Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-04-24

and Dorr, but Prescott leaped a stone wall
and dashed on to Concord. Between
and o'clock in the morning, Amos Mel
win, the SC tinel at the Court House, rang !,
the bell and reused the town. When the
bell rang the first man that appeared was
William Emerson, the minister, with a
gun in his hand. 1t was his faith that
the scholar should be the Minute Man of
liberty, faith which his defendants have /
piously cherished and Illustrated before .
the world. The Minute Men gathered /
hastily upon the Common. The citizens, |
hurrying from their homes, secreted the |
military stores. Messengers were sent
to the neighboring villages, and the
peaceful town prepared for battle. The
Minute Men, of Lincoln, had joined the
Concord militia and Minute Men,an part
of them had marched down the Lexing-
ton road to recOnnoitre. Seeing the
British they fell back toward the hill over
the road at the entrance of the village,
upon which stood the liberty pole.
EIGHT HUNDRED BRITISH BAYoNETs
FLASHED IN TIE MORNING Sun.
1t was now o'clock. There were per-
haps two hundred men in arms upon the
hill. Below them, upon the Lexington
road, l. quarter of mile away, rose
thick cloud of dust, from which, amidst
proudly rolling drums, eight hundred
British bayOnetS flashed in the morning
sun. The Americans saw thut battle
where they stood would be mere butchery,
and they fell gradually back to q rising
ground about 4 mile north of the meeting
house, the spot upon which we are now
assembled. The British troops divided
as they entered the town, the infantry
coming over the hill from which the Amer
leans had retired, the marines and grcna-
dierS marching by the high road. The
place was well known to the British Off
GERS through their spies, and Col. Smith,
hating before the Court House, instantly
sent attachments to hold the two bridges,
and others to destroy the stores. But so
carefully had these been Secreted that dur
ing the two or three hours in which they
were engaged in the work, the British
merely broke open about sixty barrels of
-four, half of which was afterwards saved,
4 knocked Off the trunionS of three cannon,
burned sixteen new carriage wheels and
some barrels ofWoOden spoons and trench
ers; they threw some five hundred pounds
of balls into the pond and wells, cut down
the liberty pole, and fired the Court House
The work was hurredly done, for Col.
Smith, veteran soldier, knew his peril.
He had advanced twenty miles into a
country Of intelligent and resolute men,
who were rising around him.
THE COUNCIL. OF THE PATRIOTS.
All MiddleseX was moving. From Ac
= ton and Lincoln, from Westford, Littletor
and Chelmsford, from Bedford Billerica
from Stow, Sudbury and Carlisle, the sons
= Of I'm rrht nd ~ % A.,
: old French wars poured along the roads
: shouldering the ire-lOcks and fowling
pieces and old kings arms that had SeeI
g famous service when the earlier settlers
5 had gone out against King Philip, or the
7 later colonists had marched under the flag
t on which George Whtefeld had written
"Nil desperandum, Christie Duce"-Neve1
despair while Christ is Captain; anC
+ those words the children of the Puritan.
: had written on their hearts. As the Min
y ute Men from the other towns arrived
c they Joined the force upon the risins
: ground near the North Bridge, where they wer
5 drawn into line by Joseph Hosmer, of Concord
+ who acted as Adjutant. By O'Clock some so
/ men had assembled, and consultation of officer
c and chief citizens was held. That group of Mid
il dleseX farmers, here upon Punkatasset, withou
h thought that they were heroes that the day an
y its deeds were to be 30 mOmentous, is Il group
: memorable as the men of Ruth on the Swiss Alps
d or the Barons i'll the meadow of RunnymedC
n They confronted the mightiest empire In til
q world, invincible on land supreme on the sea
whose guns had just been heard in four continent
q at once, girlling the globe with victory. AM
u, hatempire was Northumberland in whose renow
g they had shared-the land dear to their hearts by
, thousand ties Of love, pride and reverence. The
- took sublime and awful responsibility. The
! could not know that the other colonies or eve
4. their neighbors of Massachusetts, would justif
= their action. There was as yet no declaration
Z independence, no Continental Army. There wa
l. indend general feeling that blow would 800
|, be struck, but to mistake the time, the place, til
c way, might be to sacrifice the great cause itsel
II and to ruin America. But their conscience an
|, their Judgment assured them that the hour ha
l. come. Before them lay their homes, and on tt
e hill beyond the graveyard in which their forer
lie theirs slept A guard of the Kings troops oppose
o their entrance to their own village Those troop
ID were at that moment searching their homes, pc
id haps insulting their wives and children. Alread
ID they saw the smoke as of burning houses rising
n the air. and they resolved to march into the tow
and to fire upon the troops if they were Oppose
They resolved upon organized, aggressive, fore
y BILE resistance to the military power ofGreat Bl
ain, the first that had been offered in the colone
lie All unconsciously every heart beat time to Il
n music of the slaves epitaph in the tn
t. overhung the town.
y, 'GOd wills us free man wills us slaves:
= will as God wills; Gods will be done"
40 FIRE, FELLOw-SoLDIERS! FOR GODS SAX
FIRE."
y Isaac Davis, of Acton, drew his sword, tunt
7, toward his company, and said, az haven't m;
VI that's afraid to 60" Colonel Barrett, of Concor
" gave the order to march, In double file and wi
. trailed arms the men moved along the causwa
* the Acton company in front, Major John Buttrc
tc of Concord, Captain Isaac Davis, of Action, al
n, Lieutenant Colonel John Robertson, of Weston
Y, leading the way. As they approached the brid
t. the British forces withdrew across it and began
ur take up the planks Major Buthick ordered
is men to hasten their march. AS they came with
v ten fifteen rods of the bridge shot was fired
q the British which wounded Jonas Brown, one
is the Concord Minute Men, and Luther Blanchar
" ffer of the Acton company. A British volley fl
he lowed, and Isaac Davis Of Acton, making WI
"a for his countrymcn, like Arnold Won Winkelre
ht at Sompach fell dead, shot through the heart.
go his side fell his friend and neighbor, Abner He
~ mer q youth of twenty-five. Seeing them ia
~, Major Buttrick turned to his men, and raisi
=, his hand, cried "Fre, fellow.soldiers! for Coo
a. sake firep' John Buttrck gave the word. T
u, Americans fired. The Revolution began 1t
III gan here. Let us put the shoes from of our fe
for the place whereon we stand is holy ground.
IE THE BRITISH RETREAT.
One of the British was killed, several we
n wounded, and they reiterated in confusion iowa
he the centre of the village. The engagement W
at doubtless seen by Smith and Pitcairn from
ok graveyard hill that overlooked the town, and
no shots were heard by all the searching parti
70 which Immediately returned in haste and dis