Lenoir Rhyne College - Hacawa Yearbook (Hickory, NC)

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The events of April 19, 1775, ushered a new order into America. The cautious, the moderate, the conservative elementsjoined with the extreme and the liberal to form acommon bond. They promised to defend each other with their lives and their fortunes. The War had begun! Soon the colonies of North and South Carolina were raising money and troops to join the cause. The most immediate action, however, came from Massachusetts ' northern neighbors: from Con- necticut, Israel Putnam brought 3,000 men, in- cluding the Governor ' s own foot guards led by Benedict Arnold: Rhode Island sent troops com- manded by handsome Nathaniel Green; New Hampshire sent the old Indian fighter Colonel John Stark with a force of rugged men. By mid-May these new troops formed the New England Army. In Boston General Gage waited patiently and passively for the hour of conflict. It came on May 10, 1775, with an assault on old Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, assisted by Benedict Arnold and some Connecticut troops, quickly overran the small British garrison; al- though the fort itself was situated on a useless piece of land, within lay a vast array of artillery. June 17, 1775, the first major encounter between British and American forces occurred above Charlestown, across the river from Boston. The Americans intended to entrench on Bunker Hill, but, in the dark, they mistakenly dug into Breed ' s Hill, a position closer to the water and therefore to the British gunboats. Later it was called The Battle of Bunker Hill, even though little fighting took place there. 13m nd to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing itspowe

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The Minutemen waiting in the grey dawn along the road into Concord had just received the news of Lexington Green when they saw the approach of the scarlet-coated British troops. The Ameri- cans withdrew to a hill to watch the British move into Concord. Major Pitcairn ordered the troops to secure the town and search for hidden arms. Three companies were sent to hold the North Bridge. From the hill the Americans saw smoke and presumed the town was being put to the torch. They marched on to North Bridge. This time there was no doubt who fired the first shot. In defense of the bridge, the British fired a charge of volleys; the first American to be killed at Concord was Issac Davis. The fire was most accurately returned, and soon the British were routed. As they began falling back, fresh patriots were arriving from distant places to replace others who ran out of powder and went home. Considering the number of shots fired, the casu- alties were relatively few; only 72 soldiers were killed of the more than 2,000 men who had been fired upon. Old North Church the least. All night long the sounds of bells ringing in the distance and men running through the woods kept them on edge. Arriving in the early morning on Lexington Green under the com- mand of Captain John Pitcairn, the British troops faced two companies of Minutemen commanded by Captain John Parker. The situation was not promising for the Ameri- cans, so Captain Parker ordered his troops to disband. Major Pitcairn, meanwhile, ordered his men to form a line but on no account to fire or even attempt it without orders. Who fired the first shot will never be known, but after the skirmish was over, 8 American patriots lay dead. The remaining militia scattered and the British marched on to Concord. Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish i

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Yes, we must indeed all hang together or most assuredly we shall all hang separately. Benjamin Franklin 1776 %ti -, iAt»rt, Poor planning also sent them with no provisions for food or extended ammunition. Early in the morning General Gage ordered the gunboats to lay seige to the Hill. After an all morning shelling, the city of Charlestown was ablaze, and even seasoned troops would have been justified in giving ground. The green American troops re- mained, however, forcing the British troops to cross the Charles River and begin a frontal assault. Three times the Americans repelled the attack; finally, having spent their ammunition, they re- treated across the small neck of the Peninsula to the safety of the mainland. It had been a costly lesson for the British; of the 2,300 men in the assault, 1,054 were dead or wounded. Had the British chosen to cut off the retreat route, it would have been a costly blow to the American cause; however, governed as they were by the gentlemanly tradition of warfare they had known in countless wars with the French, the English chose instead to gallantly assault the en- trenched Americans from the front. As a result, the British marched with honor to defeat. If vic- tory was ever to be theirs, English generals would have to alter their tactics. On the same day in Philadelphia the Second Continental Congress also made history. John Adams presented before the delegates his Grand Plan for a Continental Army, consisting of sol- diers from every colony. He went on to nominate Colonel George Washington as its commanding general. Discussion lasted two days before Thomas Jeffer- son, presiding that day as head of the Congress, was asked to inform George Washington, Esq. of the unanimous vote ... to be Commanding Gen- eral and Commander-in-Chief of the forces to be raised in defense of American liberty. Washington, concerned about his inexperience with such an extensive and important trust, accepted the responsibility with humility and some reservation. As no pecuniary considera- tion could have tempted me to have accepted this arduous employment . . ., ' he stated, I do not wish to make a profit from it. The Congress made one final effort in July, 1775, to settle the differences between the Crown and the colonies. The Olive Branch petition, as it was called, was signed by 25 of the same men who a year later would sign the Declaration of Inde- pendence. King George refused to see the bearer of this document, William Penn ' s grandson, Richard. rs in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, i