| |
In June, 1774, Thomas Gage royal Governor and Commander-in-Chief of British forces in North America, came to live in Danvers, and was joined in July by two companies of the Sixty-fourth Regiment of Foot
On June 20, 1774, John Adams, while staying at Danvers's Piemont tavern wrote of his dream of a Congress,
There is a new and grand scene before me; a congress. There will be an assemble of the wisest men upon the Continent, who are Americans in principle, that is against the taxation of Americans by authority of Parliament.…
In early 1775, Danvers had a populations of approximately 2,200. The town militia was made up of three companies of foot, which were attached to the First Essex County Regiment. In January 1775, Town Meeting voted to "encourage one-quarter part of the Train Band Soldiers of this town to enlist as minutemen." Soon the three militia companies were augmented by three alarm list and three minute companies, with a combined number of about 300 men.
On February 26, 1775, General Gage sent Col. Alexander Leslie with two companies of the 64th regiment to capture some cannon which were being outfitted in Salem. As the British marched towards Salem from Marblehead, the alarm was spread and Danvers, upon hearing of the British march, raced in arms to Salem, arriving just as the British were turning around to leave Salem without the cannon.
On April 19, 1775, Danvers was alarmed of the British march at about 9:00 in the morning. Soon drums, alarm shots, and church bells were sending the nine Danvers companies to their mustering points. The Danversites were soon on the road, at times almost at a run, going through present-day Lynn, Saugus, revere, Malden, Medford, and finally reaching Arlington, then known as Menotomy, at about 2:00 in the afternoon. Many of the me had traversed the twenty-mile distance in a little over four hours.
Companies commanded by Captains Israel Hutchinson and Gideon Foster, gathered in and around the yard of Jason Russell and opened fire upon the retreating British column returning from Lexington. British flankers caught many of the men in a pincer movement; and in t he ensuing fierce fight, Danvers lost seven killed, several wounded, and one captured. Further along the road, other Danversites reaped a vengeful harvest upon the retreating British. Danvers, which had traveled the furthest of any other town that saw action that day, suffered the most casualties, save for Lexington itself. Soon Danversites joined the Provincial Army encircling Boston; and many residents of the town saw conspicuous service in the six years following. |
|
