| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Monadnock Hiker |
Posted - April 20 2023 : 08:12:27 AM
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/04/19/april-19-1775-a-reminder-of-this-day-in-history-the-battle-of-lexington/
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Dear Sir,
Having a little leisure, I wish to fullfill my promise, of giving you some facts, and Anecdotes, prior to the Battle of Lexington, which I do not remember to have seen in any history of the American Revolution.
In the year 1773 I was imployed by the Select men of the Town of Boston to carry the Account of the Destruction of the Tea to New-York; and afterwards, 1774, to Carry their dispatches to New-York and Philadelphia for Calling a Congress; and afterwards to Congress, several times.* [This asterisk points to a note in the left margin written by Jeremy Belknap: “Let the narrative begin here.” ]
In the Fall of 1774 & Winter of 1775 I was one of upwards of thirty, cheifly mechanics, who formed our selves in to a Committee for the purpose of watching the Movements of the British Soldiers, and gaining every intelegence of the movements of the Tories.
We held our meetings at the Green-Dragon Tavern. We were so carefull that our meetings should be kept Secret; that every time we met, every person swore upon the Bible, that they would not discover any of our transactions, But to Messrs. Hancock, Adams, Doctors Warren, Church, & one or two more.
About November, when things began to grow Serious, a Gentleman who had Conections with the Tory party, but was a Whig at heart, aquainted me, that our meetings were discovered, & mentioned the identical words that were spoken among us the Night before. We did not then distrust Dr. Church, but supposed it must be some one among us.
We removed to another place, which we thought was more secure: but here we found that all our transactions were communicated to Governor Gage.
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Great letter (link) to read - shows 8 pages here. |
| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Monadnock Hiker |
Posted - April 22 2023 : 4:06:17 PM
Those are GREAT links Rich ... Although born in Cambridge Mass. I've never walked the Freedom Trail - but have been to Concord & Lexington. Impressive area & the history involved is almost hard to believe. I intend to walk the Freedom Trail this year - before winter. - I though that you might enjoy the "true details" in that link about Paul Reveres ride & all the people involved in one way or another - great stuff. |
| richfed |
Posted - April 22 2023 : 2:08:50 PM
That was an excellent read, MH. Though built up now, Lexington Green is still a great place to visit, especially on Patriot's Day. I visited twice in the 80s/very early 90s. The reenactment done there was stirring. Surrounded by some original houses - and, of course, Buckman's Tavern - it still runs chills through an observer. It starts in the pre-dawn hours with the militia milling about, then you begin to hear the fifes & drums of the British regiment moving toward the green. The women disperse and the milia form up to make a stand. It's all very surreal. It's over very quickly, but then you can move over to Concord to see the reenactment there a bit later. As a bonus, the two towns are connected by Minute Man National Historical Park which follows the path of the British withdrawal from Concord back to Boston harried by various militia units the entire way [Battle Road]. Boston itself is a treasure trove of historic locations connected by a red stripe painted on the sidewalks. It's worth a trip. An easy 2-and-a-half mile, or so, stroll from Boston Common to Bunker Hill. I love that place - the whole historic area. It's a grand Patriotic rush!
Minute Man National Historical Park
The Freedom Trail |
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