Book Description

Excerpt from Souvenir of Lexington, 1775-1875 An additional certificate accompanies the pistols, signed by Col. Aaron Burr, aide-de-camp to Gen. Putnam. They are kindly loaned, for exhibition at the Lexington Centennial, by the widow of John P. Putnam of Cambridge, n.y.buildings, however, that stood that day around the common, are still to be seen. May they long be preserved as eloquent though silent witnesses Of an event which they help so much to illustrate! As soon as the firing ceased, a few l of the red-coats, it is 'said, pursued the retreating farmers up Bedford (now Hancock) Street, and Over into the adjacent fields. Some Of them went to the neighboring houses to get water to drink. But they soon re-formed, fired a volley, and huzzaed three times, as if in token Of victory. They then resumed their march to wards Concord, six miles farther. The sun was now rising over the scene. The villagers immediately assembled in large numbers on the common. It was a strange, a horrible, spectacle that met their eyes. There lay the dead and dying, - honored sires, intrepid sons, heroic brothers, weltering in their own blood upon the tender grass. It had never been a gory field before. Such groans and sighs had never been heard in that peaceful village. All the people men, women, and children - now ran to remove the dead, and assist the wounded. Grief and indignation filled their breasts. Words failed to describe the intensity of their feel ing. Had it really come to this? Had the hated British dared to do it? Was there, then, no reason nor justice with the government? Were the king's troops thus to play the part of butchers Then let it be so. On that desolated, but now holy, field the vow was made to avenge the blood of these martyrs. Would not righteous heaven approve the sol emn appeal? It was not long before Capt. Parker collected the remnant of his little band together, and marched on with them after the British, towards Concord. N 0 holiday soldiers these, after such a fear ful loss, to chase an enemy like that. Hirelings would never have done it; timid, cautious men would not have fa vored it: but these heroes were made of sterner stuff 3 and they had the honor of being the first in arms to show the world what Americans meant when they spoke 0f from AN old plate BY V. Green, engraver TO his captured, at different times that morning, majesty. Published IN london, 1777. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.