R[ichar]d Lechmere autograph letter signed to “Dear Sir”, [April 25, 177]5; Boston, [Province of Massachusetts Bay].

From the collection of Dr. Gary Milan, loaned in memory of Joyce Kliger.

Boston, [April 25, 177]5

Dear Sir

A few days ago I receiv’d yo[ur ve]ry kind Letter / of the 10 January, and intended by this Opportunity to have answer’d / it fully, but am prevented by the very particul[ar]ly unhappy / situation we are thrown into from the menovers of last Monday / night. and subsequent fate of the next Day, as about 11^oClock at / night (Monday) 700 Grenadiers and light Infantry were carried / in Boats to my farm, and order’d to march to Concord in order to / Destroy some magazines of stores that the Rebels had Lodg’d there, / but according to Custom by some means or other they obtaind such / early intelligence of the design, as to remove every thing but a few / Barrells of flour, 5 p^s. Cannon and a Cask of shot, before the Troops / arriv’d, and had assembled a considerable Number of people / under Arms, at Lexington 6 miles this side Concord, at about 6^oC. / the Two Bodys were near each other, the Troops halted, and in / a Minute or Two the Rebels fir’d a single musket, upon this the / Troops gave three cheers Fir’d and immediately Rush’d upon and / drove them into a contiguous wood, in this first onset, they kill’d / 8 Rebels, and proceeded to Concord, and ^{^destroy’d} the Articles above mention’d / without any loss, one man only wounded, Upon their return at / about the same place where they first met, they had Collected / a very large Body together, and a general Attack took place / the Rebels were soon disorderd and obliged to retire to woods / Houses and Barns, Stone Walls &c from whence they pick’d / of many of these Brave Men, who retreated in a regular / manner

[Co]llected at Cambridge and its environs [ ] All communication / [be]tween the Town and Country is stopt, s[ ] in fact, we are / now really a Garrison’d Town, the Rebel C[en]trys are within / Call of the Kings, and are as regularly relieved and we have / not been without our Apprehensions of the lines upon the / Neck being Attackt, the troops have all laid upon their / Arms for these two Nights, you will conceive that those / who went out were faithfully fatigu’d, but not dispirritted, / and seem to long for revenge, thus Dear Sir I have given you the / general Outlines of this fatal day, the beginning of Hostillities / of a Civil War, and when or where it will End God only knows. / The Town is in the Utmost Consternation, not having two days provision / for the Inhabitants, and all the Avenues ^{^for supplies} are cut of and tho its / now Sunday, the Inhabitants are met at Faneuil Hall / to Consult what is best to be done, The Rebel champions all / went out of Town while the provincial congress was sitting, / at Cambridge, so that I fear we shall not have the pleasure / of seeing them strung up, The Army Burnt only two or three / houses on their return, In short they had no expectation of / being Attackt, and did not out properly prepar’d to sustain / an Attack, or to maintain their own Ground, they did not / carry out a Single Biscuit but after the Brigade March’d / Two Waggons of provisions were sent after them one which / over took them, but the other fell into the hands of the / Rebels at Menotomy, guarded by a Sarjeant and twelve