"They came three thousand miles and died..."

 

   If there is a single date in American history that is familiar to everyone, it is April 19, 1775.  Either through Longfellow 's poem about Paul Revere's Ride, or Emerson's "Shot Heard Round the World", or as the day that started America's War for Independence it is still remembered.  Close to a million visitors a year come to Concord Massachusetts to visit the reconstructed North Bridge and Daniel Chester French's Minute Man statue.  Most also pause by the humble grave of the British soldiers killed at the bridge to read the haunting beautiful words of James Russell Lowell;

                 " They came three thousand miles and died,

                    To keep the past soon it's throne;

                    Unheard beyond the ocean tide,

                     Their English mother have her moan. "

    But the question, how many are buried there and what were their names is unanswered.  In this short article I will attempt to answer that question.

   The British column that came to Concord marched from Boston about 1:00 in the morning of April 19, 1775.  Made up of ten companies of Light Infantry and eleven companies of Grenadiers, about 600 to 700 men, they were to destroy the munitions and supplies gathered by the Provincial Congress in Concord.  The march had been uneventful until the British advanced guard arrived in Lexington.  There shots were exchanged with the Lexington Militia company;  eight militia men were killed and ten others wounded.  The British pushed on and arrived at concord about 7:30 AM.  There the majority of troops set about destroying the supplies they could locate.  Seven light infantry companies, commanded by Captain Lawrence Parson of the 10th Regiment were sent to secure the North Bridge and search Colonel James Barrett's house for supplies.  Captain  Parson dropped off three companies to hold the bridge and took the remaining four companies of the force to Colonel Barrett's house.  Captain Walter Laurie of the 43rd Light Infantry company commanded the small force at the bridge consisting of his own company as well as those  of the 4th and 10th light infantry companies.

Colonel James Barrett House

  During this time the Concord companies of Militia and Minute Men, joined by the Lincoln Minute Men company had left the town, crossed the bridge and retired to a hill one mile north of the bridge.  There they soon received reinforcements as both individuals and complete companies arrived from neighboring towns.  About 9:00 A.M. Feeling strong enough with about 450 men, and wishing to learn more about what was happening in the town they marched towards the bridge.  On a hillside overlooking the bridge referred to as the "muster field " they halted and waited. From here they could observe the British at the bridge and see the roofs of Concord.   The British 10th company retired down the hill from the muster field to join the 4th at the road junction to Barrett's farm.  Both companies soon retired to the North bridge.  Captain Laurie sent for reinforcements to assist his 90 - 100 soldiers.  The colonists were concerned about what was happening in town;  Laurie with how to handle the overwhelming numbers against him.

   Rising over the town of concord, easily seen from the muster field was a cloud of smoke. What the colonists could not know was this was from some cannon carriages that were being burned.  They thought it was the town that was being burned.  Forming the troops into two divisions;  Minute Men companies in front, and Militia companies following the colonists marched down towards the bridge in a silent, disciplined column. Captain Laurie first deployed his command on the west bank with his back to the bridge.  Then, as the colonists drew closer he ordered his command to retire by divisions to the eastern side of the bridge placing the bridge between him and the advancing enemy.  Conflicting accounts prevent us from knowing exactly what happened next.  It seems possible that the British skirmishers along the banks opened fire with a scattered fire that killed two men from Acton leading the column.  Both sides then fired, with the British suffering heavy casualties.  and then breaking and running back towards the town.  About half the colonists pursed for a short distance before retiring back up towards the muster field to rejoin the rest of the command.  Captain Parson and his companies arrived at the bridge about an hour after the fight and recrossed  with no incident.  About 12:00 the British left concord to return to Boston. A trip that would see a running fight from concord to Charlestown before the day was finished.

North Bridge fight diorama.

    How many British soldiers were killed, what company did they come from and who were they?

   Ensign Lister, attached to the 10th company thought that "4 men of the 4th" were killed.  Captain Laurie if the 43rd and Lieutenant Baker of the 4th both states three killed.  General Thomas Gage , in letters to Governor's Trumbull and Dunmore stated "...killed three men...". Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith, in command of the expedition in his report to Gage said that "...they scalped and otherwise ill treated one or two of the men who were either killed or severely wounded... "  Lieutenant William Sutherland, a volunteer from the 38th Regiment who participated at the fight stated that there were two killed at the bridge;  but thought they had been with him in the field to the left of the bridge.   Although they were not at the bridge fight, being with Captain Parson on the march to Barrett's Captain John Battier of the 5th light company wrote down the observation of a corporal and four privates from his company.  When they marched over the bridge after the fight they saw a dead man from the 4th light company who had been mutilated.

   What can we deduce from the available evidence?  Lister was the only one to say four men were killed.  He wrote long after the event from memory, and was severely wounded.  So the number of men dead might have been a slip of memory.  Sutherland thought two were killed.  He had also been wounded at the bridge, and might have been thinking of only those left behind when the command routed.  He suggests but never states for certain they might have come from the 43rd, who were assigned to the flanks.  Yet Captain Battier supports Lister's statement that the dead came from the 4th.  Both Smith and Sutherland thought two were left at the bridge.  Unfortunately Battier does not confirm this, as he was concerned only about the state of one of the bodies.  Smith, as commander probably talked the matter over with all the officers present, and put together that two men were killed and probably left at the bridge and the third died later in town.  That the dead came from the 4th makes sense because they were the company in the front position facing the Colonists.

   The pay rolls for the 4th Regiment of Foot are in existence.  The roll closest to April 19th is dated 24 April.   In the light infantry company four men are listed as having been killed in 19 April; privates Thomas Smith, Patrick Gray, James Hall and James Marr.  Interestingly, James Marr as a prisoner in Concord give a deposition to the Provincial Congress dated April 24, 1775.   He is not in Boston when the roll is taken, but is a prisoner.  He might have been wounded when taken prisoner, or used the chance to "go over the hill.". No matter, he's alive as if April 24.  As our sources suggest three men from the 4th light infantry company were killed, with two of them being buried at the bridge and one in the town center of Concord it appears that our mystery is as close to being solved as can be with the little information on hand at this late date.  Privates Thomas Smith, Patrick Gray and James Hall were killed at the bridge fight with two of them buried at the bridge and the other in a unmarked grave somewhere in Concord.  

In 2002 the National Park Service placed grave markets at all know locations along the Battle Road where British soldiers were buried.  My job was to research possible locations.   This paper was part of this research.

Note:  copyright @ by Mark Nichipor