Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VI, November 1850, Vol. IVarious
History
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VI, November 1850, Vol. I
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
Major Barrett was a lad of fourteen when the British incursion into
Concord took place. He was too young to bear a musket, but, with every
lad and woman in the vicinity, he labored in concealing the stores and
in making cartridges for those who went out to fight. With oxen and a
cart, himself, and others about his age, removed the stores deposited at
the house of his grandfather, into the woods, and concealed them, a
cart-load in a place, under pine boughs. In such haste were they obliged
to act on the approach of the British from Lexington, that, when the
cart was loaded, lads would march on each side of the oxen and goad them
into a trot. Thus all the stores were effectually concealed, except some
carriage-wheels. Perceiving the enemy near, these were cut up and
burned; so that Parsons found nothing of value to destroy or carry away.
[Illustration: MONUMENT AT CONCORD.]
From Major Barrett's we rode to the monument erected at the site of the
old North Bridge, where the skirmish took place. The road crosses the
Concord River a little above the site of the North Bridge. The monument
stands a few rods westward of the road leading to the village, and not
far from the house of the Reverend Dr. Ripley, who gave the ground for
the purpose. The monument is constructed of granite from Carlisle, and
has an inscription upon a marble tablet inserted in the eastern face of
the pedestal.[2] The view is from the green shaded lane which leads from
the highway to the monument, looking westward. The two trees standing,
one upon each side, without the iron railing, were saplings at the time
of the battle; between them was the entrance to the bridge. The monument
is reared upon a mound of earth a few yards from the left bank of the
river. A little to the left, two rough, uninscribed stones from the
field mark the graves of the two British soldiers who were killed and
buried upon the spot.
We returned to the village at about noon, and started immediately for
Lexington, six miles eastward.
Concord is a pleasant little village, including within its borders about
one hundred dwellings. It lies upon the Concord River, one of the chief
tributaries of the Merrimac, near the junction of the Assabeth and
Sudbury Rivers. Its Indian name was Musketaquid. On account of the
peaceable manner in which it was obtained, by purchase, of the
aborigines, in 1635, it was named Concord. At the north end of the broad
street, or common, is the house of Col. Daniel Shattuck, a part of
which, built in 1774, was used as one of the depositories of stores when
the British invasion took place. It has been so much altered, that a
view of it would have but little interest as representing a relic of the
past.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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