The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-04-30
Innocent Men, Women, Children Slain at Battles
 of, Concord, Lexington {, {,
DY JOHN BARRD


 Revolutionary war at Lexington and Concord, on Wednesday, April 18th, 1576-just as the Wa terburians of that time read 1t, and as. 1t circulated throughout the original Thirteen, Alnericah Colonies.
 That account was quickly. foI- lowed by an official statement prepared under the direction of Paul Revere'S neighbor, close friend and. family physician--the noble Patriot, pr. Joseph War ren-wl1o gave his life for the cause of Liberty 2 few weeks later at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
 Dr. Warren had himself been among the fighting farmers at Lexington and Concord in their battle with the Kings troops. He tells what he witnessed. and pub fishes the sworn affidavits of upward of eighty of the men who were in the fight that historic day. Y
 These affidavits were made within a week of the. battle. They were most carefully prepared, so that their countrymen, living, should know the whole truth, and that their posetrity, and all the world, should know the righteous ness and justice of their cause. They believed that a mightier Hand than mans King or con- moner-had led them that day. AS they expressed 1t then, A"We have reason to acknowledge the interpretation of Heaven on that memorable day" ~
 History tells us how these published, statements thrilled Aimerica-and the. world. If1 Virginia the eloquent Patrick Henry repeated pr. Joseph War ren's words liberty or deathl" And Colonel George Washington told the House of Burgesses, T will raise a thousand men, equip them at my own expense -and march at their head for the de- fense of Boston, a;;. "r}s'
 Connecticut, rose nobly to, the occasion as she always does and thousands of fighting men started double-quicka to back up Boston and MassachusetS-and among these patriots who were willing to give their lives, if necessary, for the cause of Liberty-were more than 50 Waterbury men, who stood shoulder to shoulder with their Massachusetts and Rhode Island comrades at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
 The atfidavits above mentioned are here reprinted as originally published in the newspapers of IT'S. They, too, are worth sav- ing for your historical scrap Dook.-,4 j. ,,,,te tk,,,s,, / ,'.,I.,.4q1.
 'Tn PROVINCIAL CONGRESS-.
 Watertown, April 26th, 17s5. ' To the INHABITANTS of GREAT
 BRITAIN. Friends and Fellow Subjects, HOSTTL1TIES are at length A commenced in this Colony by the troops under the command of General Gage, and 1t being of the greatest < importance that an early, true, and authentic ac- count of this inhuman proceed ing should be known to you, the Congress! of this Colony have transmitted the same, and from want of a. session of the Hon. Continental Congress, think 1t proper to- address you on: the alarming occasion. By the ciearest depositions rel- ative to this transaction, 1t will appear. that on the night preced- ing the nineteenth of April in stant, body of the Kings troops under command of Colonel Smith, were secretly landed at Cam bridge, with an apparent design to take or destroy the military and other stores provided for the defence of this Colony, and de- posted at Concord-that some in habitants of the Colony on the night aforesaid, whilst travelling peaceably on the road between Boston and Concord, were seized and greatly abused by armed men, who appeared to be Odacers of General Cages army, that the town of Lexington by these means was alarmed, and company. of the inhabitants mustered on the occasion-that the regluar troops on their way to Concord, marched into the said town of Lexington, and the said company on their approach began to disperse not withstanding this, the regulars rushed on with great violence and first began hostilities, by firing on said Lexington company, whereby they killed eigh. and wounded sey- eral others-that the regulars continued their fire, until those of said Company, who were neither killed nor wounded, had made their escape,-that Colonel Smith with the detachment then marched to Concord, where a number of provincials were again fired on by the troops, two of them killed and several wounded, be- fore the proyincials fired on them, and that these hostile measures of the troops produced an engage ment that lasted through the day. in which many of the provincials and more of the regular troops were killed and wounded.
 To give particular account or the ravages of the troops as they retreated from Concord to Charlestown, would be very diffi- cult, if not irnprAc cticable;; let It suf1lce to say. that . great num- Der of the houses on the read were
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