wards them, said, with a loud
voice, to the troops, 'Fire!--By God, fire!'--which was instantly
followed by a discharge of arms from the said troops, succeeded by a
very heavy and close fire upon our party, dispersing, so long as any of
them were within reach.--Eight were left dead upon the ground! Ten were
wounded."[64]

[Illustration: THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON]

This is the best contemporary account which we have of the affair. It is
evident from his careful language and semi-legal terms that the Reverend
Mr. Clark, though not on the ground until half an hour afterwards, took
all possible pains to gather the facts, and considered himself upon oath
in reporting them. He was himself a witness of the exultation of the
troops at their victory, and expresses his indignation.

Tradition gives Major Pitcairn, of the Marines, a prominent part in the
affair. "A good man," says Stiles, "in a bad cause," and adds that had
Pitcairn ever been able to say that he was sure the Americans fired
first, he would have believed him. Honest Major Pitcairn could only
state his belief.

So the first blood in the Revolution was spilt. The death of one of the
Americans, Jonathan Harrington, was pitiful: shot within sight of his
home, he crawled to the door, and expired at his wife's feet. To the
heavy volleys they received, the Americans returned but a scattering
fire; some of them did not fire at all.[65] Two British privates were
wounded, and Pitcairn's horse.

The troops, as soon as they could be marshalled again, fired a volley
and gave three cheers, rested for a little while, and marched on toward
Concord. There, since early morning, had gathered some of the militia
from Bedford and Lincoln, and about sunrise the little company marched
out of town. "We thought," says Amos Barrett quaintly, "we would go and
meet the British. We marched down towards Lexington about a mile or mile
and a half, and we saw them coming." But on seeing their numbers the
militia turned back, "and marched before them with our drums and fifes
going, and also the British. We had grand musick."[66] The provincials
halted once or twice on the hill that ran along the high road, and came
at last to the liberty pole, overlooking the town. "The Yankees,"
records Lieutenant Barker of the King's Own, "had that hill but left it
to us; we expected they wou'd have made a stand there, but they did not
chuse it." The militia, still withdrawing before superior numbers,
retreat