M Cba^.038 COPYRIGHT, 1875, BY E. G. PORTER. -"tr^p mm Lexington,- i 775 No maddening thirst for blood had they. No battle-joy was theirs who set Against the alien bayonet Their homespun breasts in that old day. Their feet had trodden peaceful ways, They loved not strife, they dreaded pain ; They saw not, what to us is plain, That God would make man's wrath his praise N y o seers were they, but simple men : Its vast results the future hid ; The meaning of the work they did Was strange and dark and doubtful then. f~~J 4- Swift as the summons came they left The plough, mid-furrow, standing stil The half-ground corn-grist in the mill The spade in earth, the axe in cleft. They went where duty seemed to call ; They scarcely asked the reason why : They only knew they could but die, And death was not the worst of all. Of man for man the sacrifice, Unstained by blood, save theirs, they gave. The flowers that blossomed from their grave Have sown themselves beneath all skies. Their death-shot shook the feudal tower, And shattered slavery's chain as well : On the sky's dome, as on a bell. Its echo struck the world's great hour. 8. That fateful echo is not dumb : The nations, listening to its sound, Wait, from a century's vantage-ground The holier triumphs yet to come, — The bridal time of Law and Love, The gladness of the world's release, When, war-sick, at the feet of Peace The hawk shall nestle with the dove, — The golden age of brotherhood, Unknown to other rivalries Than of the mild humanities, And gracious interchange of good, When closer strand shall lean to strand, Till meet, beneath saluting flags, The eagle of our mountain crags, The lion of our Mother-land. yohn G. ]Vhittier. ®m Imthrai «ar$ laa. During the spring of .. 1775, the colonists of Mass achusetts, anticipating a L possible rupture with the j Royal Government, had tak- • en the precaution to collect a few military stores at con venient points in the interior. Sev eral leading patriots had also shown >__.— >-^_-_ extraordinary independence in assert ing their rights, and creating a public sentiment which was opposed to the policy of the government. Hearing of this, Gen. Gage, the governor, jealous of his prerogatives, and eager to maintain the authority of the crown, formed a plan to destroy the stores at Concord, and get possession, if possible, of the persons of John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were known to be in the vicinity. Accordingly a secret expedition was organized, consisting of a detachment of eight hundred grenadiers, light infantry, and marines, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Fran- " Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride, Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere. Now he patted his horse's side, Now gazed at the landscape far and near, Then, impetuous, stamped the earth, And turned and tightened his saddle-girth; But mostly he watched with eager search The belfry-tower of the Old North Church, As it rose above the graves on the hill, Lonely and spectral and sombre and still. And lo ! as he looks, on the belfry's height A glimmer, and then a gleam of light ! He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns, But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight A second lamp in the belfry burns ! " cis Smith, of the Tenth British Regi ment, and Major John Pitcairn. On the 18th of April, a number of officers in disguise were sent to Cam bridge and Lexington on a tour of in spection, with orders to intercept all suspicious communications. That night, about ten o'clock, the fated expedition embarked from the foot of Boston Com mon in the boats belonging to the ves- sels-of-war at anchor in Charles River. " They will miss their aim," said one of the citizens, who witnessed their de parture. "What aim? " asked Lord Percy, who chanced to be standing near. " Why, the cannon at Concord," was the reply. Percy, fearing trouble, at once reported to the governor what he had heard ; and orders were immediately issued that no one should be allowed to leave the town. But it was too late. Joseph Warren had followed all these movements with sleep less vigilance, and had already sent two trusty couriers, by different routes, to Lexington with despatches. William Dawes was to go out through Roxbury, and Paul Revere by way of Charlestown. Revere was ferried across under the very guns of the Somerset man-of-war. Having learned, by a preconcerted signal from the tower of the Old North Church, which way the king's troops had gone, he imme diately started on a fleet horse upon his momentous errand. "A hurry of hoofs in the village street, A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark, And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet: That was all ! And yet, through the gloom and the light, The fate of a nation was riding that night ; And the spark struck out by that steed in his flight Kindled the land into flame with its heat. " Passing Charlestown Neck, he narrowly escaped capture at the hands of a patrol ling party, and pushed on through Medford and Menotomy (now Arlington), giving the alarm at every house upon the road. Shortly after midnight, he arrived at the parsonage in Lexington, where Hancock and Adams were staying with their intimate friend and fellow-patriot, the Rev. Jonas Clark. The house was guarded by a squad of eight minute-men under Sergeant Munroe. Revere rode up in great haste, and demanded admission. The sergeant objected, and said the family had retired, and must not be disturbed by any noise about the house. " Noise ! " cried Revere, "you'll have noise enough here before long. The regulars are coming out ! " As he knocked at the door, Mr. Clark opened a window, and inquired who was there. Just then Hancock rose from his bed, and, recognizing Revere's voice, shouted, " Come in, Revere, we are not afraid of you." Shortly after, the other messenger, Dawes, who had come out through Roxbury, Brookline, and Brighton, arrived with the same tidings. Without stopping to rest, these faithful heralds mounted again, and started off for Concord. They were joined by young Dr. Prescott of Concord, who had been spending the evening at Lexington. Glad of each other's company, they rode on rapidly together, in the light of the full moon, spreading the alarm at every point. Just before reaching Brooks's Tavern, near the Concord line, they were surrounded by a party of British officers ; and Revere, who was riding, just then, a little in advance, was captured. Prescott, however, escaped over a stone wall, and succeeded in carry ing the news to Concord. The offi cers questioned Revere closely, and soon decided, for their own safety, doubtless, to return towards Lexing ton, where, about three o'clock in the morning, they released their prisoners, in consequence of the general alarm which had spread throughout the village. Meanwhile, the troops, who were the cause of all this excitement, had landed at East Cambridge, near where the Court House now stands, and proceeded stealthily over an unfrequented and difficult route across the marshes, guided by a young Tory named Murray, till they came to the old Charlestown Lane, now Milk Street. The rest of the march was by a well-travelled road, along North Avenue, where the old Dav enport Tavern still stands, and by Wetherby's, in Menotomy, where the Committee of Safety, appointed by the Provincial Congress, had been in session the previous evening. As the British column passed the house, the commander sent a small guard to search the premises. So sudden was their approach, that Gerry, Orne, and Lee, prominent members of the Committee, who were passing the night there, barely had time to escape, half- dressed, into the neighboring fields, where they lay concealed until the dan ger was over. It was not long before Col. Smith found, to his dismay, that the news of his expedition had travelled before him. Though he had maintained profound silence, suppressing the ordinary drum beat, and even all conversation amongst his men, he now perceived that the se cret was out. Shadowy forms were hov ering upon his flank ; horsemen were galloping ahead ; alarm-bells and signal guns rent the midnight air with their ominous sound. It was evident that the country for miles around was thoroughly aroused. Accordingly, after a brief halt, the colonel concluded to send forward six companies of light infantry and ma rines under Major Pitcairn, while he despatched an express to Boston for V%mk; prrr^p^ re-enforcements, — a prudent measure, which saved him from absolute defeat before the close of the day. Pitcairn's troops had not gone far up the road, when they met the officers, who had released Revere, coming back in great haste with the news that hundreds of men had assembled on Lexington Green to oppose their march. The story was exaggerated, as such stories are apt to be ; but the alarm had spread with such rapidity, that the minute-men had turned out . in full force, under Capt. John Parker, as early as two o'clock. The roll was called ; and, in cluding the old men and all, one hundred and thirty answered to their names. Every man was ordered to load his gun with powder and ball, but in no case to fire, unless they were attacked. They remained some time on parade, waiting for the enemy. Presently one of the messengers, who had been sent to ascertain the movements of the regulars, returned, with the report that they were nowhere to be seen : conse quently the men were dismissed, with instructions to be in readiness to report at the call of the drum. Some of them returned to their homes near by ; others fook refuge from the chilly night-air in Buckman's Tavern, a place of common resort, just opposite the old meeting-house. Quiet having been restored, no doubt many of them, after discussing the matter for some time, gradually fell asleep, in the con fident belief that there would be no further disturbance. About half-past four o'clock, however, just after daybreak, Thaddeus Bowman, one of the scouts sent to reconnoitre along the Boston road, came galloping into the village, with the news that the British were only a mile and a half away. Immedi ately the drum called to arms ; the signal guns were fired ; and the bell in the old belfry, near the meeting-house, rang out its fearful warning. All the militia within reach hastened to obey the call. They were formed in two lines on the northern side of the common. One of their number, Sylvanus Wood of Woburn, who was present in the ranks, says he counted all that stood there, and found only thirty-eight men under orders. It is known that there were as many more looking on who did not belong to the company. . BUILT ABOUT THE YEAR 1690. 6 It was a critical moment. The des tiny of a nation was hanging in the scale. This little band of farmers, standing- there on their own training-field, at sun rise, anxiously look ing for the king's troops, were ready, every man of them, to defend their homes from invasion and insult ; but they little knew what mo mentous interests were pending upon their action. They were not lawless ad venturers, eager for a skirmish, or wait ing for booty. They asked for nothing, save the privilege of enjoying what they had. Though many of them had seen service on the fron tier, in the French and Indian War, they preferred the quiet, inoffensive pursuits of industry at home. They did not follow the profession of arms, though they were always good marks men with their flint-locks. It was a broad patriotism that animated them. They prized their liberties, and would not tamely submit to have them trampled under foot. In this they made common cause with their fellow-citizens in other parts of the country. And so, when the men of Lexington arose that night, and "nobly dared to be free," they struck a blow for liberty, which resounded through all the land. As the British approached the village, they saw unmistakable signs of resistance, and heard the drum beat to arms. Supposing this to be a challenge, their com mander ordered them to halt, load and prime, after which they doubled their ranks, and marched on rapidly, with a shout, up to the meeting-house, where a portion of their number left the road, and filed off in platoons upon the common. The provin cials were astonished to see such an imposing force arrayed against them. There were, in fact, six or eight hundred altogether; but, to the inexperienced eye of the militia, it seemed as if there were twelve or fifteen hundred. Major Pitcairn rode forward, at the left of his line ; and, drawing a pistol from his holster, he command ed the Americans, with .mingled threats and oaths, to lay down their arms, and disperse. Capt. Parker, fearing lest, in the excitement of the moment, some of his men might dis charge their guns too hastily, cried out, " Don't fire unless you are fired on; but, if they want a war, let it begin here." At the same time he threat ened to shoot any one who should attempt to leave his post. Pit cairn, finding that his orders were not obeyed, and hearing, as he sup posed, the report of a gun near the opposite wall, commanded his men, without further delay, to fire. Seeing them hesitate a mo ment, he brandished his sword, and dis charged his own pistol ; whereupon the first platoon fired, but without any apparent result. The order was instantly repeated ; and a second volley was discharged all along the line, with deadly effect. The gallant little company was broken. Several of the men fell dead and wounded. Cries of distress rent the air. There was no question now as to their right to resist ; and they immediately returned the fire. The engagement continued on both sides for a moment, when Capt. Parker, to prevent further bloodshed, ordered a retreat. There was a scattering fire, however, some time longer. Jonas Parker had his ammunition in his hat, on the ground, between his feet. He was wounded, and fell. Raising himself up, he discharged his piece, and attempted to load again upon his knees. He had often said, that, whatever might happen, he would never run from the British. He was true to his word. He fought to the last. Such persistent cour age attracted the attention of the enemy, and the brave fellow was transfixed by a bayonet. Jonathan Har rington fell in front of his own house, on the north side of the common. His wife, who was standing at the window, saw him fall, bleeding at the chest. She ran to meet him. He stretched out his hands to- i^SL^xv.^31 e «^§N «