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(as soon as the people luul gone to meeting,) the ilccks •were 

 covered ■with soldiers, 'who had been secreted under llic Jiatches. 

 Having loaded their muskets and fixed their bayonets, they 

 landed in great dispatch, and instantly marched off. Some 

 of the inhabitants, suspecting they were bound for Salem, dis- 

 patched several messengers to inform us of it." Colonel Leslie 

 took the precaution to land his men at Homan's Cove, upon 

 Marblehead Neck, the most retired spot he could well find, in the 

 hope that this circumstance, taken in connection with the fact 

 of its being the hour of public worship, would shield him from 

 discovery, and prevent an alarm. In this, however, he was 

 mistaken. No sooner had the troops began to land, than the 

 alarm was sounded in the town by a drummer, Avho ran to the 

 door of the churcli and beat the alarm signal, previously agreed 

 upon, at the appearance of any danger. Since the intention of 

 Governor Gage to disarm the colonists had become generally 

 known, they had been constantly on the alert, knowing that the 

 subversion of this scheme depended upon their being vigilant, 

 and closely watching the military in all their movements. The 

 troops were soon observed coming out of Neck-Lane in single 

 file, form upon Bubier's plain, and march in double quick 

 time in the direction of Salem, their music playing " Yankee 

 Doodle' ' by way of derision. Nothing could have been more inju- 

 dicious than this selection of a landing place ; it showed an entire 

 ignorance or misconceptionof the temper and spirit of the inhab- 

 itants of the whole Bay, and particularly of Marblehead. 

 More ardent lovers of liberty, more devoted friends to the 

 interests of their country, or more bitter enemies to the arbi- 

 trary power exercised by Great Britain over her colonies, could 

 no where be found throughout the length and breadth of the 

 whole land. It would have been impossible to select any class 

 of men with souls more completely devoted to the welfare of their 

 country. The hardy sons of the ocean, who formed a majority of 

 the inhabitants, had acquired from the nature of their employ- 

 ment, that which is almost inseparable from the usual character 

 of seamen, — great self reliance and indomitable independence. 

 Marblehead had stood shoulder to shoulder with Salem and 

 Boston, against all the oppressive measures recently imposed by 

 the mother country. Meetings of the inhabitants had been 

 repeatedly held to express their abhorrence of the course now 

 pursued by their common enemies. She was among the first 

 to join the " Grand Union for the Salvation op Ameri- 

 can Liberty," in May of the preceding year. In a letter of 



