Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-04-23
The FIcur AT CONCORD. ArRrL 18TH. IL:

! The FICnT AT CONCORD, APRIL 18TH, l715.
As the reinforced militia, now three or
| four hundred strong, marched down from
! Ponkawtasset toward the bridge. about 10
o'clock in the forenoon, they met at the
! fork of the road, near Major Buttrick's
house, with the company OF minute-men
| from Acton, commanded by Captain Isaac
/ Davis. This company. with one OF the four
/ Concord companies, commanded by David
Brown, took the lead,-the others were
| formed in support of them by the acting
/ adlutant, Joseph Hosmer, Major Buttrick
and Col. Robinson of Prescotts regiment
marched abreast of Capt. Davis in the van,
and as the British at the bridge offered to
take up the planks. Buttrick ordered them
10 desist. and gave his men quicker step.
marching as he did, on foot. The British
then fired "a few random shots. which did no
harm,-next, single shot from them
wounded the Acton fiier, Luther Blanchard.
and then came the vclley from the British
front rank, which killed Capt. DAVIS and
Abner Hosner, son of the Acton deacon. As
the British fired. William Emerson, the
minister, who was looking on from his
chamber window, twenty rods IN the rear
of the British, was for moment uneasy
lest the volley should not be returned.
These orders" (of Col Barrett, not to fire
unless fired upon,) wrote Emerson in his
diary" were 50 punctually observed that we
received the fire of the enemy in three several
and separate discharges Of their pieces be-
fore it was returned by our commanding
officer the firing then became general for
several minutes" On seeing his comrades
fall, Major Buttrick who carried musket,
leaped from the ground with excitement,
and turning half way towards his men,
shouted. Fire, fellow soldiers. for Gods
sake, fire." discharging his own piece at
the same moment No sooner were the
words uttered than the order was obeyed.
The cry Fire, fire, fire !" ran like light
ming through the whole line OF Americans ;
two of the British were killed and several
wounded a; the rest ran away, hotly pur-
sued for few minutes by the Americans,
who Immediately crossed the bridge. But,
as if astonished at their own success. they
soon halted they made no attempt to cut
off the companies in their rear, at Col.
Barrett's, nor did they attack the main
body o. the British under Col. Smith until
two hours later. Instead of this they scat
tered about. removing the dead and wound |
ed, taking breakfast and watching the |
movements of the British parties. One of |
these returning from Col. Barrett's house, |
a mile or Two west of the river, passed over
the bridge and saw their countrymen
lying dead where they had been
shot by the Americans. They saw also the
body OF a British soldier, whose head had
been closen with Ratchet by a lad at
whom he thrust with his bsyonet as he lay
wounded there. This was the origin of the
statement by Gage and Lord Percy that
1.-The rebels scalped and cut of the ears of
some Of the wounded who fell into their
hands" In Cages letter to Gov. Trum-
bull dated April 90, he says that Capt Par
sons observed three British soldiers on the
ground, zone of them scalped. This head
much mangled, and bis ears cut off,
though not quite dead; q sight which
struck the soldiers with horror" The lad
who struck the blow lived at the parson-
age, and afterward died at Acton. dis
name has been designedly forgotten. Rev.
William Emerson. who saw this party re-
turn and cross the bridge. declared that
when they beheld their fellow-soldiers
dead, near the bridge. they appeared to
be very much alarmed, and ran with great
speed" pas. his parsonage and eastward
into the village. The fgbt took place half
3 mile west Of the village, the Americans
down on the west bank Of Con- !