History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

446 HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
1773, in terms that strongly and solemnly ex-
pressed its conviction of the dangers and duties of
the " momentous crisis " at hand.
The sentiments of the inhabitants upon the
destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor found
expression in the spirited resolves and preamble of
sels should be destroyed or any way damaged but,
on the contrary, were very desirous and used their
utmost endeavors that said tea might be safely re-
turned to the owners thereof." The accompanying
resolves proscribe with all possible strength of
expression the use of tea in any mode or quan-
tity.
As early as May, 1774, just before the closing
of the port of Boston, the selectmen— Samuel
^Vllite, David Bemis, Josiah Capen, David Sanger,
and .Elijah Bond — bought four half-barrels of
powder, and proposed to the town the purchase of
balls and flints. The committee of correspond-
ence were Samuel Fiske, Moses Stone, Richard
Clarke, Jedediah Leathc, and Nathaniel Stone.
The town was represented in the Middlesex County
Convention, held August 30, 1774, at Concord,
which declared its intention to " nullify the late
acts of parliament in violation of our rights."
The Revolution was now making rapid progress,
and early in September the town ordered that its
militia should be exercised two hours every week,
and that its stock of arms and ammunition should
be inspected. This was followed up by votes in-
structing its tax-collectors to pay their money into
the tri-asury of the town instead of that of the
|)i()viiiir; directing their representative. Captain
Joiiallian Brown, to unite with those of the other
iduiis in forming a i)rovincial congress; ami au-
tlioriziug the mounting and ecpiipping of tlie
two pieces of cainioii in tlu; town. November 21,
1771', a cominiltcr of nine was a])pointed to carry
into effect the association and resolves of the Gen-
eral Congress at I'hiladcljihia, and likewise those
of the Provincial Congress. A iiiiiiute-com])any
was formed .Tanuarv t, 177.">, " four roppcrs" (lo
br l.iid out for rcfrcslniicnl) ixiiig allowed earli
man for his atlendance once a ucck lo learn mili-
larv exercises. lis olIic.Ts wrrc : ,S;nnucl jianianl,
captain ; .lolin St r:,l l.iii, fn-l licuh'u.inl ; I'lunclias
Mcani^.s.-coiMJ lici.hnaul; Kduanl liarnii-I.Mi,.! v.,
.•MMu'n ; SaiMU.l Saiitr.T, Ahiicr Cr.ili, ( Inisloplicr
plien Whitney, Moses Stone, Jr., Isaac Sanderson^
Jr., and Nathaniel Bright, corporals.
On the morning of the memorable 10th of
April, 1775, the Middlesex regiment, under Colonel
Thomas Gardner, assembled at the Watertown
meeting-house. Michael Jackson, who commanded
the town-meeting of January '6, 1774. "We are the Newton compain- that day, and afterwards, as
fully of opinion," say they, " that the i)eople had colonel of the Stli Alassachiisitts Regiment, served
no design or desire that the tea on board the ves- through the Revolutionary AVar, found, on his ar-
rival at the meeting-house, that the officers were in
council in the adjacent school-house. Obtaining
the floor, he told them that the time for talking
had passed and the time for fighting had come;
that if they meant to op])ose the march of the Brit-
ish troops they must forthwith leave the school-
house and take up their march for Lexington, and
that he intended that his company should take the
shortest route to get a shot at the British. His
blunt, vigorous speech broke up the council, each
company behig left to take its own course. Those
of Newton and Watertown, joining near Lexington,
eneoiiiilcred Lord Percy's retre.itiiig column, ex-
changing shots with it, and h.mging upon its flank
and rear, until, at nightfall, it reached Charlestown,
completely exhausted and demoralized. They re-
ceived upon the field the thanks of Dr. Warren,
president of the Provincial Congress, for their
bravery. The Watertown men wen- led that day
by Captain, afterwards ^lajor, Samuel Barnard, one
of the Boston Tea-Party, losing only one of their
number, Joseph Coolidge, in the action.
Three days after the battle the second Provincial
Congress adjourned from Concord to Water-
town, its sessions and those of the third and last,
as well as those of the (ieneral Court, its successor,
being held in the old meeting-house until the
adjournment of the latter body to the state-house
in Boston, November 9, 1770. President Lang-
don, of Harvard College, preached the Election
Sermon before the Congress that assembled here
May 31. After the departure of President Han-
cock, who was a delegate to the congress at Phila-
delphia, Joseph Warren, the early martyr in the
cause of American freedom, ])resi(leil over ils delib-
erations until the meiiKn'able ITlli of .lune. Be-
fore hisdeparlniv for the scene of aclion that day
he enlrcated th,' la.lics of the house m uhlchhe
boarded to prepare Init and bandages, oh.serx ing,
"The i)oor h'llows will ttaiil them all before
night."
In 177.")-7(1 111.' Council met in an adjacent
(u-ani, Jr., and J(,.>iali Capcn, Jr., sci-,.nils; Mc- house on .Mount Auburn Slreel. When Mar^-hall