In the Aftermath: April 19–June 12, 1775
In the Aftermath: April 19–June 12, 1775
Immediately following the engagement, both sides sought to help wounded survivors, clarify what exactly had transpired, and disseminate information that would be most advantageous to their own goals. Thomas Gage received reports by officers who had been in the field as well as from informants. Unbeknownst to American revolutionaries, one of Gage’s informants was one of the most well-connected Sons of Liberty, Dr. Benjamin Church.
Dr. Church had been granted permission to pass in and out of Boston each morning, which allowed him to gather information and transport letters. This group of correspondence [ITEM 15] includes items written by members of the prominent Quincy family and Rachel Revere, all of which Benjamin Church surreptitiously handed over to Gage.
![Selection of Letters Turned Over to Thomas Gage by Dr. Benjamin Church, April 22 and late April 1775; Boston and Cambridge, [Province of Massachusetts Bay]. Manuscript Letters](https://clements.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/15.-BloodyWork-Case4_Item1_Cluster-scaled-e1744378588368-876x1024.jpg "15. BloodyWork Case4_Item1_Cluster")
[Item 15]. Selection of Letters Turned Over to Thomas Gage by Dr. Benjamin Church, April 22 and late April 1775; Boston and Cambridge, [Province of Massachusetts Bay]. From the Thomas Gage Papers, American Series.
Access the full letters, transcriptions, and audio recordings here:
Ed[mund] Quincy to John Hancock, April 22, 1775. | Edm[und] Quincy to Dolly Quincy, April 22, 1775. | H[enr]y Quincy to John Sprague, April 22, 1775. | J[ohn] H[omas] to X, April 22, 1775. | R[achel] Revere to Paul Revere, [late April, 1775]
![Page 1 of [Manuscript Lists of the Killed and Wounded at Lexington and Concord, Province of Massachusetts Bay, on April 19, 1775]. Manuscript Document.](https://clements.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/16.1-mss-wclmss001264-document-listing-the-names-of-killed-and-wounded-colonial-men-by-county-pp.1-scaled-e1744388595533.jpg "16.1 mss-wclmss001264-document listing the names of killed and wounded colonial men by county-pp.1")
[Item 16]. [Manuscript Lists of the Killed and Wounded at Lexington and Concord, Province of Massachusetts Bay, on April 19, 1775]. From the Lexington and Concord Collection.
Access the full document, transcription, and audio recording here.
The violence of April 19 left a trail of dead and wounded men stretching from Concord to Cambridge. Any found still breathing were treated by women and medically-trained men. The dead were buried. Provincials gathered details of the killed, wounded, and missing in order to notify families and publicize the “bloody butchery” of the Army and Empire. Seen here is a working draft of a casualty list, divided by town [ITEM 16]. Among the dead is Abner Hosmer of Acton, whose father, Jonathan, anticipated the violence on April 10 (see Case 2: Expecting a Tumult: March–April 17, 1775).
Provincial casualty lists were quickly printed on fliers and posters to foment anger and inspire solidarity against the Royal government and military. Newspapers, such as the New Hampshire Gazette and Historical Chronicle [ITEM 17] similarly scrambled for news of the events and offered spins on the information. On April 21, reports of the violence were headlined “Bloody News.” Black borders on the issue of April 28 indicate mourning.
[Item 17]. The New-Hampshire Gazette, and Historical Chronicle, vol. XIX, nos. 965 and 966, April 21 and April 28, 1775. These papers belonged to the Hon. Enoch Freeman of Falmouth.
Access the full document, transcription, and audio recording here.
Following the bloody work of April 19, 1775, irreconcilable lines were drawn and war began. The Massachusetts Provincial Congress resolved on May 5 that colonists no longer owed obedience to the Governor’s writs, proclamations, or doings [ITEM 18]; and Thomas Gage implemented martial law in the colony with his June 12 proclamation [ITEM 19]. In it, Gage offered full pardon to anyone not joining in the rebellion–except John Hancock and Samuel Adams.
![Page 1 of Massachusetts Provincial Congress, In Provincial Congress, Watertown, May 5, 1775... [Watertown, Mass.: Printed and sold by Benjamin Edes, 1775]. Printed Broadside.](https://clements.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/18-mss-wclmss000793-may-5-1775-address-pp.1-scaled.jpg "18 - mss-wclmss000793-may 5, 1775 address-pp.1")
[Item 18]. Massachusetts Provincial Congress, In Provincial Congress, Watertown, May 5, 1775… [Watertown, Mass.: Printed and sold by Benjamin Edes, 1775]. From the Thomas Gage Papers, American Series.
Access the full document, transcription, and audio recording here.
![Page 1 of Thomas Gage, By His Excellency, the Hon. Thomas Gage, Esq… [Boston: Margaret Draper, 1775]. Printed Proclamation](https://clements.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/19.1-0013137a.jpg "19.1 0013137a")
[Item 19]. Thomas Gage, By His Excellency, the Hon. Thomas Gage, Esq… [Boston: Margaret Draper, 1775]. From the Thomas Gage Papers, American Series.
Access the full document, transcription, and audio recording here.
