Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-04-23
Lexington and Concord.

the coming conflict. The tea had been de
stroyed in Boston harbOr The Continenta
Congress had met and the militia Of the
Provinces, and especially of Massachusetts
had been organizing. \ depot of cannon
powder, and other supplies for the militia
had been established at Concord, Mass,
twenty miles from Boston. To destroy these
and to arrest Hancock and Adams, who were
staying at the adjoining town of Lexington,
the first hostile expedition of the war was
despatched by the British commander at
Boston. On the night of April 18th, nine
hundred regulars under Col. Smith left
Boston for Concord. Bat Paul Revere left
before they did, and rode faster than they
marched, to carry warning to Adams, Han
cock, and the minute men, and by > O'Clock
in the morning the bell on the Parish beliry
at Concord was calling the farmers round to
take down their flint locks, and turn out to
meet the red-coats.
Seventy militiamen stood in line on Lex
ington Common, in the raw April morning,
as the British troops marched in. They
were ordered to disperse by Major Pitcairn,
with an oath but they did not stir till
they received a volley which stretched eight
dead and ten wounded on the ground
where they stool Whether the fire was
returned and how much resistance was
offered here, is matter of fierce dispute to
this day between Lexington and Concord,
each Of which claims the credit Of firing
''the shot that was heard around the world.
The truth appears to be that Lexington
poured out the first patriot blood and that
Concord shed the first British blood.
The British troops pushed on to Con
cord, and n skirmish took place at
the "North Bridge" between a company of
the militia and a British detachment. The
British, here too, fired first, killing two men
and woundng six. The first shot, in return,
and perhaps the first shot on the American
side in the Revolution, was fired by Capt.
David Brown, OF Acton, Of whom it Is re
lated that he never before or after used a
proiane word bu; that seeing his comrades
fan bo shouted 90 4 tb.,, tbev are
FIRING hall. Fire mon fro ~ and scizip,
a gun be fired frat himself and brought
down D-i,i., s,lIio- Tbe-e vos frinc
o,,,,,,,l. e,- .,., p.;,;.t -to~..r.o- fra f.,r
,,o,,e... .ni ...r t-'l,, and r,, lear;,c
c,,r re5 c,,.. ti1,eI AM, ,5i-tesr wounded
,notber < Li-,,i.i, t,,l Mac. in C,ne,rj in
which f,rtscn Erif;.b were killed and
,re,,, ,roo,5.l With , l,.s p, tla Amer
ic,rs or fr. Killed anl three wound
cJ The british c,,,nel saw t5,t the
resistance va. scri,r- ami caDinr in
~. 5o,,.t,n.... ,rb;.l hal i,s,ily dos
troved what v,- material. ba5 not
hoon ro,,,,.l l.,. ,,. p-o,;,c;,,. h,c,rc
III. a--;,,l .... ..,-..I h,.l th-,rrb
- >, - p- ~. ,ime ,
.bo,san5 or nv. ,.,.-;.,r. l,I collected
from, rho .;v TOWNS around fb,,i,- an toll
. r,,r,r,.;,, ,r,t,,. , ann and III. retreat
of+L, p.;,;.b .,p,..,- ,,.... , ..,,s,,rt ,,r-
.;.-e.n. =. -. L. i,.. = t-I.l ,,l
,-,''-l9l Ill ~ -. mum.
ber ,,I,;.b - H.. f,,r,, ,nlsr Colonel
ST IT., ~, ma. 80 ,,,.;r -o..,-r tv
! Ioo e,,gb p-;,;.b ,-o,rs ,,der Lord Per-
~ aesn.,cbo3 ?, ro;,r,rcc ,bem and which
shared +, some extent in the los.e, of the
dav In MI the % ooo British troop, eprac-
"a ;,oln,;u. p.-.u.. b-;,-,a. I,., .-l men
r - a., ~ ,,-o-, 1.;1leI
10 ,ronnao, a-l o., ,,;--;,- ,c,,, tbe
,,...,.l 80, ,i.o p-;.;.h r-r,,.1 smith and
~ p,...;-a c. .nl .o.,rl :, c,,.-
mand oi the eApediilJn' Inc latter IoS' Ms
horse and pistols, which were afterwards
carried bv Gen Putnam. The 500
Americans engaged lost 90 men only. Of
whom 49 were killed among these Killed
were two captains. But OF the Americans
engaged there were never more han 500 at
tacking the British at once nor were these
under the command OF any general oiheer-
These events Lexington and concord con-
memorate Monday The ehiei ee'epr'tion
viii be at Concord, where a siatee OF The
Minute Man, JHst erected, Is 10
be unveiled, oH the spot. where
the first firing took place in that town. 10
this the presence Of the President and Gov
ernors will lend dignity, and Judge lioar
will be President Of the day, and Ralph
Waldo Emerson delivers the dedicatory
speech. and Geo William Curtis Is orator of
the dav, and Lowell and lougfellow and
Holmes furnish poetry. Il viii be no;a-
bic occasion, and will ftly inaugurate the
series OF great eommemorations that are to
lo'4o" - ''ie 49, -
,ronnd
THEOpnILUS HARRiNGToN.-lhe story las
often been told of Southern planter who.
i, tho d,rs urben tho recuI;,r ins,;,rt;o,''
o'er-fih AL o' iic'' sam 'ei'i'oi1' i'"''u
Il specimen of his property in Vermont and
rs fl nroof Of ownership produced bill of
io iii .ho ;na,, ro,,l;o5 tho. be
9aie u "i''e'' 'N0 JUG
shodld not give up the man unless 'he pant
er should produce q bill of sale from God
ALMIGHTY That JUDGE WAS Theophilus
uau..o I,isol.o rolo+ed +bo+ csse
ii'i
once came before MN Tor trial IN Which t"s
plaintiff was a white man and the defendant
black. and his honor decided that the diff
1 Il. -. - A.. a.,
.'.Ns
pialntlh was white man with piaeA CHIT
acter while the defendant was Il black man
with white character Jndoe Harm. ton
A.. - ,.l :: W. C,,.o,.i..,
a'9A "''.' ""9 'u''e' II" 49, ",'''