As Lieut.-Col. Smith came into view of this location he saw the body of provincials along the ridge, and quickly decided to dislodge them. The light infantry were ordered to that work, and they succeeded in forcing the Americans back to the village. The grenadiers continued along the road, driving before them there, Captain David Brown's Company of Concord minute-men, who had marched up from the village as far as Meriam's Corner, on a scouting trip. When the British were seen descending from the hills of Lincoln, they halted, and when the enemy came within about one hundred rods, wheeled about and marched back to the village, the fifes and drums of both forces playing.[163]
On the hill not far from the village stood the Liberty Pole, from the summit of which some kind of a flag was flying. The British cut it down.[164]
It was between seven and eight o'clock, when the enemy reached Concord village.[165] The march from Lexington must have been a steady one, without interruption. The distance is about six and a quarter miles and the elapsed time about two hours. The entire distance from Lechmere Point is about seventeen miles, sufficiently long, even thus far, to weary many of the soldiers. Add to the length of the march, their loss of sleep, before starting, and the excitement on Lexington Common, it is easy to imagine that a few halts for rest were allowed, though an anxiety to accomplish their errand would not have permitted of unnecessary delays.
Their advance into Concord village compelled the Americans to move along to an adjoining hill just to the northward, which they subsequently abandoned, and marched still farther along, passing over the North Bridge and taking a stronger position on Punkatasset Hill whose summit is fully two hundred feet[166] higher than Concord River, and perhaps half a mile from the bridge, and rather more than a mile from the village itself. It was their third position, and then about eight o'clock in the morning.[167]
Reaching Concord village Lieut.-Col. Smith proceeded at once to carry out the plan of his expedition, viz., the destruction of the military stores. Ensign De Bernicre acted as guide to where they could be found, for he had been one of the spies sent out by Gen. Gage for the express purpose of locating them.
Smith found but few people in the village, for the able-bodied men were with their companies, and many of the non-combatants had considered other places more secure. Some, however, remained, and the British officers labored to convince them that no bodily harm was intended.
Pitcairn was especially active in that diplomatic work, but insisting all the time that their doors must be unlocked that the soldiers might search their premises. Many would not submit peaceably to such an indignity, and one of those old men of Concord, had the courage to strike Major John Pitcairn in the presence of the King's soldiers.[168] We can imagine this incident happened before that doughty officer entered Wright's Tavern, and called for liquor, into which he plunged his finger to stir the sweetening. Some of the precious fluid slopped over, which he likened to the way Yankee blood should spill ere nightfall, a remark possibly inspired by his over-wrought feelings at the affront.
Captain Lawrence Parsons of the Tenth Regiment, with six light companies, was immediately despatched for the North Bridge, distance three quarters of a mile. There he left Capt. Walter Sloane Lawrie of the Forty-third Regiment, with three of the companies for guard duty, while he proceeded with the other three companies, guided by Ensign De Bernicre over the bridge and up the left bank of the Concord River and its northerly branch, the Assabet River, to the home of Colonel Barrett,[169] almost two miles from the bridge.[170]
Capt. Lawrie, arriving near the bridge, assigned one company of the Forty-third Regiment to the bridge itself, one of the Tenth Regiment, to a nearby hill, and one of the Fourth or King's Own Regiment to another hill a quarter of a mile farther away,[171] so arranged as to be within supporting distance of each other.[172]
After the six companies under Parsons had departed Lieut.-Col. Smith sent Capt. Mundy Pole of the Tenth Regiment with a force, towards the South Bridge, incidentally for guard duty there, and in particular to destroy such military stores as they might find.[173] The distance from the village to the bridge is almost a mile.[174] They went a little beyond, to the homes of Amos and Ephraim Wood, and in the vicinity of Lee's Hill.[175]