Captain John Manley; Second in Rank in the United States Navy, 1776-1783 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1915 Excerpt: ...military stores at Concord, did not terminate so peaceably. In the gray of early morn, on April 19, a force of some eight hundred British soldiers appeared on the Green at Lexington, and before they had pushed on for Concord shots had been exchanged and a war initiated. The diary of Lieutenant P. F. Thorne of the King's Own (Fourth Foot), says: "We marched into the Town after taking possession of a Hill with a Liberty Pole on it and a flag flying, which was cut down; the Yankies had that Hill but left it to us; we expected they wou'd have made a stand there, but they did not chuse it." Later in the day, about noon, headed by Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith of the Tenth, and Major Pitcairn of the Marines, was commenced that long and disastrous retreat, that Chevy Chase of the American Revolution, which terminated only at Charlestown with the setting sun. Lieutenant Thorne, before quoted, states under date of May 1: "The Rebels have erected the Standard at Cambridge; they call themselves the King's Troops and us the Parliaments. Pretty Burlesque " Soon after this, the Committee of Association for the City and County of New York, in addressing Lieutenant-Governor Colden, state that they "view with inexpressible horror the bloody Standard erected in the Eastern part of the Connecticut Colonies," which seems to indicate that the "red flag of defiance" waved over the besieging host which had soon collected around the town of Boston. That any such flag was carried or waved over the American works on Breed's Hill, June 17, lacks positive proof; some would say that the battle there was fought about the old New England flag--a blue flag, in the upper left-hand corner a red St.George's cross on a white square, with a green tree...