and having for their minister the learn
ed and fervent Jonas Clark, the bold in
diter of patriotic state papers that may
yet be read on their town records. In
December, l772, they had intrustec
their repre- seutatives to demand "a rad
ical aud lasting redress OF their grievan
ces, for uo' through their neglect should
the people be euslaved." A year later
they spurned the use. In IVA, at vari
Gus town meetings, they voted ''to in-
crease their ST ok of ammunition" to
encourage military discipline aud put
themselves II posture f defence
against their enemies" In December
they distribute to- the train band and
alarm list arms and ammunition and re-
solved to supply the training soldiers
with bayonets.
At two in the morning under the eye
of the minister, and of Hancock and Ad
ans, Lexington Common was alive with
the miLute met; and not with them only,
but with the old men also, who were ex-
empt, except in case of immediate dan-
ger of the town. The roll was called,
and of the militia and alarm men, about
one hundred answer, to their names
The captain, John Parker, ordered eve
ry one to load with powder and ball, but
take care not to be the first to fire
Messengers were sent to look for the
British regulars, report, d that there
were no signs of their approach. A
watch was therefore set, and the connpa
ny dismissed with orders TO come togeth-
er at the beat of the drum. Some went
to their own homes; some to Il tavern,
near the southeast corner of the Com
mon.
Adams and Hancock, whose proscrip
tion had already been divulged, and
whose seizure was believed to be inten-
ded, were compelled by persuasion to
retire towards Woburn.
The las, stars were vanishing from
night, when the foremost party, led by
Pitcairn, Major of Marine, was dis
covered advancing quickly and in silence
Alarm guns were fred and the drums
beat. Less than seventy--perhaps less
than sixty, obeyed the summons, and iu
sight of half as many boys and unarmed
men, were paraded in two ranks, few
rods north of the meeting house.
The British van, hearing the drum
and the alarm guns, halted to load; tha
rem aiming companies came up; and at
half an hour before sunrise, the advance
party hurried forward at double quick
time, almost upon run, closely follow
ed by the grenadiers. Pitcairn rode in
front and when within five or six rods oil
the minute men, cried ont: "Disperse,
ye villains; ye rebels, disperse; lay down
your arms and dispe' Sc! why don't you
lay down your arms and disperse?"-
The main part of the countrymen stood
in the ranks, witnesses against
aggression; too few to resist, too brave
to fly. At this Pitcairn discharged
pistol, and with loud voice cried fire.
The order was instantly followed, first
BY a few guns, which did no execution,
aud then by heavy, close and deadly
discharge of musketry.
10 the disparity of numbers, the Com.
mon was field of murder, not of battle;
Parker therefore ordered his men to dis
perse. Then and not till then, did a few
of them Oh their own impulse, return
The British fire. These random shots of
Iugitives or dying men did no harm, ex-
,ept that Pitcairn's horse was perhaps
yrazed, and private of the 10th Light
Infantry was touched slightly in the leg
Jonas Parker, the strongest and best
wrestler in Lexington, had promised
never to run from British troops, and
ne kept his vow. A wound brought him
IN his knees. Having discharged his
gun, he was preparing to load it again.
when as sound heart as ever throbbed
'or freedom was stifed by bayonet,
md be lay on the post which he took at
he mornings drum beat. So fell Isaac
Muzzey, and SO died the aged Robert
the same who in 1858 had been
IN ensign at Louisburg Jonathan Har-
'iDgton, Jr., was struck in front of his
,wn house on the North of the Common.
His wife was at the window as he fell
With the blood gushing from his breast,
le rose in her sight, tottered, fell again,
hen crawled on hands and knees towards
lis dwelling; she ran to meet him, but
'nly reached him as he expired on the
hreshold. Caleb Harrington, who had
zone into the meeting house for powder,
vas shot as be came out. Samuel Had
ey and John Brown we're pursued and
;iiled after they had left the green
Asahel Porter, of Woburn, who had
,een taken prisoner by the march, en-
to ESCAPE. was shot within q
ew rods Of the Common. e.