Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-03-16
HISTORICAL P1PER&
"Men and Women Of the Revolution"
SERIES OF VALUABLE AND ENTERTAINING
Contributions FROM THE PEN OF THE
EMINENT HISTORIAN,
BENSON j. LOSING, Ii. d.
No. 7.
The Fifer at Lexington.

!
the hot flame of the Revolution first burst
out on the 10Th of April 1775l Among
the first objects of my pilgrimage were
these two villages.
1t was a charming morning in October,
1S4S, when 1 Travelled by railway from Bos-
ton to Concord, seventeen miles northwest
of the New England capital There spent
an hour with Major Barrett and his wife,
who "saw the British scamper, and had
lived together there almost sixty years.
The major seemed robust at eighty
and his wife, almost as old, seemed as MIN
BILE of foot as a matron in middle life. She
was vivacious little woman, well formed,
and retained many traces of the beauty of
her young womanhood. They had much to
tell me Of events their eyes had witnessed.
After visiting the place of the skirmish at
Concord, | rode in a private vehicle to Lex
ington, six miles eastward, through a pic
turesque and fertile country, and entered
the famous village at the Green, whereOn
that skirmish occurred and commemora-
tive monument now stands After brief
interviews with two or three aged persons
] 1
Harrington, in East Lexington, who, lad
seventeen years old, had heralded the open
ing of the old war for independence with
the shrill notes of the fife
As | halted before the house of Mr.. Har-
rington at little past noon, and saw an
old man welding an axe vigorously in split
ting wood in his yard, | entered the gate
and introduced myself and my errand. The
old man was the venerable fifer.
Come in and rest yonrself," he said
kindly, as he led the way into the house
Although he was then past ninety years
of age, he appeared no older than man Of
seventy. His form was nearly erect his
voice was firm his complexion was fair ;
his placid face was lighted by mild blue
eyes, and had but few deep wrinkles his
hair not all white, was very abundant, and
in stature he was of medium hei ght and
slender. l took & seat on a chintz covered
lounge, and he sat in a Boston rocking
chair.
81 have come, b" said, "to make some in
quiries about the battle of Lexington"
1T wasn't battle he answered "only
a skrmishn
1T was a sharp one" ! said.
''Nes pretty sharp, pretty sharp, he re-
piled, thoughtfully Eight fine young men
out of hundred were killed two Of them
my blood relations
II understand you played the fife on that
morning ] said
"As well as | could" he replied. 81
taught myself to play the year before, when
the Minute-men were training, and was
the only person in Lexington who knew
how to fife. That amt saving much, though
for then there were only eight or ten houses
in the village besides the meeting house"
Did you belong to the Minute men p l
asked
81 was a Mnute-boy They asked me to
fife, to help Joe Burton make music with his
drum for Captain Parker's company. Poor
Joe His drum-h head was smashed and he
lost a finger in the fight. Captain Amos
Parker's company was drilled the night be-
fore for Sol Brown, our nearest neighbor,
came from Boston at sunset and said he had
seen nine British soldiers walking toward
Lexington. Sam Adams and John Hancock
were at Parson Clarke's house, where Dor
othy Quincy, Hancock's sweetheart, was
staying. Gage wanted to catch and hang
EN-, and it was believed the soldiers Sol had
seen had been sent out TO seize 'em that
night. A guard of ten men, under Sergeant
Monroe, (who kept tavern here were sta
toned around Parson Clarkes house. At
little past midnight Paul Revere-youve
heard of Revere-came riding like mad from
Cambridge his horse all afoam, for the
weather was uncommonly warm He told
Monroe he wanted to see Hancock. He
didn't want to be disturbed by noise. said
the sergeant Noise, said Revere you'll
have noise enough soon, for the reg lars are
coming = Hancock heard him, and open
ing a window called out Revere l know
you come in He went into the house
a moment then came out mounted his
horse, and started on gallop toward Con
cord. Very soon everybody in Lexington
was astirn
Were you on duty then :" l inquired
"No, he said II went to bed at eleven
o'clock, and as all boys should do, l slept
soundly. My mother, who was a Dunster,
and one of the most patriotic women who
ever lived, called out to me at three o'clock
in the morning, Jonathan Jonathan Get
up. The reglars are coming and something
must be done l dressed quickly, slung my
light gun over my shoulder, took my fife
from a chair, and hurried to the parade near
the meeting house, where about fifty men
had gathered, and others were arriving ev-
cry minute. By four o'clock hundred men
were there. We did not wait long wonder
ing whether reg lars were really coming, for
man darted up to Captain Parker and told
him they were close by. The captain imme-
!
flied with all my might. Alarm guns were
instantly fired to call distant Minute-men to
duty. Lights were now seen moving in all
the houses. Daylight came at half-past four
o'clock. Just then the reg lars, who had
heard the drum beat, rushed toward us, and
their leader shouted 'Disperse, you rebels =
We stood still He repeated the order with
an oath, fired his pistol, and ordered his men
to shoot. Only few obeyed, Nobody was
hurt, and we supposed their guns were loaded
only with powder We had been ordered
not to fire first, and so we stood still. The
angry leaders of the reg lars then gave an
other order for them to fire, when a volley
killed or wounded several of our company.
Seeing the reg'lars trying to surround us,
Captain Parker ordered us TO retreat. As
we fled some shots were sent back. Joe and
/ climbed a fence near Parson Clarkes house
and took 10 the woods near by. Climbing
over Joe fell upon heap Of stones and
crushed in his drum-head. His hand was
bleeding badly, and he found that a bullet
had carried off part of his little finger.
Eight Of our men had lost their lives
"Where were Adams and Hancock all
this time ?" l inquired
"Not far off When the first shots were
heard they were advised to fly to place Of
safety, for their lives were too valuable to
the public TO be lost, At first they refused
to 60, but were finally persuaded, and re
tired TO IA thick-wooded hill not far off
Dorothy Quincy went with her lover They
were married in the fall 1t is said Sam
Adams, hearing the firing on the green, ex-
claimed, What glorious morning for
America is this = have no doubt he said
it, for it was Just like him."
you said two of your blood relations
pershed in that fight" | observed
Yes he replied they were Jonathan
and Caleb Harrington Caleb and Joe
cousins, who lived mile from Lexington,
had gone into the meeting house TO get some
powder stored in the loft They had taken
it TO the gallery when the British reached
the building. They flew TO the door, and
started on a run for the company. Caleb
was shot dead at the west end of the meet
ing house, but Joe, though wounded. escap-
ed, Jonathan stood his ground with the
rest His home was near the meeting
house He was in front of his own dwell
ing when the reglars fired the third time
when he was shot in the breast and fell
His wife, Ruth, stood looking out of the
window with their only child, nine years
old, by her side. She saw her husband fall
and ran out TO help him. He raised up
stretched out his arms toward her, fell
again, and was dead before she could reach
him. Oh, it was too cruel, too cruel !"
"There were brave men in that little
band of patriots ! remarked.
Brave men I" said the old man, his mild
eyes beaming with unusual lustre. "Braver
men never lived Not one of them left his
post until Captain Parker, seeing it was use
less TO fight against so many reg lars told
them TO disperse There was one man who
wouldn't 90 even then. IL was Jonas Park
er, of this town. He lived near Parson
Clarkes. He had said he would never run
from an enemy and he didn't, He had load
el his musket mt his hat containing DOW