The Yankee Tea-party; Or, Boston in 1773Watson, Henry C. (Henry Clay)
History
The Yankee Tea-party; Or, Boston in 1773
Watson, Henry C. (Henry Clay)
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Anecdotes
his officers rode forward, waving their swords and shouting, 'disperse,
you villains--you rebels! why don't you disperse?' As we didn't stir,
Pitcorn turned and ordered his troops to press forward and surround
us.--Just then, a few scattering shots were fired at us, and we Lebanon
men returned 'em at once. Then Pitcorn fired his pistol and gave the
word 'fire,' and they did fire. Four of our men fell dead, and our Sam
was wounded in the leg. We had to retreat, although I felt savage enough
to fight 'em all myself; and so I fired my musket, and took hold of Sam,
and helped him to get away with us. The red-coats continued to fire at
us as we retreated, and some of our men paid 'em in the same coin. Two
or three of the men were killed as they were getting over a stone fence,
and Captain Parker, who wouldn't run, was killed with the bayonet. I
hurried Sam into a house near by, saw him safe in the cellar, where the
owner of the house said he would attend to him, and then joined the
other Lebanon men, who were running towards Concord."
FIGHT AT CONCORD.
"You must tell us what took place at Concord, also," said young Hand.
"Certainly," replied Kinnison. "Now, that I've got into the thing, I
wouldn't mind telling you the whole war--but Concord will do for the
present. Well, after a hard run, we reached Concord, and found the
minute-men collecting from all quarters, and under the command of
Colonel James Barrett. The women and children were hard at work removing
the stores to a wood a considerable distance off. We joined Captain
Williams, and told him there had been a skrimmage at Lexington, and that
Sam was wounded. Colonel Barrett collected all the minute-men about the
place, and drew 'em up in two battalions, on the hill in the centre of
Concord. We had hardly formed, when we saw the red-coats coming up only
about a quarter of a mile off. Our officers held a short council. Some
were for making a bold stand where we were; but the greater number said
it would be best to retreat till we were reinforced. Accordingly, the
back-out advice was adopted, and we retreated over the North Bridge,
about a mile from the common. I saw the royals come up and enter Concord
in two divisions. Soon after, some of their companies took possession of
the bridges, while the others hunted the stores. About sixty barrels of
flour were broken open, a large quantity of cannon-balls thrown into the
wells, the liberty-pole cut down, and the court-house set on fire. But
the greater part of the stores were saved. In the meantime, the
minute-men had come in from Acton, Carlisle, Weston, Littleton, and all
around, and our force swelled to about four hundred men. I tell you,
when the men saw the houses in Concord burning, they got a _leetle_
excited--they did. Adjutant Hosmer made a speech to them, and they
wanted to go right down and attack the red-coats at the North Bridge.
Our company was very anxious to go, and it was settled that the attack
should be made.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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