The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-04-27

guarded the North bridge, close by Mr..
Emerson's parsonage-house, now known
as the Old Manse, and q third party
guarded the South bridge near where the
Fitchburg railroad now crosses the river.
The rest Of the British searched for. the
stores about the village, then only third
part as large as now. The militia in the
meantime had fallen back TO q high hill a
mile distant from the meeting house, now
called b. its Indian name of Ponkawtas-
set, where they waited for reinforcements,
which came in rapidly. ..asa
As the reinforced militia, now three or
four hundred strong, marched down from
Ponkawtasset toward the bridge, about
10 clock in the forenoon, they mel at
the fork of the road. near Major But
trick 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 adjutant, Joseph Hosmer;
grandfather Of Rev. DR.. George ". Hos
mer. Major Buttrick and Col. Robinson
Of Prescott's regiment marched abreast of
Capt. Davis in the van, and as the British
at the bridge offered to take up the
planks, Bustrick ordered them to desist,
and gave his men quicker step, march
ing as he did, on foot. The British then
fred few random shots, which did no
harm---next, single shot from them
W ounded the Acton ffer, Luther Blanch-
ard, and then came, the volley from the
British front rank, which killed Captain
Davis and Abner Hosmer, son Of the
Acton deacon. AS the British fred,
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
so punctually observed. that we received
the fire of the enemy in three several and
separate discharges Of their pieces before
it was returned by our commanding Off
Ger; the firing then soon became general
for several minutes On seeing his
comrades fall, Major Buttrick, who car
ried a musket, leaped from the ground
with excitement, and, turning half way
toward his men, shouted, Fire, fellow.
soldiers, for God is sake, fire!' discharg.
ing his own piece at the same moment.
No sooner were the words uttered than
the order was obeyed. The cry "Fire
fire! ire!" ran like lightning through
the whole lire of Americans; two of the
British were killed and several wounded ;
the rest ran away, holly pursued for afew
minutes by the Americans, who immedi-
alley crossed the bridge. But, as if as
halted; they made no attempt to cut off
the companies in their rear, at Col. Bar
rett's, nor did they attack the main body
of the British under Col. Smith until two
hours later. Instead of this, they scat
tered about, removing the dead and
wounded, taking breakfast and watching
the movements of the British parties.
One Of these returning from Col. Barrett S
house, 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 the wounded British
soldier, whose head had been cloven with
a Ratchet by lad at whom he thrust with
his bayonet as he lay wounded there.
This was the origin of the statement by
Gage and Lord Percy that ''the rebels
scalped and cut off the ears OF some of the
wounded men who fell into their hands. -
In Cages letter to Gov. Trumbull, dated
April Goth, he says that Capt. Parsons OBJ.
served three British soldiers on the
ground, zone of them scalped, his head
much mangled, and his ears ent of;
though not quite dead; sight which
struck the soldiers with horror The
lad who struck the blow lived at the par.
sonage, and afterwards died at Acton
His name has been designedly forgotten
Rev. William Emerson, who saw this par.
ty return and cross the bridge, declared
| that when they beheld their fellow-sol
diers dead, near the bridge
''they appeared to be very much
alarmed, and ran with great
speed" past his parsonage and eastward
into the village. The fight took place
half a mile west of the village, the Amer
leans marching down on the west bank O.
Concord river, from hillock ,over cause
way. and the British standing on the east
bank, in the highway which curved rouno
the parsonage field and orchard,so charm
ingly described by Hawthorne, in his
''Mosses from an an Old Manse."
A little after noon, the British colonel
having called in all his detachments, be
gan his retreat toward Boston by The
same road he had come, and pursued by
the Americans. About mile east of Con
cord village, near the fork of the road:
that leads to Bedford, he was met by fresf
companies of minute men from Reading
and Billerica, and from East Sunbur1
(now Wayland), and sharp fight ensued
| where several Of the British were killed