The Military Journals of Two Private Soldiers, 1758 1775

A >> Abraham Tomlinson >> The Military Journals of Two Private Soldiers, 1758 1775

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"TIMOTHY MINOT, JUN."

"LEXINGTON, _April 23, 1775_.

"I, James Barret, of Concord, colonel of a regiment of militia,
in the county of Middlesex, do testify and say that, on Wednesday
morning last, about daybreak, I was informed of the approach of a
number of the regular troops to the town of Concord, where were
some magazines belonging to this province, when there was
assembled some of the militia of this and the neighboring towns,
I ordered them to march to the north bridge (so called), which
they had passed and were taking up. I ordered said militia to
march to said bridge and pass the same, but not to fire on the
king's troops unless they were first fired upon. We advanced near
said bridge, when the said troops fired upon our militia, and
killed two men dead on the spot, and wounded several others,
which was the first firing of guns in the town of Concord. My
detachment then returned the fire, which killed and wounded
several of the king's troops.

"JAMES BARRET."

"LEXINGTON, _April 23, 1775_.

"We, Bradbury Robinson, Samuel Spring, Thaddeus Bancroft, all of
Concord, and James Adams, of Lexington, all in the county of
Middlesex, all of lawful age, do testify and say, that, on
Wednesday morning last, near ten of the clock, we saw near one
hundred of the regular troops, being in the town of Concord, at
the north bridge in said town (so called); and having passed the
same, they were taking up said bridge, when about three hundred
of our militia were advancing toward said bridge, in order to
pass said bridge, when, without saying anything to us, they
discharged a number of guns on us, which killed two men dead on
the spot, and wounded several others; when we returned the fire
on them, which killed two of them, and wounded several, which was
the beginning of hostilities in the town of Concord.

"BRADBURY ROBINSON, THADDEUS BANCROFT,
"SAMUEL SPRING, JAMES ADAMS."

"WORCESTER, _April 26, 1775_.

"Hannah Bradish, of that part of Cambridge called Menotomy, and
daughter of Timothy Paine, of Worcester, in the county of
Worcester, Esq., of lawful age, testifies and says, that, about
five o'clock on Wednesday last, afternoon, being in her
bedchamber, with her infant child, about eight days old, she was
surprised by the firing of the king's troops and our people, on
their return from Concord. She being weak and unable to go out of
her house, in order to secure herself and family, they all
retired into the kitchen, in the back part of the house. She soon
found the house surrounded with the king's troops; that upon
observation made, at least seventy bullets were shot into the
front part of the house; several bullets lodged in the kitchen
where she was, and one passed through an easy-chair she had just
gone from. The door of the front part of the house was broke
open; she did not see any soldiers in the house, but supposed, by
the noise, they were in the front. After the troops had gone off,
she missed the following things, which, she verily believes, were
taken out of the house by the king's troops, viz., one rich
brocade gown, called a negligee, one lutestring gown, one white
quilt, one pair of brocade shoes, three shifts, eight white
aprons, three caps, one case of ivory knives and forks, and
several other small articles.

"HANNAH BRADISH."

PROVINCE OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS BAY, WORCESTER, SS., _April 26, 1775_.

"Mrs. Hannah Bradish, the above deponent, maketh oath before us,
the subscribers, two of his majesty's justices of the peace for
the county of Worcester, and of the quorum, that the above
deposition, according to her best recollection, is the truth.
Which deposition is taken in _perpetuam rei memoriam_.

"THOMAS STEEL,
"TIMOTHY PAINE."

"CONCORD, _April 23, 1775_.

"I, James Marr, of lawful age, testify and say, that, in the
evening of the 18th instant, I received orders from George
Hutchinson, adjutant of the fourth regiment of the regular troops
stationed at Boston, to prepare and march: to which orders I
attended, and marched to Concord, where I was ordered by an
officer with about one hundred men to guard a certain bridge
there. While attending that service, a number of people came
along, in order, as I suppose, to cross said bridge, at which
time a number of the regular troops first fired upon them.

"JAMES MARR."

"MEDFORD, _April 25, 1775_.

"I, Edward Thoroton Gould, of his majesty's own regiment of foot,
being of lawful age, do testify and declare, that, on the evening
of the 18th instant, under the orders of General Gage, I embarked
with the light infantry and grenadiers of the line, commanded by
Colonel Smith, and landed on the marshes of Cambridge, from
whence we proceeded to Lexington. On our arrival at that place,
we saw a body of provincial troops, armed, to the number of about
sixty or seventy men. On our approach, they dispersed, and soon
after firing began, but which party fired first I can not
exactly say, as our troops rushed on shouting and huzzaing
previous to the firing, which was continued by our troops so long
as any of the provincials were to be seen. From thence we marched
to Concord. On a hill, near the entrance of the town, we saw
another body of provincials assembled: the light-infantry
companies were ordered up the hill to disperse them; on our
approach, they retreated toward Concord. The grenadiers continued
the road under the hill toward the town. Six companies of light
infantry were ordered down to take possession of the bridge which
the provincials retreated over; the company I commanded was one.
Three companies of the above detachment went forward about two
miles. In the meantime, the provincial troops returned, to the
number of about three or four hundred. We drew up on the Concord
side of the bridge; the provincials came down upon us, upon which
we engaged and gave the first fire. This was the first engagement
after the one at Lexington. A continued firing from both parties
lasted through the whole day. I myself was wounded at the attack
of the bridge, and am now treated with the greatest humanity, and
taken all possible care of by the provincials at Medford.

"EDWARD THOROTON GOULD,
"_Lieut. King's Own Regiment_."

"PROVINCE OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY,
"_Middlesex County, April 25, 1775_.

"Lieutenant Thoroton Gould, aforenamed, personally made oath to
the truth of the foregoing declaration by him subscribed, before
us,

"THAD. MASSON,
"JOSIAH JOHNSON, SIMON TUFTS,
_Justices of the peace for the
county aforesaid, quorum unus_."

"PROVINCE OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY, CHARLESTOWN, SS.

"I, Nathaniel Gorham, notary and tabellion public, by lawful
authority duly admitted and sworn, hereby certify to all whom it
may or doth concern, that Thaddeus Masson, Josiah Johnson, and
Simon Tufts, Esqrs., are three of his majesty's justices of the
peace (_quorum unus_) for the county of Middlesex; and that full
faith and credit is and ought to be given to their transactions
as such, both in court and out. In witness whereof, I have
hereunto affixed my name and seal, this twenty-sixth day of
April, _Anno Domini_ one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.

"NATHANIEL GORHAM, _Notary Public_." (L. S.)

(All the above depositions are sworn to before justices of the peace,
and duly attested by notaries public, in manner of the last one.)

"IN PROVINCIAL CONGRESS, WATERTOWN, _April 26, 1775_.

"_To the Inhabitants of Great Britain._

"FRIENDS AND FELLOW-SUBJECTS: Hostilities are at length commenced
in this colony by the troops under the command of General Gage;
and it being of the greatest importance that an early, true, and
authentic account of this inhuman proceeding, should be known to
you, the Congress of this colony have transmitted the same, and,
from want of a session of the Hon. Continental Congress, think it
proper to address you on the alarming occasion.

"By the clearest depositions relative to this transaction, it
will appear that, on the night preceding the 19th of April
instant, a body of the king's troops, under the command of
Colonel Smith, were secretly landed at Cambridge, with an
apparent design to take or destroy the military and other stores,
provided for the defence of this colony, and deposited at
Concord; that some inhabitants of the colony, on the night
aforesaid, while travelling peaceably on the road between Boston
and Concord, were seized and greatly abused by armed men, who
appeared to be officers of General Gage's army; that the town of
Lexington by these means was alarmed, and a company of the
inhabitants mustered on the occasion; that the regular troops, on
their way to Concord, marched into the said town of Lexington,
and the said company on their approach began to disperse; that
notwithstanding this, the regulars rushed on with great violence,
and first began hostilities, by firing on said Lexington company,
whereby they killed eight, and wounded several others; that the
regulars continued their fire until those of said company, who
were neither killed nor wounded, had made their escape; that
Colonel Smith, with the detachment, then marched to Concord,
where a number of provincials were again fired on by the troops,
two of them killed and several wounded, before the provincials
fired on them; and that these hostile measures of the troops
produced an engagement that lasted through the day, in which many
of the provincials and more of the regular troops were killed and
wounded.

"To give a particular account of the ravages of the troops, as
they retreated from Concord to Charlestown, would be very
difficult, if not impracticable. Let it suffice to say, that a
great number of the houses on the road were plundered, and
rendered unfit for use; several were burnt; women in childbed
were driven, by the soldiery, naked into the streets; old men
peaceably in their houses were shot dead; and such scenes
exhibited as would disgrace the annals of the most uncivilized
nations.

"These, brethren, are marks of ministerial vengeance against this
colony, for refusing, with her sister-colonies, a submission to
slavery; but they have not yet detached us from our royal
sovereign. We profess to be his loyal and dutiful subjects, and
so hardly dealt with as we have been, are still ready, with our
lives and fortunes, to defend his person, family, crown, and
dignity. Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny of his
cruel ministry we will not tamely submit: appealing to Heaven for
the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free.

"We can not think that the honor, wisdom, and valor of Britons
will suffer them to be long inactive spectators of measures in
which they themselves are so deeply interested--measures pursued
in opposition to the solemn protests of many noble lords, and
expressed sense of conspicuous commoners, whose knowledge and
virtue have long characterized them as some of the greatest men
in the nation--measures executing contrary to the interest,
petitions, and resolves of many large, respectable, and opulent
counties, cities, and boroughs in Great Britain--measures highly
incompatible with justice, but still pursued with a specious
pretence of easing the nation of its burdens--measures which, if
successful, must end in the ruin and slavery of Britain, as well
as the persecuted American colonies.

"We sincerely hope that the great Sovereign of the universe, who
hath so often appeared for the English nation, will support you
in every rational and manly exertion, with these colonies, for
saving it from ruin; and that, in a constitutional connection
with the mother-country, we shall soon be altogether a free and
happy people.

"Per order:
"JOSEPH WARREN, _President, P. T._"

NAMES OF THE KILLED AND WOUNDED AT LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.

The following list of the names of those first martyrs in the cause of
American liberty is given in the eighteenth volume of the
"Massachusetts Historical Collections:"--

LEXINGTON.--_Killed_: Jonas Parker, Robert Monroe, Samuel Hadley,
Jonathan Harrington, jr., Isaac Muzzy, Caleb Harrington, John
Brown, Jedediah Moore, John Raymond, Nathaniel Wyman, 10.
_Wounded_: John Robbins, Solomon Pierce, John Tidd, Joseph Comee,
Ebenezer Monroe, jr., Thomas Winship, Nathaniel Farmer, Prince
Estabrook, Jedediah Monroe, Francis Brown, 10.

CONCORD.--_Wounded_: Charles Miles, Nathan Barrett, Abel
Prescott, jr., Jonas Brown, George Meriot, 5.

CAMBRIDGE.--_Killed_: William Marcy, Moses Richardson, John
Hicks, Jason Russell, Jabez Wyman, Jason Winship, 6. _Wounded_:
Samuel Whittemore, 1. _Missing_: Samuel Frost, Seth Russell, 2.

NEEDHAM.--_Killed_: John Bacon, Elisha Mills, Amos Mills,
Nathaniel Chamberlain, Jonathan Parker, 5. _Wounded_: Eleazer
Kingsbury, ---- Tolman, 2.

SUDBURY.--_Killed_: Josiah Haynes, Asahel Reed, 2. _Wounded_:
Joshua Haynes, jr., 1.

ACTON.--_Killed_: Isaac Davis, Abner Hosmer, James Hayward, 3.
_Wounded_: Luther Blanchard, 1.

BEDFORD.--_Killed_: Jonathan Wilson, 1. _Wounded_: Job Lane, 1.

WOBURN.--_Killed_: Daniel Thompson, Asahel Porter, 2. _Wounded_:
George Reed, Jacob Bacon, ---- Johnson, 3.

MEDFORD.--_Killed_: Henry Putnam, William Polly, 2.

CHARLESTOWN.--_Killed_: James Miller, Edward Barber, 2.

WATERTOWN.--_Killed_: Joseph Coolidge, 1.

FRAMINGHAM.--_Wounded_: Daniel Heminway, 1.

DEDHAM.--_Killed_: Elias Haven, 1. _Wounded_: Israel Everett, 1.

STOWE.--_Wounded_: Daniel Conant, 1.

ROXBURY.--_Missing_: Elijah Seaver, 1.

BROOKLINE.--_Killed_: Isaac Gardner, 1.

BILLERICA.--_Wounded_: John Nichols, Timothy Blanchard, 2.

CHELMSFORD.--_Wounded_: Aaron Chamberlain, Oliver Barron, 2.

SALEM.--_Killed_: Benjamin Pierce, 1.

NEWTON.--_Wounded_: Noah Wiswell, 1.

DANVERS.--_Killed_: Henry Jacobs, Samuel Cook, Ebenezer
Goldthwait, George Southwick, Benjamin Deland, Jotham Webb,
Perley Putnam, 7. _Wounded_: Nathan Putnam, Dennis Wallace, 2.
_Missing_: Joseph Bell, 1.

BEVERLY.--_Killed_: Reuben Kerryme, 1. _Wounded_: Nathaniel
Cleves, Samuel Woodbury, William Dodge, 3.

LYNN.--_Killed_: Abednego Ramsdell, Daniel Townsend, William
Flint, Thomas Hadley, 4. _Wounded_: Joshua Felt, Timothy Monroe,
2. _Missing_: Josiah Breed, 1.

TOTAL: Killed, 49; Wounded, 39; Missing, 5 = 93.

A CATALOGUE
OF
REVOLUTIONARY ARTICLES
IN
THE POUGHKEEPSIE MUSEUM.

The following are among the Collection of Curiosities in the Museum at
Poughkeepsie:--

ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS.

Letter of Washington to Governor Clinton, acquainting him of a design
of the British to seize his person while residing at Poughkeepsie, and
convey him to New York. Dated at Dobbs's Ferry, 1780.

Letter of Washington to Brigadier-General Whiten on the subject of the
removal of the troops from Trenton to Philadelphia. Dated Plumpton
Plains, New Jersey, 1777.

Letter of Washington on the subject of promotions in the army. Dated
1779.

Note of invitation from Washington to Dr. John Thomas to dinner. Dr.
Thomas was surgeon of the Massachusetts line. Dated headquarters,
Newburgh, 1780.

Soldiers' discharge, signed by Washington, 1782.

Letter of the Marquis de Lafayette on the subject of fortifying the
North river. Written to Governor Clinton in 1778.

Letter of the Baron Steuben to Governor Clinton on the good appearance
of the New York line of the army. Dated New Windsor, 1780.

Letter of Lord Stirling to Governor Clinton on the discharge of the
command of Major Wessenfells. Dated Albany, 1782.

Letter of Clinton in reply.

Resolution drawn up in Congress, and signed by John Hancock,
requesting the state of New York to erect a monument, at continental
expense, to the memory of Brigadier-General Herkimer, killed on the
Mohawk in 1777. Dated in Congress, 1777.

Letter of Captain Abraham Schenck, of Fishkill, containing an order
for old linen rags, for lint, for the surgeon of his command. Dated
near Croton, 1776.

Letter of General Heath relating to beacons in the highlands. Dated
Robintson's House, 1780.

Letter of General Heath on the condition of the prisoners confined in
the Provost prison, at West Point. Dated Highlands, 1780.

Letter of Captain Nathaniel Toms, describing a chase after the British
over the Schuylkill in 1777.

Journal of Lemuel Lyon, of Woodstock, Vermont, who served in the
French and Indian war, in the expedition against Ticonderoga,
commanded by General Abercrombie. The journal commences on the 5th of
April, 1758, and closes on the 16th of November, 1759.

Journal of Samuel Haws, one of the minute-men called out on the day of
the battle of Lexington: commencing April 19, 1775, and ending in
January, 1776.

Three original letters of Washington to Colonel Marinus Willet,
relating to a secret expedition against Oswego in 1782. Dated at
Newburgh headquarters, 1782.

Letter of Joshua H. Smith, the person who conducted Andre toward the
British lines. Directed from Goshen jail to Governor Clinton,
complaining of the state of his health and the closeness of his
confinement. Dated 1780.

Letter of Ezekiel Hyatt, of Crompond, Westchester county, to James
Jackson, Esq., of Fishkill, in Dutchess county, informing him that
Husson, a notorious cowboy and freebooter, had gone up to steal his
horses, and was to have a hundred guineas if he got them. Dated
Crompond, 1777.

Letter of Lieutenant Lawrence on the subject of the departure of the
British fleet from the harbor of Newport. Dated Reading, 1780.

Letter by the direction of Washington to Abraham Schenck and others,
of Fishkill, to solicit shirts of the inhabitants of their precinct
for the soldiers of the army, many of whom were utterly destitute of
that article. Dated Kingston, 1780.

Letter of Samuel Barker, while confined in the Provost prison, New
York, to his wife in Westchester county. Dated Provost Prison, 1777.

MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES.

Lock of Washington's hair--an unquestionable relic--derived from the
late Judge Thompson, of the supreme court of the United States.
Presented by his recent widow, the present Mrs. Lansing, of
Poughkeepsie.

Fragments of the first coffin of Washington. Presented by Lewis Grube,
Esq., artist, Poughkeepsie.

One of the points of the _chevaux-de-frieze_ placed in the Hudson
river, near New Windsor, in 1780, to prevent the passage of the
British ships. It was raised accidentally by the anchor of a sloop
commanded by Captain Abraham Elting, in New Paltiz, Ulster county, in
1836. It is pointed with iron, and weighs some hundreds of pounds.

Wooden camp candlestick, used in General Smallwood's brigade while
encamped at Fishkill, in Dutchess county, in the Revolution. From
Jackson Diddle, Esq., Fishkill.

Homespun linen rifle-shirt, worn by Captain Abraham Duryea at the
battle of Long Island. From Charles Robinson, Esq., Fishkill.

Sheet of stamp-parchment, containing the stamps and duties of the
stamp-act.

Sword of Captain Archibald Campbell, killed at the skirmish at Ward's
house, in Weschester county, in 1776. Captain Campbell was the
commanding officer of the British party. From his grandson, Captain
Archibald Campbell, of Pawlings, Dutchess county.

Sword of one of Lee's legion, of Virginia. It has inscribed, on one
side of the blade, "Victory or Death!"--on the opposite side,
"Grenadiers of Virginia."

Tooth of Miss Jane M'Crea, found lying in her coffin when her remains
were disinterred and removed to Fort Edward in 1824, by Mr. George
Barker, of Sandy Hill, and presented by him to the late Captain
Matthew Danvers, of Sandy Hill, and to the collection by his widow,
Mrs. Mary Danvers, of Poughkeepsie.

Iron-pipe tomahawk, found on the battle-field of Saratoga. From Van
Wyck Brinkerhoff, Esq., of Fishkill.

Cannon-rammer, taken with Burgoyne at Saratoga. Purchased, with a lot
of other "lumber" (sold at West Point by order of the government,
after the Revolution), by Joseph Jackson, Esq., and others, of
Fishkill. From Van Wyck Brinkerhoff, Esq., of Fishkill.

Knapsack of Captain David Uhl, a captain of militia in the Revolution,
and worn by him when he joined his regiment at Harlem, in 1776. It is
made of homespun linen. From his daughter, Mrs. Henry Abell, of Union
Vale, Dutchess county.

Hessian camp-kettle, dug up on the battle-field of Bennington. By Mr.
Charles Hoag, of Dover, Dutchess county.

Iron spur, found on the battle-field of the Cowpens. It is much
rusted, and is believed to have belonged to one of Tarleton's men.
From B. J. Lossing, Esq., of Poughkeepsie.

United States musket, found on the line of the retreat of the
Americans from the battle-ground at Hubbardton, Vermont. It has the
date of 1774 on the breech. From B. J. Lossing, Esq.

Collection of relics from all the battle-fields of the Revolution.
From B. J. Lossing, Esq.

Cocked hat, worn by Lemuel Lyon on board the tea-ship in Boston
harbor. The wearer was the writer of the first Journal in this volume.
From his relative, Mr. J. Colby, of New York city.

Surgical instruments of Dr. John Thomas, a regimental surgeon in the
Revolution. They were used in several of the principal battles of the
war. From his son, Mr. Thomas, of Poughkeepsie.

Original portrait of Dr. John Thomas.

Broken United States bayonet, found on the battle-ground of Guilford
Courthouse, North Carolina. By Mr. Charles Ney, of Amenia, Dutchess
county.

Bayonet of John Woodin, a continental soldier. The point of this
instrument was broken off in the wall of the fort at Stony Point, when
in the body of a British soldier. Presented by a relative.

A Spanish dollar, taken from the cavity of the hip-bone of a skeleton
dug up at Bemis's heights, Saratoga, in 1841. With it were five other
dollars and an English guinea, and also a fragment of leather,
supposed to be the remains of a purse or pocket-book. From Mrs. John
Wing, of Washington, Dutchess county.

English musket, taken in a skirmish from a foraging-party of the
British in Westchester county, in the Revolution, by Captain Abraham
Meriot, of Newcastle, Westchester county, commander of a party of
American militia. From Mr. John Townsend, of Poughkeepsie.

Tory musket, hidden during the whole period of the Revolution, in a
hollow tree, in Dover, Dutchess county, to prevent its being seized by
the committee-men and used against the king.

English musket, brought off from the battle-field of White Plains by
Colonel Abraham Humphrey, of Smallwood's brigade. Presented by the
late Colonel Humphrey Cornell, of Beekman, Dutchess county.

Fragments of human-bones from the battle-field of Red Bank. From B. J.
Lossing, Esq., of Poughkeepsie.

Piece of one of the palmetto-logs of old Fort Moultrie, in Charleston
harbor. From B. J. Lessing, Esq.

Horn of Lieutenant Charles Wallace, of the 1st Royal Highland
regiment, curiously engraved with the names and distances of all the
fortified posts from Quebec to Albany, together with the name and rank
of the wearer. It was obtained from an Indian after the battle of
Saratoga.

Metal button, ploughed up on Quaker hill, Dutchess county, where a
division of the American array encamped in the Revolution. It has the
letters "U. S. A." raised on the surface. A number of other articles
belonging to the camp have been found in the neighborhood. A long line
of the stone fireplaces of the soldiers still remain.

Spontoon of Lieutenant Alfred Van Wyck, of Fishkill, Dutchess county,
used in hunting the cowboys in Fishkill mountain, in the Revolution.
By his son, Theodorus Van Wyck, Esq., of Fishkill Hook, who remembers
to have been shown, within the last forty years, by an individual then
living, the bones of a "skinner," or cowboy, still lying unburied in a
defile of the mountains.

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