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of the juftness of their cause, and are endowed with equal bodily ftrength, a little practice in arms will render them as courageous as others; and in proportion as they parfue the ideas of juftice and true liberty, their courage will be more steady, rational, and deliberate. People often mistake madness and fury for courage, when, through the heat of paffion, they rifk their lives for what neither their reafon nor confcience can approve; and often neceffity paffes under the fame appellation; when men are obliged, by the force of command, to venture their lives one way, other: wife they will be taken from them in another. Neither of thefe deferve the name of true courage, for both of them may be found in other animals as well as in man: Juftice is the foundation of courage; all other exertions of force is violence and madness. There are

fome fpecies of courage like that of the gentleman who faid he would chearfully go to hell, provided he could obtain the ruin of a clafs of people he greatly abhorred.-This was daring courage, and wrought up to a great pitch.

This unfortunate beginning of the American war was not attended with so great loss of men on either fide as might have been expected from the length, irregularity, and variety of the engagement. This must be attributed to the provincials having few men at first, and to their afterwards being kept at a distance by the cannon of the king's troops. His majesty's forces, as is natural to fuppofe, fuffered most upon this occafion; though it is not eafy to afcertain the number of killed and wounded in this unfortunate expedition. According to the nearest and best calculation that has yet been given, of the king's troops there were killed, wounded, and taken, 273. Of thefe 65 were killed, 2 lieutenants, and above 20 private men were taken

prifoners;

prifoners; and Colonel Smith, with another lieutenantcolonel, and feveral officers were wounded. According to the provincial accounts, which gave the names and places of abode of those who fell on their fide, their lofs in killed and wounded, including thofe that were killed in the morning at Lexington, amounted only to about 60, of which near two-thirds were killed.

By the best accounts, there were near 2000 of the beft troops in his majefty's fervice, that were at this time ftationed at Bolton, employed in this expedition. The event proved to a demonstration, how ill informed many people at home were, who affirmed, that 500. men would force their way through the whole continent of America, and the fight of a grenadier would be fufficient to put the whole American army to flight, Such idle and unguarded affertions, even after this unfortunate expedition, were frequently uttered by the friends of the government, as they called themfelves; and the cowardice of the provincials was still infifted on, by perfons who either through ignorance or prejudice, were, difpofed to perfift in their mistake.

After this expedition was over, each party charged the other with the moft inhuman acts of cruelty. This has always been common in civil wars, and on fuch occafions it is not easy to afcertain the exact point of truth on either fide. Sometimes the worst part of the charge is too true, which is no argument in favour of the purity of human nature. On this occafion both parties were no doubt ready to give ftrong colourings to the conduct and tranfactions of each other, and to exaggerate their actions and their criminality. The colonists were charged by the king's troops of being guilty of the most fhocking barbarity to the foldiers that fell into their hands; whereas, fome

officers

officers and men, who were wounded and taken prifoners, gave public teftimonials of the humanity with which they were treated. And the provincial commanders fent an offer to General Gage, to admit his furgeons to come and drefs his wounded men.

The colonists, on the other hand, charged the troops with killing the old and infirm, the unarmed and the wounded; with burning houses, and plundering every thing that came in the way. Confidering

the character of soldiers in these modern times, this is pot at all unlikely; for though in our army there are both officers and common men that have honour and humanity, yet there are fuch a great number of officers that are mere foldiers of fortune, and common men collected from the dregs of mankind, that it is next to impoffible to restrain them from evil when it is in the power of their hands to do it. It would have been a greater wonder if no fuch cruelties had happened, than that they should have fallen out in the time of action, when fuch a number of wicked people were concerned. But this is more to be imputed to the impoffibility of restraining bad men in the time of ac, tion, than to the intentions of government, or of the principal commanders in the army, There is no doubt that the provincials would be ready to give ftrong colourings to every appearance of feverity, which the troops might proceed to, from the confideration that they were in a state of rebellion. We must therefore, after examining all circumftances, determine according to the nearest degree of certainty, or the highest degree of probability,

This affair at Concord put the whole province in motion, and alfo alarmed the whole continent of America. All New-England was now almost in arms; for although a fufficient number were affembled to

inveft the king's troops in Boston, it was with difficulty that those who were haftily marching from different parts, could be prevailed upon to return to their refpective places of abode. Every road that directed

General

to Boston was crouded with men in armour, marching to the affiftance of their friends in diftrefs. Washington, with the Virginia horfe and riflemen, were marching from the fouth, the New-Hampshire troops and rangers advancing by two ways from the north, and thofe of Connecticut and Rhode-Island were posting from the fouth by another way. Along with thefe laft were a company of artillery, and waggons with stores and provifions. The body of militia affembled in the province of Maffachufett's-Bay before the arrival of the troops from the other provinces, amounted to near 20,000, under the command of the Generals Ward, Pribble, Heath, Prefcot, and Thomas. These gentlemen were before only colonels, but now acted in the capacity of generals; who, having fixed their head quarters at Cambridge, feven miles north-west from Boston, formed a line of encampment, which on the right extended to Roxbury, towards the fouth about the fame distance from Boston as Cambridge; on the south west, along the fide of Charles' River, oppofite to Watertown, about ten miles from Boston; and on the north, along the fide of Mystic River, near to the fame distance from the town. The distance between the points was very near thirty miles. These were joined by General Putnam, an old officer, who had acquired exprience and reputation in the two laft wars. He encamped, with a body of Connecticut forces, in fuch a fituation as to be ready to fupport those who were before the town.

The affair of Concord and Lexington greatly ex. elted the indignation of the other colonies, and they LII

prepared

enemy. had

prepared for war with as much zeal as if an already appeared at their doors. It was a circumstance which gave fpirit to the reft of the colonies, that the militia of New-England had been able to make fuch a good defence, and in a manner even beat the king's troops; this was reported and published with great exultation, and it muit be allowed that it was an event that neither themfelves, nor any others, expected to have fallen cut at that time. Thofe who fell in the action were lamented with deep concern, and honoured not only as patriots, but as martyrs for the cause of liberty, who had nobly facrificed their lives for the freedom of their country, and died like heroes in that great caufe. The cruelties and outrages of the king's forces were now painted in fuch a light at the funerals of those who were flain in this action, that the fpeeches and reports which were made, however justly or unjustly founded, produced a great effect, and encreased like a violent flame throughout the whole continent.

The provincial congrefs, which was now removed to Watertown, drew up an addrefs to the inhabitants of Great Britain, in which they stated the most material particulars that related to the engagement at Concord, and endeavoured to thew that hoftilities were firft begun by theking's troops, and that blood was first shed at Lexington by the regular forces. They alfo complain of the ravages committed by the troops in their retreat, and feem to place much confidence in the honour, wildom, and valour of Britons, from which they expect their interference in preventing meafures which they reprefent as equally ruinous to the mother country and the colonies. They also made great profeffions of their loyalty, but at the fame time declare, that they will not tamely fubmit to the tyranny of a cruel miniftry and they appeal to heaven, that they

are

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