Committee of Safety, thongh he had returned at nightfall from the meeting at West Cambridge, was already in possession of the whole design; and instantly despatched two messengers to Lexington, Mr. William Dawes, who went out by Roxbury, and Colonel Paul Revere, who crossed to Charlestown. The Colonel

received this summons, at ten o'clock on Tuesday night; the lanterns were immediately lighted up in North Church steeple ; and in this way, before a man of the soldiery was embarked in the boats, the news of their coming was travelling with the rapidity of light, through the country.*

Having accomplished this precautionary measure, Colonel Revere repaired to the north part of the town, where he constantly kept a boat in readiness, in which he was now rowed by two friends across the river, a little to the eastward of the spot where the Somerset man-of-war was moored, between Boston and Charlestown. It was then young flood, the ship was swinging round upon the tide, and the moon was just rising upon this midnight scene of solemn anticipation. Colonel Revere was safely landed in Charlestown, where his signals had already been observed. He procured a horse from Deacon Larkin for the further pursuit of his errand. That he would not be permitted to accomplish it, without risk of interruption, which was evident from the information he received from Mr. Richard Devens, a member of the Committee of Safety, that on his way from West Cambridge, where the committee sat, he had encountered several British officers, well armed and mounted, going up the road.

At eleven o'clock, Colonel Revere started upon his eventful errand. After passing Charlestown neck, he saw two men on horseback under a tree. On approaching them he perceived them by the light of the moon to be British officers. One of them immediately tried to intercept, and the other to seize him. The colonel instantly turned back toward Charlestown, and then struck into the Medford road. The officer in pursuit of him, endeavouring to cut him off, plunged into a clay-pond, in the corner between the two roads, and the Colonel escaped. He accordingly pursued his way to Medford, awoke the captain of the minute men there, and giving the alarm at every house on the road, passed on through West Cambridge to Lexington. There he delivered his message to Messrs. Hancock and Adams,† and there also he was shortly after joined by Mr. William Dawes, the messenger who had gone out by Roxbury.

After staying a short time at Lexington, Messrs. Revere and Dawes, at about one o'clock of the morning of the nineteenth of April, started for Concord, to communicate the intelligence there. They were soon overtaken on the way by Dr. Samuel Prescott of Concord, who joined them in giving the alarm at every house on the

*See note A.
+ See note B

road. About half way from Lexington to Concord, while Dawes and Prescott were alarming a house on the road, Revere, being about one hundred rods in advance, saw two officers in the road, of the same appearance as those he had escaped in Charlestown. He called to his companions, to assist him in forcing his way through them, but was himself instantly surrounded by four officers. These officers had previously thrown down the wall into an adjoining field, and the Americans, prevented from forcing their way onward, passed into the field. Dr. Prescott, although the reins of his horse had been cut in the struggle with the officers, succeeded by leaping a stone wall, in making his escape from the field and reaching Concord. Revere aimed at a wood, but was there encountered by six more officers, and was with his companion made prisoner. The British officers, who had alreadyseized three other Americans, having learned from their prisoners that the whole country was alarmed, thought it best for their own safety to hasten back, taking their prisoners with them. Near Lexington meetinghouse, on their return, the British officers heard the militia, who were on parade, firing a volley of guns, Terrified at this, they compelled Revere to give up his horse, and then pushing forward at full gallop, escaped down the road.

The morning was now advanced to about four o'clock, nor was it then known at Lexington that the British was so near at hand. Colonel Revere again sought Messrs. Hancock and Adams at the house of the Reverend Mr. Clark, and it was thought, expedient by their friends, who had kept watch there during the night, that these eminent patriots should remove toward Woburn. Having attended them to a house, on the Woburn road, where they proposed to stop, Colonel Revere returned to Lexington to watch the progress of events. He soon met a person at full gallop, who informed him that the British troops were coming up the road. Hastening now to the public house, to secure some papers of Messrs. Hancock and Adams, Colonel Revere saw the British troops pressing forward in full array.

It was now seven hours, since these troops were put in motion. They were mustered at ten o'clock of the night preceeding, on the Boston Common, and embarked, to the number of eight hundred grenadiers and light infantry, in the boats of the British squadron They landed at Phipp's Farmi, a little to the south of Lechmere's Point, and on disembarking, a day's provision was dealt out to them. Pursuing the path across the marshes, they emerged into the old Charlestown and West Cambridge road.

And here let us pause a moment in the narration, to ask, who are the men and what is the cause? It is an army of frenchmen and Canadians, who in earlier days had often run the line be-tween them and us, with havock and fire, and who have now

come to pay back the debt of defeat and subjugation? Or is it their ancient ally of the woods, the stealthy savage,-borne in his light canoe, with muffled oars, over the midnight waters,creeping like the felon wolf through our villages, that he may start up at dawn, to wage a war of surprise, of plunder, and of horror against the slumbering cradle and the defenceless fireside? O no! It is the disciplined armies, of a brave, a christian a kindred people; led by gallant officers, the choice sons of England; and they are going to seize, and secure for the halter, men whose crime is that they have dared to utter in the English tongue, on this side of the ocean, the principles which gave, and give England her standing among the nations; they are going to plunge their swords in the breasts of men, who fifteen years before, on the plains of Abraham, stood, and fought and conquered by, their side. But they go not unobserved; the tidings of their approach are travelling before them; the faithful messengers have aroused the citizens from their slumbers, alarm guns are answering to each other, and spreading the news from village to village; the tocsin is heard, at this unnatural hour, from steeples, that never before rung with any other summons than that of the gospel of peace; the sacred tranquillity of the hour is startled with all the sounds of preparation, of gathering bands, and resolute though unorganized resistance.

The Committee of Safety, as has been observed, had set, the preceding day, at West Cambridge; and three of its respected. members, Gerry, Lee, and Orne, had retired to sleep, in the public house, where the session of the committee was held. So difficult was it notwithstanding all that had passed, to realize that a state of things could exist, between England and America, in which American citizens should be liable to be torn from their beds by an armed force at midnight, that the members of the Committee of safety, though forewarned of the approach of the British troops, did not even think it necessary to retire from their lodgings. On the contrary, they rose from their beds and went to their windows to gaze on the unwonted sight, the midnight march of armies through the peaceful hamlets of New England. Half the column had already passed, when a flank guard was promptly detached to search the public house, no doubt in the design of arresting the members of the Committee of Safety, who might be there. It was only at this last critical moment, that Gerry and his friends bethought themselves of flight, and without time even to, clothe themselves, escaped naked into the fields.

By this time Colonel Smith, who commanded the expedition, appears to have been alarmed at the indications of a general rising throughout the country. The light infantry companies were now detached and placed under the command of Major Pitcairne, for

the purpose of hastening forward, to secure the bridges at Concord; and thus cut off the communication between this place and the towns north and west of it. Before these companies could reach Lexington, the officers already mentioned, who had arrested Colonel Revere, joined their advancing countrymen, and `reported that five hundred men were drawn up in Lexington, to resist the king's troops. On receiving this exaggerated account, the British light infantry was halted, to give time for the grenadiers to come up, that the whole together might move forward to the work of death.

The company assembled at Lexington Green, which the British officers, in their report, had swelled to five hundred, consisted of sixty or seventy of the militia of the place. Information had been received about nightfall, both by private means and by communications from the Committee of Safety, that a strong party of officers had seen seen on the road, directing their course toward Lexington. In consequence of this intelligence, a body of about thirty of the militia, well armed, assembled early in the evening; a guard of eight men under Colonel William Munroe, then a sergeant in the company, was stationed at Mr. Clark's; and three men were sent off to give the alarm at Concord, These three messengers were however stopped on their way, as has been mentioned, by the British officers, who had already passed onward. One of their number, Elijah Sanderson, has lately died at Salem at an advanced age. A little after midnight, as has been observed, Messrs. Revere and Dawes arrived with the certain information, that a very large body of the royal troops was in motion. The alarm was now generally given to the inhabitants of Lexington, messengers were sent down the road to ascertain the movements of the troops, and the militia company under Captain John Parker appeared on the green to the number of one hundred and thirty. The roll was duly called at this perilous midnight muster and some answered to their names for the last time on earth.. The company was now ordered to load with powder and ball, and awaited in anxious expectation the return of those who had been sent to reconnoitre the enemy. One of them, in consequence of some misinformation, returned and reported that there was no appearance of troops on the road from Boston. Under this harrassing uncertainty and contradiction, the militia were dismissed to await the return of the other expresses and with orders to be in readiness at the beat of the drum. One of these messengers was made prisoner by the British, whose march was so cautious, that they remained undiscovered till within a mile and a half of Lexington meetinghouse, and time was scarce left for the last messenger to return with the tidings of their approach..

The new alarm was now given: the bell rings, alarm guns are fired, the drum beats to arms, Some of the militia had gone home, when dismissed; but the greater part were in the neigh

bouring houses, and instant.y obeyed the summons. Sixty or seventy appeared on the green and were drawn up in double ranks. At this moment the British column of eight hundred gleaming bayonets appears, headed by their mounted commanders, their banners flying and drums beating a charge. To engage them with a handful of militia of course was madness,--to fly at the sight of them, they disdained. The British troops rush furiously on; their commanders, with mingled threats and exacrations, bid the Americans lay down their arms and disperse, and their own troops to fire. A moment's delay, as of compunction follows, The order with vehement imprecations is repeated, and they fire, No one falls, and the band of self-devoted heroes, most of whom had never seen such a body of troops before, stand firm in the front of an army, outnumbering them ten to one. Another volley succeeds; the killed and wounded drop, and it was not till they had returned the fire of the overwhelming force, that the militia were driven from the field. A scattered fire now succeeded on both sides while the Americans remained in sight; and the British troops were then drawn up on the green to fire a volley and give a shout in honour of the victory.*

While these incidents were taking place, and every moment then came charged with events which were to give a character to centuries, Hancock and Adams, though removed by their friends from the immediate vicinity of the force sent to apprehend them, were apprized, too faithfully, that the work of death was begun The heavy and quick repeated vollies told them a tale, that needed no exposition,-which proclaimed that Great Britain had renounced that strong invisible tie which bound the descendants of England to the land of their fathers, and had appealed to the right of the strongest. The inevitable train of consequences burst in prophetic fulness upon their minds; and the patriot Adams, forgetting the scenes of tribulation through which America must pass to realize the prospect, and heedless that the ministers of vengeance, in overwhelming strength, were in close pursuit of his own life, uttered that memorable exclamation, than which nothing more generous can be found in the records of Grecian or Roman heroism," O, what a glorious morning is this!"

Elated with its success, the British army took up its march toward concord. The intelligence of the projected expedition had been communicated to this town by Dr. Samuel Prescott, in the manner already described; and from Concord had travelled onward in every direction. The interval was employed in removing a portion of the public stores to the neighbouring towns, while the aged and infirm, the women and children, sought refuge in the surrounding woods, About seven o'clock in the morning, the glittering arms of the British column were seen adSee Note C.