114 



tlirill of confidence was felt through the -whole multitude. Tlie 

 people saw at once that he was just the man for the present 

 emergency, and with unanimous, though tacit consent, looked 

 to him as their leader in any movement which should be made 

 for the further defence of the bridge. He was the spirit on 

 whom the crowd now depended. How far such language 

 induced Colonel Leslie to use a praiseworthy forbearance 

 cannot be determined ; but had the command to fire been en- 

 forced, probably not a man of that whole regiment would have 

 escaped death, and the first bloody battle of the Revolution 

 would have been fought at the North Bridge, on the 26th of 

 February, instead of the 19th of April, at Lexington. The 

 English account published at the time, stated that the Colonel 

 ' ' was not prevented from giving any orders he should have 

 thought necessary by the threat of the townsman." However 

 this may be, the order was not repeated, and "the company 

 neither faced nor fired." 



A desire not to irritate the troops generally prevailed, never- 

 theless it was impossible to control the exasperated feelings and 

 reckless daring of some of the citizens, who raised their voices 

 amid the din of bayonets to anathematize their oppressors, and 

 several acts of determined bravery and .defiance were exhibited 



by them on the occasion. A citizen, named , who was 



upon the leaf of the draw, cried out in a stentorian voice, " Sol- 

 die?^s, red jackets, lobster coats, cowards, da — na — n to your 

 government .' " A threat being made to those on th,e leaf if 

 they did not desist in their jeers and opprobrious language they 

 should be fired upon, one of them called out, " fire, and be 



d d ! "* It was an extremely cold day, and the soldiers 



by a quick march from Marblehead became quite heated, 

 and in the exposed situation where they now stood, th.e 

 perspiration was so suddenly checked, that they trembled 

 violently with the cold, when a man named Teague, who was 

 also one of the daring spirits on the leaf, jeered them by 

 saying, " I should think you were all fiddlers, you shake so." 



It was at this time low water, and three gondolas lay aground 

 on the west side of the bridge. Apprehensive they might be used 

 by Colonel Leslie for the purpose of transporting his forces to 

 the other side, as soon as they were afloat, Ca^in Felt to whom 

 one of them belonged, recommended they should be scut- 



The late Captain Josliua Ward. 



