The sudden exigency of our publick affairs precluded the possibility of waiting for your direction in these important measures, more especially as a considerable reinforcement from Great Britain is daily expected in this Colony, and we are now reduced to the sad alternative of defending ourselves by arms, or submitting to be slaughtered.

With the greatest deference we beg leave to suggest that a powerful Army, on the side of America, hath been considered by this Congress as the only means left to stem the rapid progress of a tyrannical Ministry. Without a force superiour to our enemies, we must reasonably expect to become the victims of their relentless fury; with such a force we may still have hopes of seeing an immediate end put to the inhuman ravages of mercenary Troops in America, and the wicked authors of our miseries brought to condign punishment, by the just indignation of our brethren in Great Britain.

We hope that this Colony will at all times be ready to spend and be spent in the cause of America. It is nevertheless a misfortune greatly operating to its disadvantage, that it has a great number of sea-port towns exposed to the approach of the enemy by sea, from many of which the inhabitants have removed, and are now removing their families and effects to avoid destruction from ships of war. These, we apprehend, will be generally distressed from want of subsistence, and disabled from contributing aid for supporting the forces of the Colony, but we have the greatest confidence in the wisdom and ability of the Continent to support us, so far as it shall appear necessary for supporting the common cause of the American Colonies.

We also enclose several Resolves [passed this day] for empowering and directing our Receiver-General to borrow the sum of one hundred thousand Pounds, lawful money, and to issue his notes for the same, it being the only measure which we could have recourse to for supporting our forces; and we request your assistance in rendering our measures effectual, by giving our notes a currency through the Continent.

JOS. WARREN, President pro tem.

To the Inhabitants of GREAT BRITAIN:

FRIENDS AND FELLOW-SUBJECTS: Hostilities are at length commenced in this Colony by the Troops under command of General Gage; and it being of the greatest importance that an early, true, and authentick 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 honourable 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 nineteenth of April instant, a body of the King’s Troops, under 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, whilst travelling peaceably on the road between Morton 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 Nation.

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 cannot think that the honour, wisdom, and valour of Britons will suffer them to be longer 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 burden; 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:

JOS. WARREN, President pro tem.

To the Hon. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Esq., LONDON:

SIR: From the entire confidence we repose in your faithfulness and abilities, we consider it the happiness of this Colony that the important trust of agency for it, on this day of unequalled distress, is devolved on your hands; and we doubt not your attachment to the cause of the liberties of mankind will make every possible exertion in our behalf a pleasure to you, although our circumstances will compel us often to interrupt your repose by matters that will surely give you pain. A single instance hereof is the occasion of the present letter; the contents of this packet will be our apology for troubling you with it. From these you will see how and by whom we are at last plunged into the horrours of a most unnatural war. Our enemies, we are told, have despatched to Great Britain a fallacious account of the tragedy they have begun; to prevent the operation of which to the publick injury, we have engaged the vessel that conveys this to you as a packet in the service of this Colony, and we request your assistance in supplying Captain Derby, who commands her, with such necessaries as he shall want, on the credit of your constituents in Massachusetts-Bay. But we most ardently wish that the several papers herewith enclosed may be immediately printed and dispersed through every Town in England, and especially communicated to the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council of the City of London, that they may take such order thereon as they may think proper; and we are confident your fidelity will make such improvement of them as shall convince all who are not determined to be in everlasting blindness, that it is the united efforts of both Englands that must save either. But that whatever price our brethren in the one may be pleased to put on their constitutional liberties, we are authorized to assure you that the inhabitants of the other, with the greatest unanimity, are inflexibly resolved to sell, theirs only at the price of their lives. Signed by order of the Provincial Congress:

JOS, WARREN, President pro tem.