THE CROWN’S FIGHT AGAINST THE TOWN’S RIGHT.
Lexington, April 19, 1775.
“A galloping horse is coming[1]
Across the field!—do you mark?”—
We woke and flew to the window,
We peer’d away in the dark.
The cloud-black night was bringing
The stir of a storm to fear.
What flash’d and clash’d!—who brought it?—
“I, I!” cried Paul Revere.[1]
“The British are off for Concord[1]
To seize the colony’s arms!
And Dawes[1] and I stole over
The river and over the farms.”
“Wait, wait,” we cried, “a moment;
You trust our lead awhile!
A cross-cut here to the highway
Will save you more than a mile!”
“Come quick!” said Paul. “Their plan is
To bear the arms away,
And store them safe in Boston
Before the break of day.”
“Yet wait you, Paul, and, waiting,
Tell how does Boston fare?”
“Alas,” he sigh’d, “no telling
How many will breakfast there.
“You know that, since the Port-Bill[2]
Laid up our merchant-fleet,
We had starved, unless the farmers[3]
Had sent us food to eat.
“To stop this, chains of pickets
Are strung on Boston Neck;
Our bay is black with frigates,
And all our trade they check.
“And thus they vow to treat us,
Till, humbled by their might,
We hold no courts nor meetings,[4]
And yield each charter’d right.
“Ay, ay, and let our leaders,
For serving us too well,
Be borne in chains to Britain,[5]
To fill some dungeon-cell.
“The men who call’d our Congress[6]
They swear to seize to-day.—
High time to rouse the country!
High time to save the prey!”
“Off, off!” we cried, and parted;
Then dragg’d from under the hay[7]
The guns our goods had cover’d
When borne from Boston Bay.
Our wives pour’d out the treasure
They too had brought from town,[7]
The powder, flint, and bullets
Well tuck’d in box and gown.
We arm’d in haste, but hardly
Had left with pouch and gun,
Before the bell rang, telling
Of Paul in Lexington.
At midnight saw he Charlestown;
Not two had struck the clock[8]
Yet here the trembling belfry
Was rallying all its flock.
They sought the green together;
Set guards on every road;
Then sought the inn to measure
The fate they might forebode.
Ten times their band in number
Were those they watch’d before;
And here should they withstand them?
Or fly to join with more?
“Stand here!” said Jonas Parker[19];
“The law has arm’d the town.”
“And here,” said Clark,[9] their pastor,
“Be right, and shame the crown.
“What, though they fire, and fight us?—
Make every heart rain blood?
Their guns, if heard in Concord,
May save it from the flood.
“And if the blood we give them
Shall save the colony-stores,
Like fruit shall we be falling,
Red-ripe to all our cores.
“And if the blood we give them
Be given to make us free,
The court may learn a lesson
And let our charters be.
“We are few, but what are numbers?—
This church may proof supply
That right may move to triumph
With only one—to die!”
He paused—the door flew open;
All heard a watch call out:
“Full drive a horseman coming!
Perhaps an army-scout!”
And out they flew to face him;
But on the charger fleet
No enemy, only a neighbor,[10]
Came galloping up the street.
“The foe are coming!” he stammer’d;
“They capture all they meet;
I dodg’d a man and musket;
And hark!—you hear their feet!”
We hush’d and heard a tramping
That well might bring despair,
And cause the nerves to tremble
Their loads of fear to bear.
“Sound drum[11] and gun,” said Parker,[10]
“And bell! If they but halt,
Where time is all we plan for,
We win without an assault.”
They halted,[12] then drew nearer;—
What need of halting more?
They came, a veteran army;
We never had fought before.
We stood but sixty farmers,[13]
Our homes and wives between,
Whose hands, up waved or wringing,
Seem’d fringing half the green.
“Be theirs the blame,” said Parker[14];
“Fire not till they fire first.
God’s house is here, and heaven,
If worse should come to worst.”
Athwart the gray of morning,
None knew how large a force
Came crowding against the common,
With cries and orders hoarse.
But yet across the common,
And just beyond the church,
We form’d a line to check there
The crown’s illegal search.
At double quick, and onward,
With bayonets fix’d, they came;
Then wide and wild their red coats
About us burst like flame.
Before them rode their leader,
And cried with many a curse:
“Lay down your arms, you villains![15]
You villains you, disperse!”
But, true to law and country,
Scarce one his musket dropt[16];
And then their column falter’d,
Broke up, moved slower, stopt.
“You rebels!” roar’d the leader,
While up his pistol came—[17]
A hint his minions welcomed;
We saw them all take aim.
We saw them, but we waited,
Till “Fire!” their leader cried,[17]
And shot, and howl’d, “Surround them!”
And round us turn’d to ride.
They fired and surged about us,[18]
Ah me, a fiery flood!—
All overwhelm’d, our brothers
Were falling, drench’d in blood.
“Serve God before the Briton!”
Cried Parker,[19] where he bled;
And nine of us were wounded;
And seven of us were dead.[20]
“Away!” a voice repeated,[21]
“Away while yet we may.
To stay were now but murder!
To wall and fence away!”
Off sped we then to shoot them,
Like Indians, one by one,
But walls, in smoke between us,
They deem’d it wise to shun.
They cheer’d[22] and left for Concord.
Our wounded home we bore:
Then we too left for Concord,
To meet them there once more.[23]
FOOTNOTES
[1] April 18, 1775. “Gage ... secretly prepared an expedition to destroy the colony’s stores at Concord.... Warren ... at ten o’clock despatched William Dawes through Roxbury to Lexington, and Paul Revere ... by way of Charlestown. Revere ... five minutes before the sentinels received the order to prevent it ... rowed ... across Charles River ... beyond Charlestown Neck ... intercepted by two British officers ... he ... escaped to Medford. As he passed on he ... continued to rouse almost every house on the way to Lexington.”—Bancroft’s Hist. U. S., vol. vii., ch. 27, pp. 288, 289.
[2] “The privilege of its harbor was to be discontinued, and the port closed against all commerce ... until the king should be satisfied that ... it would obey the laws.”—This the Boston port bill.—Idem, vol. vi., ch. 52, p. 511.
[3] For contributions in food and money sent at this time to Boston, see Lossing’s Pic. Field Book of the Am. Rev., vol. i., p. 535.
[4] “The second penal bill ... abrogated so much of its charter as gave to its legislature the election of the council, abolished town meetings ... and ... intrusted the returning of juries to the dependent sheriff.”—Bancroft’s Hist. U. S., vol. vi., ch. 52, p. 525.
[5] “A third penal measure ... transferred the place of trial of any magistrates, revenue officers, or soldiers indicted for murder, or other capital offense, ... to Nova Scotia or Great Britain.”—Idem. “Letters were written to Gage ... to arrest ... all ... thought to have committed treason ... that the Massachusetts Congress was a treasonable body. The power of pardon ... did not extend to the president of ‘that seditious meeting,’ nor to its most forward members, ‘who ... were to be brought to condign punishment’ ... either in America or in England.”—Idem, vol. vii., ch. 26, p. 284.
[6] “Adams and Hancock ... whose seizure was believed to be intended.”—Idem, ch. 27, pp. 291, 292.
[7] In anticipation of an attack from the British, the Americans had been collecting stores for some time. Cannon-balls, and muskets had been brought from Boston into the country under loads of manure; and cartridges and powder by the women, in candle-boxes, baskets, etc.—See Lossing’s Pict. Field Book of the Rev., vol. i., p. 522.
[8] “At two in the morning about one hundred and thirty answered their names.... A watch was ... set and the company dismissed.... Some went to their own homes, some to the tavern.”—Bancroft’s Hist. U. S., vol. vii., ch. 27, p. 292.
[9] “Lexington ... having for their minister ... Jonas Clark, the bold inditer of patriotic state papers which may yet be read on the town records.”—Idem, p. 291.
[10] One Bowman escaped, and on horseback notified Capt. Parker ... of the enemy’s approach.—Lossing’s Pic. Field Book, vol. i., p. 524.
[11] “The last stars were vanishing ... when the foremost party led by Pitcairn ... was discovered.... Alarm guns were fired, and the drums beat.”—Bancroft’s U. S., vol. vii., ch. 27, p. 292.
[12] “The British van, hearing ... halted ...; the remaining companies came up; and ... the advance party hurried forward at double quick time.”—Idem, p. 293.
[13] “Less than seventy, perhaps less than sixty ... were paraded ... a few rods north of the meeting-house.”—Idem, p. 292.
[14] “The captain, John Parker, ordered every one to load with powder and ball, but ... not to be the first to fire.”—Idem.
[15] “Pitcairn rode in front and ... cried out: ‘Disperse, ye villains, ...; lay down your arms.’”—Idem, 293.
[16] “The main part of the countrymen stood motionless.”—Idem.
[17] “At this, Pitcairn discharged a pistol, and with a loud voice cried, ‘Fire.’”—Idem.
[18] “The order was instantly followed, first by a few guns ... then by a heavy close and deadly discharge”—Idem.
[19] “Jonas Parker (not the captain) ... had promised never to run from British troops, and he kept his vow ... he lay on the post which he took at the morning’s drum beat.”—Idem, pp. 293, 294.
[20] “Seven of the men of Lexington were killed; nine wounded.”—Idem.
[21] “In disparity of numbers, the common was a field of murder, not a battle; Parker therefore ordered his men to disperse. Then, and not till then, did a few of them return the British fire.”—Idem. Behind stone walls and buildings. See Lossing’s Pict. Field Book, vol. i., p. 524.
[22] “The British ... huzzaed thrice by way of triumph, and after ... less than thirty minutes, marched on for Concord.”—Bancroft’s U. S., vol vii., ch. 28, p. 297.
[23] “In Lincoln (after the affair at Concord) the minute-men of Lexington, commanded by John Parker, renewed the fight.”—Idem, p. 305.