"I, John Robins, being of lawful age, do testify and say that, on the 19th instant, the company under the command of Captain John Parker, being drawn up (some time before sunrise) on the green or common, and I being in the front rank, there suddenly appeared a number of the king's troops, about a thousand, as I thought, at the distance of about sixty or seventy yards from us, huzzaing, and on a quick pace toward us, with three officers in their front on horseback, and on full gallop toward us, the foremost of which cried, 'Throw down your arms, ye villains, ye rebels!' upon which said company dispersing, the foremost of the three officers ordered their men, saying, 'Fire, by God! fire!' at which moment we received a very heavy and close fire from them; at which instant, being wounded, I fell, and several of our men were shot dead by me. Captain Parker's men, I believe, had not then fired a gun. And further the deponent saith not.

"We, Benjamin Tidd, of Lexington, and Joseph Abbot, of Lincoln, in the county of Middlesex, and colony of Massachusetts Bay, in New England, of lawful age, do testify and declare that, on the morning of the 19th of April instant, about five o'clock, being on Lexington common, and mounted on horses, we saw a body of regular troops marching up to the Lexington company, which was then dispersing. Soon after, the regulars fired, first, a few guns, which we took to be pistols from some of the regulars who were mounted on horses, and then the said regulars fired a volley or two before any guns were fired by the Lexington company; our horses immediately started, and we rode off. And further say not.

The Military Journals of Two Private Soldiers, 1758-1775 — Part 54

"We, Nathaniel Mullokin, Philip Russell, Moses Harrington, jun., Thomas and Daniel Harrington, William Grimes, William Tidd, Isaac Hastings, Jonas Stone, jun., James Wyman, Thaddeus Harrington, John Chandler, Joshua Reed, jun., Joseph Simonds, Phineas Smith, John Chandler, jun., Reuben Cock, Joel Viles, Nathan Reed, Samuel Tidd, Benjamin Lock, Thomas Winship, Simeon Snow, John Smith, Moses Harrington the 3d, Joshua Reed, Ebenezer Parker, John Harrington, Enoch Willington, John Hornier, Isaac Green, Phineas Stearns, Isaac Durant, and Thomas Headley, jun., all of lawful age, and inhabitants of Lexington, in the county of Middlesex, and colony of the Massachusetts Bay, in New England, do testify and declare, that, on the 19th of April instant, about one or two o'clock in the morning, being informed that several officers of the regulars had, the evening before, been riding up and down the road, and had detained and insulted the inhabitants passing the same; and also understanding that a body of regulars were marching from Boston toward Concord, with intent (as it was supposed) to take the stores, belonging to the colony, in that town, we were alarmed, and having met at the place of our company's parade, were dismissed by our captain, John Parker, for the present, with orders to be ready to attend at the beat of the drum. We further testify and declare, that, about five o'clock in the morning, hearing our drum beat, we proceeded toward the parade, and soon found that a large body of troops were marching toward us. Some of our company were coming up to the parade, and others had reached it, at which time the company began to disperse. While our backs were turned on the troops, we were fired on by them, and a number of our men were instantly killed and wounded. Not a gun was fired by any person in our company on the regulars, to our knowledge, before they fired on us, and they continued firing until we had all made our escape.

The Military Journals of Two Private Soldiers, 1758-1775 — Part 54