with
trailed arms. I felt anxious to have a good fire at the rascals. They
were on the west side of the river; but when they saw us coming, they
crossed over and commenced pulling up the planks of the bridge. Major
Buttrick called out to them to quit, and told us to hurry on to save the
bridge. The red-coats formed for action, and, when we were near the
bridge, fired a few shots at us. Captain Davis and Adjutant Hosmer were
killed, and one Acton man wounded. Davis and Hosmer were both brave
men, and they died like heroes. Seeing these men fall, Major Buttrick
called out, 'Fire, for God's sake, men, fire!' and we did pour a volley
into the redcoats. I brought down one man, and he never got up again. We
were getting ready to give them another, when the cowards retreated. We
found three of the enemy had been killed, and the Acton company took
several of the wounded prisoners. I saw a mere boy, with a hatchet in
his hand, run up to a Britisher who wasn't quite dead, and kill him with
one blow. That I didn't like, though the boy's spirit and courage
pleased me."

"It was butchery," said Pitts.

"So it was," replied Kinnison; "and it caused a report to be spread that
we killed and scalped all the men who fell into our hands. As I said, I
didn't like it; but we had no time for thinking. The enemy saw how fast
our men were coming in from all quarters, for, by that time, the whole
province was aroused, and they thought it would be best to think of
getting back to Boston. Well, they started from Concord about twelve
o'clock. As the main body marched along the road, the flanking parties
tried to cover them, but it was of little use. We followed, and kept
picking off men from their rear, while it seemed as if there was a
minuteman behind every fence or tree by the road. We didn't march under
any regular orders, but each man tried to do all he could with his
musket. I and two or three other Lebanon men kept together, and managed
to pick off some men at every by-road. At one time, we just escaped the
attack of a flanking party who killed some of the militia a short
distance from us. We lay concealed in the bushes till they went by, and
then followed them up as before. At two or three points, some companies
of minute-men attacked the enemy in the open field, and killed a
considerable number of them. When they reached Lexington they were
almost worn out, and could not have marched much farther. Just then, we
saw a large reinforcemen