The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-05-29
FIRST BLOOD OF WAR.
,wueaR WAS 1T SPILLED IN
REVOLUTIONARY DAYS.
fIoner ;. Claimed by Many--rhs Matter
Depend. solely Upoa the oussslon -
ts when the War Really Commenced
for Independence. u

vermonters have been wont 10 claim
that the FIRST blood OF the revolutionary
struggle was shed al Westminster. VI.
on the 18th Of March. 1875. when. as the
inscription on bis monument records.
William French was shot by the hands
OF Cruel Ministerial tools OF Georg ye
Cd But there are rival claims Some
Massachusetts people assert that the
first blood was shed al Salem on the
26fh Of February. i775-nfteen days be-
fore the Westminster massaere-w when
Gen. Gage, having learned that the pa.
triots were mounting some old cannon
taken In the French war at Salem. sent
thither q battalion Of 300 men under
Ldeut-CoL Leslie. who met in the town
mob 70 large and threatening that
he thought II the proper plan to reirace
his steps 10 Boston. II IL claimed that
bayonets were lowered and some of tho
men who barred the way we're pricked
with them. a much earlier collision
between a squad Of British soldiers and
mob In New York city In January.
ITO has also been cited as the FIRST
Instance Of the shedding Of blood In
the contest for independence This lat:
ter event has now come freshly into
notice. Within a few weeks past a
bronze tablet has been placed on the
wall Of the Broadway corridor OF the
New York posioffce by the Daughters
OF the Revolution Of that city. Wheth-
er the blood spilled In this fracas can
properly be called the frat ma.tyr
blood OF the revolution" OF course de-
penis on the date when the American
revolution can properly be said 10 have
begun. Historians have not commonly
placed that date earlier than the year
iIIb. There was already serious fric.
ton between the colonies and the king
In l1I0. The presence OF British troops
to uphold the oppressive measures u
the British government was obnoxious
to the men Of the colonies. but they
had not a. yet determined 20 throw on
the yoke. The liberty they claimed
and for which the liberty pole on the
N'sy York common stood was liberty
under the royal government. not in
dependence Of II.
II the collision between the New
York sailors and English sailors In
January. 100. could be called parts OF
the revolution, then the similar occur
renee IN Boston In March o. that year.
known as the Boston massacre" To
which the soldiers frcd on the mob and
killed three citizens would have been
placed BY historians among the overt
acts Of revolution but that event has
not been 20 classcd. The revolution
was impending. but had not begun.
When, however the royal posse attack
ed the courthouse az Westminster. VI
the revolt was IN active preparation
The first continental congress had a..
sembled. the port Of Boston had been
closed by British ships and a British
army assembled In Boston. The min.
fvuie men Of Massachusetts, and connec.
ticni we're casting the bullets which a
few days later slew hundreds Of red.
coats At Concord bridge and Bunker
hill The Green mountain boys had al
ready engaged 20 take Tlc0nderoga
The revolution had begun. n Brit
ish bayonet vas stained with patrio
blood 90 salem. Mass. Ia FsbriMy
l7I5. that may. perhaps fairly be- Gale,
the first blood Of the revolution. but i
is not certain that any blood was thoi
shed. Mr. Wlnsor. the MasaachuEe;t
historian. 10 his Critical History o
America" calls % "a little aIlege,
pricklng Of bayonois." and. according
10 bis view. the FIRST blood was 40
shed there. but az Lexington. 9TH
shot heard round the world" was Gre,
on the 18th Of April, 1875. but William
French and Daniel Houghion. slain b.
King Georges tory crew" NJ West
minister on the 18th Of March. wer
patriots arrayed against royal authorl
~, and there Is sim room Tor fair ar
gument that theirs was the firsi marty
blood Of the revolution.