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und who had formerly commanded the Essex regiment, but had 

 recently been compelled to resign in consequence of his officers 

 refusing to serve under him while he held a scat at the council 

 board.* Sargent had been observed by some of the inhabitants, 

 on the top of his house, near the First Church, and in the 

 vicinity of the Court House, waving a white handkerchief as 

 the troops approached. Colonel Leslie having received from 

 them, as was believed, the necessary information as to the local- 

 ity of the guns, the troops resumed their march in the direction 

 of the North Bridge, obviously anticipating no resistance to the 

 successful fulfilment of the enterprise, their bristling bayonets 

 and martial bearing apparently defying all opposition from 

 peaceful and unarmed citizens. There was now no longer any 

 doubt in the minds of the people as to the real object of this 

 visit, if the " lanterns, hatchets, pickaxes, spades, handspikes 

 and coils of rope," with which the regiment Avere equipped, had 

 not already told the tale. Mason, in all haste, immediately 

 returned to his post on the north side of the bridge to concert 

 further measures to defeat their design. Captain John Felt, 

 in sullen silence, followed close upon the footsteps of Leslie 

 from the moment he left the Court House, The troops, 

 accompanied by a large concourse of the inhabitants, marched 

 through Lynde to North street, and as soon as they came in 

 sight from the Bridge, the northern leaf of the draw was 

 raised to stop their progress beyond this point. The determi- 

 nation of the people to resist Avith firmness and resolution, at 

 the utmost hazard, all attempts of the troops to capture the 

 cannon, was thus made manifest. Among the multitude who 

 accompanied them to the Bridge was the late amiable and 

 highly respected pastor of the North Church, the Reverend 

 Thomas Barnard, f to whom the following lines of the poet 



* See Esses Gazette files, October 25th, and November Ist, 1774. 



f The most obnoxious act committed by any of our citizens, was sing- 

 ing an approbatory address to Governor Hutchinson on his departure 

 from this country, where his tory principles had made it inconvenient 

 for him any longer to reside. It was taken for granted that those who 

 participated in it approved of the recent acts of Parliament so univer- 

 sally and justly odious to all America. Among the number who signed 

 it, inconsiderately, perhaps, was the Reverend Mr. Earnard. In May, 

 1775, he, with eleven others, of the inhabitants came out with a public 

 recantation of the act, and expressed much contrition therefor. Mr. Bar- 

 nard says, " I would request my countrymen to throw the veil of charity 

 and forgiveness over the incautious act which has led them to think 



