^3i WA ml ?i^ jfSf^. THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES GIFT OF Commodore Byron McCandless ■ft.". f .« -^ '^i'>k ■^ • &!la^M'^##Mf&' SedVENiR ® ® I9tl) of April Y5- S0(JVENlR &. &, I9tf) of April, Y^. FLAG Tffi AINUTn AGN APRIL 19, 1775. its (OviQin and Histovy. By ABRAM ENGLISH BROWN, AUTHOR OF THE HISTORY OF BEDFORD. GLIMPSES OF OLD NEW ENGLAND LIFE, ETC. Pl'BLISHED BY BEDFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY, APRIL IV, 1894. C'ojii/riylitcd i<V.'/^, })ij tlic Autlior. j.^— PRESS OF R. H. BLODGETT & CO., 30 BROMFIELD STREET, BOSTON. CK 1^ Ta all AA/hn share the blEssings al LIBERTY; This SnuvEnir of the Dpening REvnluhnn is gratEfuUy inscribEd, 956759 .'O o ^qUER or q^ ^.', ay tr)c rude kiridqc ^^m lr)al arcQcd ihc lood. H'^QCiP jlcrcj lo rji-p ^^m T\\ s l3reG:5C ur)|urlcd. riGre or)ce fr)c ^^W GrrjDaiuGd Tarirjcrs slood /lr)d jirza ^^^F lr)c sQoI r)eard rourjd Ir)c world. — Emerson. 4 The only flag in existence that waved over the "embattled farmers," April HI, "7"). — Boston Journal, MarrJi, '.'y^. It was originally designed in England in 10(50-70, for the three County troops of Middlesex, and became one of the accepted standards of the organized Militia of the State, and as such it was used by the Bedford Company. In my opinion this flag far exceeds in historic value the famed flag of Eutaw and Pulaski's banner, and in fact is the most precious memorial of its kind of which we have any knowledge. — William S. Apphton, Mass. Historical Society. January, ISSO. FACTS OF HISTORY. T^HE ancient standard of the Massachusetts Militia became the flag of the Minute Men on tlie morning of April 19, 1775. In the preceding JNlarch, the Town of Bedford voted " To pay twenty-five Minute men one shilling per week until the first of May, they to exercise four hours in a week, and two shillings to be allowed two officers, they to equip themselves according to the advice of the Provincial Congress,"' which assembled' at Concord and of which John Hancock was president. The officers of the Minute men had no commissions, as did those of the Militia already in service, hence their authority came through the suffrage of their associates. The time for preparation was limited. They were upon the alert, and were not disconcerted b}^ the cry sent out "Through every Middlesex village and farm." "■ The Regulars are coming." Delegates from Captain Parker's company, of Lexington, gave the alarm at Bedford. The messengers found a ready response. The men assembled at Fitch's tavern, according to a preconcerted plan. There a lunch was hastily served, Avhere Captain Wilson uttered the memor- able words, •' It is a cold breakfast, boys, but we'll give the British a hot dinner ; we'll have every dog of them before night." When we consider that the officers of the Minute men were not commissioned, and the uprising voluntary, it is reasonable to account for an improvised flag in use by the Bedford company. The old Stand- ard was in the Page family, and the office of cornet, or color bearer, was a sort of inheritance, hence, Nathaniel Page, aroused by the early messenger, seized the relic of early service and hastened with his associates to the scene of action. On the arrival of the company at Concord, they assisted in remov- ing stores to places of greater safety. Tradition says that Cornet Page laid down his flag and went to work, and v/hen retnrning to look for it " fonnd the boys had got it and were playing soldiers.' " The Bedford companies met with no loss at the bridge, and were all in the pnrsuit of the retreating enemy. They left the ' Great Fields ' at IVIerriam's Corner and engaged in the attack, then hastened in the pnrsnit and were in the thickest of the fight near the ' Brooks' Tavern,' where Captain Wilson was killed and Job Lane wounded." The old flag Avas returned to the Page mansion and there kept until the centennial celebration at Concord, when it was carried by the Bedford Delegation in the procession of that day. Ten years later, October 19, 1885, the (one hundred and fourth anniversary of the sur- render of Cornwallis to Washington) it was presented by Captain Cyrus Page to the Town of Bedford "to be forever in the custody of the Bedford Free Public Library Corporation." It is sacredly guarded by them as an invaluable memorial. The ravages of time have not entirely spared the delicate fabric, and it is necessarily denied the exposure which a patriotic people would gladly permit. m BEDFORD MILITIA. Captain, JOHN MUORK. 1st Lieutenant, John Merriam. Sergeant, Joseph (»mvkr.s. Sergeant, James Wright. 2n(l Lieutenant, Eleazer Davis. Sergeant, Jeremiah Fitch, Jr. Fifer, David Lane. privates. James Lane Jr., 3ii. ( (liver Keed, Jj. Samuel Lane. Israel Putnam, Jr. Samuel Bacon. Samuel Davis. F.benezer Page. Tliaddeus Davis. Kdward Stearns. Solomon Stearns. William Page. William ^laxwell. Samuel Meads. rJosiah Upton Samuel ^lerriaiii. Abel Bowman. David Fitch. Al)i.iali Bacon. Zilia Lane. Sampson Hardy. Lemuel Blancliard. Edward Stearns. In Memory of Ca.^^ M m' Jc^^'^^^^ Wi lif^i^j who S' "'l WdS Killed inCcncoyi^ ^ 'jX^2!tiL3 BEDFORD MINUTE MEN. privates. Josiali Davis. Simeon Parker. Joseidi Koss Jabez Carter. John Lane. Joseph Hartwell. Tliomas Bacon. John Fitch. Samuel Lane, Jr. John Lane, Jr. Solomon Lane. Matthew Pollard. Stephen Lane. Job Lane, Jr. Oliver Pollard, Jr. .leremiah Willard. John Reed. Ebenezer Johnson. IMachias Allen. Abraham Merriam. Timothy Page. 1st Lie\itenant, M((SKS AnnoTT. Sergeant, Ciiuistopher Pace. Sergeant, Ei'.enk/.kr Fitch. 2nd Lieutenant, TiMOTllv JoNES. Sergeant, Seth Saultmasii. Sergeant, Asa Fassett. Joseph Meails, .Ir. Reuben Uacou. Moses Fitch. Timothy Johnson. Ephriam Smith. Beniamin Winship. Drummer, (Hiver Bacon, privates. Jabez Russell, flonas (ileason. David Bacon. Obidiah Johnson. David Reed. William Merriam. Kathan Bacon. Nathaniel Page, Jr. Elijah Bacfiii. Nathan Bowman. Asa Uuren. Fifer, Jonas Welcli. This sworn return made by the Lieutenant, some months after the I'Jth, did not include the Captain, who was killed. 8 [George's CamhruJge Almanaclc, for the Year of our Bedeinption, 177<>.] /~\X the I'JtIi of April, 177;"), a day to be remenil)eretl by all Americans of the present generation, and which ought, and doubtless will be, handed down to ages yet unborn, in which the troops of Britain, un- provoked, shed the blood of sundry loyal American subjects of the British King on the field of Lexington. . . . The detachment, seeming to thirst for hlood, wantonly rushed on and first began the hostile scene by firing on this small party, in which they killed eight men on the spot and wounded several others, before any guns were fired upon the troops by our men. . . . Colonel Smith Avith the detachment then proceeded to Concord where a part of the detachment again made the first fire upon some of the inhabi- tants of Concord and the adjacent towns, who Avere 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 (aroused with zeal for the Liberties of their country, finding life and everything dear and valuable at stake) assumed their native valor and returned the fire, and the engagement on both sides began. Soon after which the British troops retreated towards Charlestown (having first committed violence and waste on public and private property). . . . The engagement lasted through the day, many were killed and wounded on each side. "We never saw anything equal to the intrepidity of the Xew England minute men.'" — Lord Percy. "They fought like bears, and I would as soon storm hell as fight them again." — British Soldier. " They poured out their generous blood like water before they knew whether it would fertilize the land of freedom or of bondage." — U'tlMcr. / /'// '// HI' f III, III I J' he Immovtal i^cvoU. APRIL 19, '75. MENOTOMY. LEXINGTON. Nathaniel W y m a n . Jonas Parker. Robert Monroe. Samuel Hadley. Jonathan Harrington. Isaac Muzzy. Caleb Harrington. John Brown. Jedediah Monroe John Raymond. ACTON. Capt. Isaac Davis. Abner Hosmer. James Hayward. BEDFORD. Capt. Jonathan Wilson. WOBURN. Daniel Thompson. Asahel Porter. Jason Russell. Jabez Wyman. Jason Winship. SUDBURY. Josiah Haynes. Asahel Reed. DANVERS. Henry Jacobs. Samuel Cook. Ebenezer Goldthwait. George Southwick. Benjamin Daland. Jotham Webb. Perley Putnam. LYNN. Abednego Ramsdell. William Flint. Thomas Hadley. Daniel Townsend. vmmm\\w\\m\\\m\\m\\m\m ■I.I /////v////////, /"0//I /'■"''" BEVERLEY. Reuben Kennison. SALEM. Benjamin Peirce. CAMBRIDGE. Moses Richardson. John Hicks. William Marcy. NEEDHAM. Lieut. John Bacon. Sergt. Elisha Mills. Amos Mills. Nath'l Chamberlain. Jonathan Parker. DEDHAM. Elias Haven. MEDFORD. Henry Putnam William Polly. BROOKLINE Isaac Gardner. CHARLESTOWN. James Miller. Edward Barber. WATERTOWN. Joseph Coolidge. ^Mmmms:m\m\mmmmKAK ■ AY W//////////// uiiivcisiiy ui v^aiiiuiiiia SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 305 De Neve Drive - Parking Lot 17 • Box 951388 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 Return this material to the library from which It was borrowed. [,^,L^A CR Brovm - „ _ 114 Flag of the '''^^ M3B8 minute men / ^ ^ 'm^y.. ■ ^'i- -;<,i?>^ ^, ^,/, ^^ y ^''^v'y/ ' ^^^^^^^