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

to it, were all So many aids and incentives
to q new life. ..~Sr ~, 57..,.s4 IT..
For weeks, even months, Mr.. Sterling
kept his appetite under with bit and
bride. How happy they were at home
All his, friends took heart again, and saw
with pleasure the great change and new
promise for better life. But he was
walking amid temptations. of no ordi-
nary character. He was surrounded by
enemies who never slept. who were al
ways plotting against him; and what
made his condition the more perilous was
the fact that he did not treat these ene-
mics as if they we're his deadly foes, but
too often held friendly intercourse with
them and left in their presence the doors
done. They were then given to General
Putnam, after Pitcairn's death at Bunker
Hill, - q ..ess-aH5HH
Major Pitcairn was the officer who had
given the order to fire on the Americans
at Lexington in the morning. At Con.
cord, before noon, he had called for a
glass Of brandy and water at Wright's
tavern, (still standing near the
meeting house,, and, according
to the doubtful tradition, while
''stirring it with his bloody fnger,'' said
he hoped he should ''stir the id Yankee
blood so, before night.' But, according
to Cages letter to Trumbull, Pitcairn had
taken all possible pains to convince the
inhabitants that no injury was intended
them, and that, if they opened their doors
when required, to search for said stores
not the slightest mischief should be DONE"
And Gage adds, with an amusing air of
injured Innocence: ':Neither had any of
the people the least occasion to complain;
but they were sulky, and one of them euez,
struck Aajor Pitcairn.' It does not
seem, however, that the soldiers behaved
very badly, all things considered; only up
on their way back, being harrasscd fierce
~ by the Americans,they burned, pillaged
and bayoneted more than the Golden rule
would have required.
Upon reaching the village at Lexing-
ton, or little to the east Of it, the fugi-
tive British were met by Lord Percy
with fresh troops and cannon, at the DIS
charge of which the militia were panic
struck for short time, but soon returned
to the attack, which was kept up until
nightfall, when the fugitives reached
Charlestown, under the guns of the Brit
ish mcn-of-war. During the day, the
1000 British troops engaged. including
Percys brigade, lost 27l men, of whom
Is were officers; 70 were killed, liz
wounded and 26 missing. The $500 or
1000 Americans engaged lost 80 men only,
of whom 40 were killed; among those
killed were two captains, and three or
four captains were also wounded. But Of
the Americans engaged there were never
more than 500 attacking the British
at once, nor were these under the COM
mand of any general officer, or maneu-
vered with any strictness Of discipline.
What little show of discipline there was
on the American side was chiefly at the
skirmish for the possession of the bridge,
and the most important movement of the
day was that in which Buttrick and his
men marched down Ponkawtasset hill
to rescue the village of Concord from des.
truction, and on their way encountered
the British by the river bank. It is this
march and skirmish which Concord is to
celebrate while Lexington celebrates
! the slaughter on its village green in the
morning, and the victorious pursuit of
the red.coats toward Boston in the after.
! noon.