"The shot heard around the world - the Lexington clash" Topic

Hi all,

I am trying to piece together the patchy accounts of the opening clash and am somewhat confused!

Would I be right to think that the *only* British LI companies that were actually involved in the opening shots against Parker's militiamen were the 4th and 10th Regiments' companies, led on by Lt Adair of the Marines? These were the guys who formed the advanced guard, and who filed to the *right* of the meetinghouse as they entered Lexington. (Pitcairn seems to have brought up the rest of the LI, filing to the *left* of the meetinghouse.)

If it was only Adair's two LI coys that were involved in the brief firefight with Parker's men, surely that'd be only 60 or so guys? i.e., just fewer than Parker had with him, if he still had his 70-80 militia on the common.

Right, or wrong?

Cheers all,
Redcoat

An interesting webpage (nothing to do with me,I might add), with a fascinating theory about the opening shots:

redcoat.me.uk/Secrets.htm

So, Sam Adams read Saul Alinsky's "Ruled for Radicals"?

webpage called eye witness to history has a few accounts of those who were there.

American link

British link

Does it matter for war gaming?

Run it the way you think most accurate.

Edit: Or is there a political agenda here? Some post factual justification?

Yes, Sam Adams was a mix of good and bad and very self-serving. A lot like many past and modern political leaders. Andrew Jackson is my "favorite" white washed scoundrel but then my father was a 'mixed blood' Cherokee.

Although David Hackett Fischer has Adair leading the light companies I could not find a first person account for saying this. In fact Sutherland in his account mentions "…a little after this I mounted a horse I had, and Mr. Adair went into a chaise…" when asked about this Fischer said that he had Adair leading on the green because he was a marine and Pitcairn would have put a fellow marine in command. In other words he made a guess that is not supported by first person accounts.

@MuteBystander

Does it matter for war gaming? Run it the way you think most accurate. Edit: Or is there a political agenda here? Some post factual justification?

?!? I would like to know, as far as possible accurately, what happened on Lexington Green. That's what I thought the study of history was all about? Or am I in danger of interfering with some kind of cherished mythology?

@B6GOBOS
That's very useful and very interesting, thanks mate. This kind of 'embroidering' seems to happen depressingly often with secondary works that deal with this period.

One of the accounts you want to look at is Captain William Souter. He commanded the marine light company. Not in front of me as I am at work. But he has lots of interesting details. Souter mentions the march formation was column of platoons (ie company divided into two platoons which marched one behind the other). I found ths interesting as some of the lexington militia mentioned the british fired by platoons. Also Souter said his company was third from the van and was not yet on the green when firing broke out. I found the account in the Allen French papers at Minute Man national historian park . Dr. Terry Wallace should be able to get you a copy if you write/email/call the park..
also check out Debernier's account. He mention the lexington men drawn up in two divisions with about a divisions space between them. I took this siteto mean a group on the green and another group off the green (by Buckman's tavern??). When you read the first person accounts rather then what modern writers said they think happened it's much more interesting.

Even if only two companies of British troops deployed on Lexington Green, that does not mean they were the only British troops "involved" in the opening shots. The balance of Smith's force was advancing onto the scene. Their presence was most likely known to Parker and his command.