Two men from Woburn had just arrived, and it was then a little before five o'clock. They were Sylvanus Wood and Robert Douglass. They had come about three miles, having heard, about an hour before, the ringing of the bell in the Old Belfry, which stood near the church on the Common. As Wood came up he approached Captain Parker and inquired the news. Parker replied that he did not know what to believe, for, half an hour before, a messenger had returned with the assurance that no British were on the way. While talking, another messenger, Thaddeus Bowman, rode up with the startling announcement that the British were within half a mile. They were nearer than that—not even down the road as far as Woburn Street.
Captain Parker then ordered his drummer, William Dimond[110] to beat to arms. The minute-men assembled from their homes and from the Buckman Tavern. They were but few, so few indeed, that he turned to Wood and begged him to join their ranks. Wood consented. Parker asked him if his young companion, meaning Robert Douglass, would also join. And Douglass also enlisted into Captain Parker's Company. These two were indeed brave, for the danger was really then and there.
The minute-men gathered around their captain in the middle of the road, about half way between the meeting-house and the tavern. The meeting-house then stood where the heroic statue of a minute-man in bronze now stands. The tavern is still standing (1912).
Parker then said:
"Every man of you who is equipped, follow me; and those of you who are not equipped, go into the meeting-house and furnish yourselves from the magazine, and immediately join the company."[111] Joseph Comee, Caleb Harrington and Joshua Simonds then went into the meeting-house, to comply with the Captain's command.
Then Parker led those who were equipped, to the northerly end of the Common, where they formed in single line. Sylvanus Wood stepped from the ranks long enough to count them, and has left his sworn statement that there were thirty-eight, "and no more."[112]
In the brief moments which followed others were hastening to join the ranks, and as they arrived Orderly Sergeant William Munroe attempted to form them into a second line, and partially succeeded.[113] Even later still a few more reached the Common, and were back to the British as they wheeled grandly around the easterly end of the meeting-house and at last stood on Lexington Common.[114] Captain Parker's entire force then numbered between sixty and seventy men,[115] ununiformed, scantily armed, poorly disciplined, pitifully few as compared with the three or four hundred of the British.
It is no wonder that one minute-man exclaimed:
"There are so few of us it is folly to stand here."