Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-04-23
Lexington and Concord.

ed in Lexington and Concord, Mass, the
places where the event took plnce. A brief
review ofthose events which were commem-
GRATED by that celebration may not be unin-
teresting.
The arbitrary course Of the mother coun-
try had been gradually increasing till, in
liza, Parliament passed an act "for the bet
ter regulation of the government Of the
Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New
England"-a statute which empowered the
taking OF the life Of any obnoxious patriot
under the forms of law. The Province saw
the object and prepared for resistance--one
item of which was the enrolment of about
one hundred militia men in the town of Lex
ington. In February, l775 Parliament add
ed 10 its arbitrary statutes and resolved to
enforce them at all hazards; in the same
month-although there were M cable dis
patches then-thc Provincial Congress of
MASSACHUSETTS resolved to resist them at all
hazards and organized It's military resources.
Thus the issue step by step was coming on.
BY April the Congress was in session ut Con-
cord, and had got news of what had been
done in England When it adjourned on the
81, John Hancock and Samuel Adams knew
that it WAS not safe for them to return to
Boston within reach of the British army; so
they stopped at Lexington, where the people
three years hefo re had instructed their repre-
sentatives to demonstrate against British ty-
ranny. $50 that" they said, whether sue
cessful or not, succeeding generations might
know that they understood their rights and
liberties" Who shall say that these men
did not fully comprehend the import of the
mighty struggle that was looming up before
themP
General Gage, who was in command of
the British forces at Boston, saw that there
was danger ahead, and the plans of the col
onists must be nipped in the bud or not Mt
all. There were supplies and war material
collected at Concord, and in that neighbor-
hood were a few men who were worth more
than whole nrsenals and armories 10 the nat
riot cause. So secretly, Us he thought, he
dispatched force of eight hundred men to
destroy the stores and make such seizures rs
they should think best-but not 50 secretly
rs he thought, for Paul Revere and Mr..
Lincoln, according to an Arrangement in tho
patriot councils, started out from Boston in
advance and alarmed the whole country
with the tidings Of Gen. Cages movement.
Hat ,ck and Adams had time to escape
from Lexington, and the militia of the town
were out at two o'clock in tho morning OF
the 10th. And q pleasant morning it was.
The previous winter had been uncommo only
mild, and farming operations had already
begun. "Frut trees were in blossom, and
the grass and grain had grown sufficiently
high to wave with the wind.
At n little before five o'clock in the MORN
ing the British regulars suddenly appeared
marching into the village. They were eight
hundred strong, and they were supposed by
the militia men, from Revere's statements,
doubtless, to be twelve or fifteen hundred.
The militia, on the other hand, numbered
only sixty or seventy-men skilllul in the
shooting of game and ut target matches, but
who had never seen a man killed in battle.
They were commanded by Capt John Par
ker. 1t is no wonder that few of hrs men
wavered when they faced the overwhelming
force of regulars, with all the prestige won
in two hemisphcres, which gathered about
them; but tho Captain declared he would
have the first man that len his post shot.
lilo ordered them to load. "Don't fire."
were his words, "unless fired upon; bit, If
they tOGnt ,odr, let IL begin here" Evidently,
those men knew what they were about. On
came the British, and their commander cried
out: "Dispcrse! you rebels; lay down your
arms and dspersem Not man stirred.
Then volley was fired over the heads of
the militia, and the order to dispense was
repeated with some profanity, followed by
firing, which was returned by the Americans
TIL Parker, seeing 1t was murder rather than
battle, ordered them to retire. Little harm
was done to the British. but seven of the
Lexington men were killed and nine wound
ed. And that was all there was to the ''bat-
tie of Lexington" But the grandeur of the
cause consciously put in issue and consecrat-
ed by tho hearts blood of those who stood
for their homes, their country, and liberty,
give us no occasion to use less weghty
words.
The Kings troops were delayed in Licking
NS'' ~ ~ hOe HhOAO tiihu JWtHly
minutes, and then they pushed on for Con-
cord, six miles beyond, where there was n
much greater gathering of militia. At the
moment, however, when the British appear
ed in sight-about seven o'clock in the
morning-there were only about hundred
men assembled on Concord green. These
fell back to the north of the village, where
ihav ininaH I, F.
WAS to BIO done' Some advised further re-
treat. Rev. William Unreasonable grand
father Of Ralph Waldo-said: "Let us stand
our ground. If we die. let us die here"
That was the spirit of the people, prudence,
however, suggested withdrawal over the
North Bridge. Reinlorcements kept pour
ing In, along the roads, across the fields, in
squads and singly. men who knew little of
organization but who had the stuff of Crom-
wells Ironsides. Meanwhile the British
troops entered the village. The officers, with
their field glasses, saw the American gath
ering, and decided ut once that good strategy
required the seizure of tho North Bridge.
Six companies were detached for that pur-
pose, n part being stationed on guard, and
the rest distributed about the vicinity for
seizng and destroying stores. In the mean
time the American force had reached five
hundred in number, though in n military
point Of view they were little better than an
EARNED mob" A council was held, and as
the result Colonel Barrett gave tho order to
march to 'tho bridge and pass the same, but
not to fire on the Kings troops unless they
were fired upon" Accordingly they march
ed down. Tho British fired signal guns for
the return of their absent detachmOnts, and
soon turned their muskets toward the militia,
killing and wounding several. The fire was
returned, and with such effect that tho Brit
ish broke and fed in great alarm and con-
fusion. One ofthe Lincoln mon turned to
his comrade and SAID snow the war has
begun and no one knows how it will end"