History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

278 HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
corner, they faced about suddenly and fired a volley
of musketry upon us. They overshot, and no one
to my knowledge was injured by the fire. Tlie
fire was immediately returned by the Americans,
and two British soldiers fell dead at a little dis-
tance from each other in the road near the brook.
The battle now began, aud was carried on with
little or no military discipline or order on the part
of the Americans during the remainder of the day.
Each sought his own place and opportunity to
attack and annoy the enemy from behind trees,
rocks, and fences, as seemed most convenient."
Some of the citizens of Reading shouldered their
arms, and went alone to the scene of action and did
good service. The " trainband " of the First
Parish were ordered by express to Lexington. The
alarm-guns were fired at about eight o'clock in the
morning, and brought the " alarm list " together.
Rev. Mr. Prentiss shouldered his musket and
marched with them, faithfully doing his duty in
hastening the retreat of the British back to Boston.
Some if not all the company of minute-men
were soon after stationed at Cambridge. On the
day of the battle of Bunker Hill, it is said that
they were on guard at headquarters. When
General Washington took command under the shade
of the Cambridge elm, July 3, the Reading men
where there on duty.
There were received, April 26, probably from
Salem, and deposited in Reading meeting-house
and school-house, one hundred and fifty-one bar-
rels of pork, sixty-three barrels of flour, six barrels
of beef, and sixteen bushels of rye ; but it appears
that these supplies were immediately removed to
Watertown by order of the commissary general.
June 17, the selectmen were ordered to send forth-
witli all the powder in the town stock to Water-
town, except one pound per man, and June 18,
they were " desired to provide provision sufficient
for the militia of your town, now at Cambridge, and
send it forward- soon as may be."
The battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, compelled
the flight of many persons to the neighboring
towns. Numbers came to Reading and remained
here. Mr. Dana Parker, of this trnvn, has an eight-
day clock, still keeping good lime, that was with
other things thrown into a cart and brought from
Charlestown on tliat memorable occasion.
In response to the Committee of Supplies at Wa-
tertown, Iknjamin Brown, chairman of the selectm(!n,
and John Walton, chairman of the town com-
niiltiM' of correspondence, June 22, say: "We trust
we are as ready to assist in defence of our country
as any town in the province ; but the great flow of
the inhabitants of Boston, Charlestown, Mcdford,
Maiden, Salem, and Marblehead, daily flocking into
this town, must, we think, be a sufficient excuse for
not sending provisions. As for blankets, we have
been obliged to find near a hundred for men en-
listed out of this town, and they were collected
from house to house, there not being new ones to be
bought."
In November an urgent call was made on the
town for wood for the soldiers. In reply, it was
" We have exerted our utmost that they may
stated :
be supplied ; but there being about one hundred
men from this town in the army, Te are under
great difficulty for hewers of wood ; if you will send
up the captain of the company from this town, with
a party of men, to cut wood, we make no doubt our
teams will be immediately employed, and continue
until they carry a hundred cords or more." December
4-, it was voted that the First Parish carry
fourteen cords of wood, the Second Parish twelve
and a half cords, the Third Parish twelve cords,
per week, to the army on AA'inter Hill. Subse-
quently the town is urged, by order of the General
Court, in consequence " of the distress of the army
for wood, to supply not only such quantity as has
been set to them, but as much more as they possi-
bly can."
Nine persons were chosen by the town to carry
wood to the army. Hay was also sent, in answer
to a requirement of the court. The quartermaster
allowed Sl 5 per ton for it, and the town voted to
pay what it cost more tlian that.
A census of the state taken in 1776 shows Read-
ing to have been the second town in the county iu
population. In May the town voted unanimously
to adhere to the determination of Congress relative
to independence, and stand by it to the last, with
their lives and their fortunes.
Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell and
seven other Highland officers were sent prisoners
to the West Parish, with some women and chil-
dren. They were quartered near the post-oflice in
Reading (the present town), in the house formerly
belonging to Colonel Natlian Parker, and more
recently to Mr. James Davis. They occupied their
time to such an extent in practice with musical in-
struments, as to be a source of much annoyance
to the citizens. The British officers petitioned the
council for sujjpoit for their servants, but it was
not ijranted.