Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1875-04-18
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

tomorrow and will be celebrated in a
betitting manner. Lexington is distant
ten miles from Boston, i'll Il northwest
erly direction, and seven miles east from
or recapitnlation of it-may be inter
estins at this time. On the night Of
April Is. 1875. Paul Revere of Boston.
eIu9ing the British sentinels. escaped
into the country across Charles River
and spread information of the INTENDED
march of detachment of British
troops eight hundred strong, commanded
5v Lieutenant Colonel Smith. to sieze
the provincial stores and cannon at Con-
cord. About midnight he reached the
house of Rev. Jonas Clark. the minister
Of Lexington. where Hancock and
Adams lodged The town at that time
contained about seven hundred inhahi-
tai T.. aud nearly all the able bodied
males had been trained to the use of
arms and were enrolled as minute men.
The alarm was given. and by } o'clock
IN the morning about l33 mi!i'iamen
were assembled under arms on the com
mon, commanded by Captain John Par
ker. who ordered them to load with
powder and ball, but to take care MOI to
be the first to fire. Messengers were
.l,.n can't tn~orj RnC,np 70 lonE for ~.
British, who returned reporting tina;
there were no signs of their approach.
A watch was set and the militia di1-
missed with orders to assemble again at
beat of drum. just at daybreak the adj
vance guard Of the enemy. commanded
by Major Pitcairn. was discovered APP
preaching the village. The alarm was
given. and between sixty and seventy OF
the militia assembled and were paraded
in two ranks on the common. The
British halted to load and to allow the
rest of the detachment to come up.
They then advanced on the double
quick. Pitcairn rode in front, and
when within five or six rods of the
Americans he called out: ''Disperse. ys
villains. We rebels. disperse. Lay down
your arms, Why don't you disperse?"
They kept their ranks firmly and silent
ly until Pitcairn discharged pistol at
them and ordered his soldiers to fire.
A heavy discharge of musketry followed
and seven Of the men Of Lexington were
killed and nine wounded. When the
British fired Captain Parker ordered his
men TO disperse. They did SO, but a
few Of them returned the fire of the
British, wounding one soldier in the leg.
The British drew up on the common,
fred a volley and after halt of half an
hour marched on TO Concord. which they
reached at u, O'Clock. When the en-
envy came in sight, some were for resist
ing them; but 1t was thought proper TO |
throw the entire responsibility upon |
the invaders. This advice was followed, |
and the militia fell back, slowly and |
Afterward. while the British !
we're engaged in destroying the North
bridge, across which the militia had |
passed, n single shot was fired by the
British. and this was followed by a vol
ey. killing a militia captain and pri-
rate. Upon this Major Buttrick ordered
he militia to fire. This volley killed
several of the British troops. when they
toward the centre of the town.
where they met with reinforcements.
The militia had five men wounded in
his engagement at Concord. The Brit
sh troops retreated through Lexington
owards Boston, pursued 10y the provin-
,ials. While passing through Lincoln
he British were attacked by the Lexipg-
on men. and were saved from total de-
;truction by the arrival of reinforce
nent Of 1900 men under Lord Percy,
When the British marched back to Bos-
on without further molestatation. The
Iction at Lexington and Concord reused
he whole country. The night before it.
to Bancroft, there were few
,eople who expected that apy blood