MASSACHUSETTS PROVINCIAL CONGRESS.

“Resolved, That the following Narrative of the excursion and ravages of the King’s Troops, under the command of General Gage, on the nineteenth of April last, together with the Depositions taken by order of the Congress to support the truth of it, be sent to the press for publication.

SAMUEL FREEMAN, Secretary.”

A Narrative of the Excursion and Ravages of the King’s Troops, under the command of General GAGE, on the nineteenth of APRIL, 1775; together with the Depositions taken by order of Congress to support the truth of it. Published by authority.

On the nineteenth day of April, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, a day to be remembered by all Americans of the present generation, and which ought, and doubtless will be handed down to ages yet unborn, the Troops of Britain, unprovoked, shed the blood of sundry of the loyal American subjects of the British King in the field of Lexington. Early in the morning of said day, a detachment of the forces under the command of General Gage, stationed at Boston, attacked a small party of the inhabitants of Lexington and some other Towns adjacent, the detachment consisting of about nine hundred men, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Smith: the inhabitants of Lexington, and the other Towns were about one hundred, some with and some without fire-arms, who had collected upon information that the detachment had secretly marched from Boston on the preceding night, and landed on Phipps’s farm in Cambridge, and were proceeding on their way with a brisk pace towards Concord, as the inhabitants supposed, to take or destroy a quantity of stores deposited there for the use of the Colony; sundry peaceable inhabitants having the same night been taken, held by force, and otherwise abused on the road, by some officers of General Gage’s Army, which caused a just alarm, and a suspicion that some fatal design was immediately to be put in execution against them. This small party of the inhabitants was so far from being disposed to commit hostilities against the Troops of their Sovereign, that, unless attacked, they were determined to be peaceable spectators of this extraordinary movement; immediately on the approach of Colonel Smith with the detachment under his command, they dispersed; but the detachment, seeming to thirst for blood, wantonly rushed on, and first began the hostile scene by firing on this small party, by which they killed eight men on the spot, and wounded several others before any guns were fired upon the Troops by our men. Not contented with this effusion of blood, as if malice had occupied their whole souls, they continued the fire, until all of this small party who escaped the dismal carnage were out of the reach of their fire.

Colonel Smith, with the detachment, then proceeded to Concord, where a part of this detachment again made the first fire upon some of the inhabitants of Concord and the adjacent Towns, who were collected at a bridge upon this just alarm, and killed two of them, and wounded several others, before any of the Provincials there had done one hostile act. Then the Provincials, roused with zeal for the liberties of their Country, finding life and every thing dear and valuable at stake, assumed their native valour, and returned the fire, and the engagement on both sides began. Soon after, the British Troops retreated towards Charles-town, having first committed violence and waste on publick and private property, and on their retreat were joined by another detachment of General Gage’s Troops, consisting of about a thousand men, under the command of Earl Percy, who continued the retreat. The engagement lasted through the day; and many were killed and wounded on each side, though the loss on the part of the British Troops far exceeded that of the Provincials.

The devastation committed by the British Troops on their retreat, the whole of the way from Concord to Charles-town, is almost beyond description; such as plundering and burning of dwelling-houses and other buildings, driving into the street women in child-bed; killing old men in their houses unarmed. Such scenes of desolation would be a reproach to the perpetrators, even if committed by the most barbarous Nations; how much more when done by Britons famed for humanity and tenderness! and all this because these Colonies will not submit to the iron yoke of arbitrary power.

DEPOSITIONS TAKEN BY ORDER OF THE CONGRESS.

[For Depositions No. 1. to No. 20. inclusive, see Folio 489-501.]

A paper having been printed in Boston, representing that one of the British Troops killed at the bridge at Concord, was scalped and the ears cut off from the head; supposed to be done in order to dishonour the Massachusetts people, and to make them appear to be savage and barbarous, the following deposition was taken, that the truth may be known.

[No. 21.]

Concord, May 11, 1775.

We, the subscribers, of lawful age, testify and say, that we buried the dead bodies of the King’s Troops that were killed at the North Bridge in Concord, on the nineteenth day of April, 1775, where the action first began, and that neither of those persons were scalped, nor their ears cut off, as has been represented.

ZACHARIAH BROWN,
THOMAS DAVIS, JR.

Zachariah Brown and Thomas Davis, Jr., personally appeared before me, and made oath to the above declaration.

DUNCAN INGRAHAM, Justice of the Peace.

[No. 22.]

Hannah Adams, wife of Deacon Joseph Adams, of the second Precinct in Cambridge, testifieth and saith, that on the nineteenth day of April last past, upon the return of the King’s Troops from Concord, divers of them entered our house by bursting open the doors, and three of the soldiers broke into the room in which I then was laid on my bed, being scarcely able to walk from my bed to the fire, and not having been to my chamber door from my being delivered in child-birth to that time. One of said soldiers immediately opened my curtains with his bayonet fixed, and pointing the same to my breast. I immediately cried out, “for the Lord’s sake don't kill me.” He replied, “damn you.” One that stood near, said, “we will not hurt the woman if she will go out of the house, but we will surely burn it.” I immediately arose, threw a blanket over me, went out, and crawled into a corn-house near the door, with my infant in my arms, where I remained until they were gone. They immediately set the house on fire, in which I had left five children and no other person; but the fire was happily extinguished when the house was in the utmost danger of being utterly consumed.

HANNAH ADAMS.

Hannah Adams, the subscriber of the above deposition, personally appeared and made oath to the truth of the same. Before me,

JONA. HASTINGS, Justice of the Peace.

[No. 23.]

Cambridge, May 19, 1775.

We, Benjamin Cooper and Rachel Cooper, both of Cambridge aforesaid, and of lawful age, testify and say, that in the afternoon of the nineteenth day of April last, the King’s Regular Troops, under the command of General Gage, upon their return from blood and slaughter which they had made at Lexington and Concord, fired more than one hundred bullets into the house where we dwell, through doors, windows, &c.; then a number of them entered the house where we and two aged gentlemen were, all unarmed. We escaped for our lives into the cellar; the two aged gentlemen were immediately most barbarously and inhumanly murdered by them, being stabbed through in many places, their heads mauled, sculls broke, and their brains beat out on the floor and walls of the house. And further saith not.

BENJAMIN COOPER,.
RACHEL COOPER.

MIDDLESEX, ss., May 19, 1775:

The above named Benjamin Cooper and Rachel Cooper appeared, and after due caution, made solemn oath to the truth of the above deposition by them subscribed.

Before me,

JONAS DIX, Justice of the Peace.