The Minute Boys of Boston

All this which I have set down passed through my mind as does a flash of lightning across a darkened sky, and meantime we were forging toward the schooner, while the second sloop was being got under way more leisurely, swinging around in such position that we remained between her and the Britishers.

By this time it was possible to see clearly those who stood on the schooner's deck, and, as nearly as I could judge, that mass of red which showed amid-ships was made up of no less than twenty soldiers, all fully armed, and with the sunlight glistening upon bayonet and buckle until it seemed as if each piece of metal was throwing off a tiny jet of flame.

Nearer and nearer did we draw to this danger, while the other sloop was creeping around to northward, ready to take advantage of the southerly breeze when we had put ourselves into position to prevent pursuit on the part of the Britishers, and in the meanwhile Silas, Harvey and Hiram were bringing ammunition into the cabin, distributing among the Minute Boys a generous supply of powder and balls.

I believe that no more than two hundred yards separated our sloop from the schooner when Hiram said in a low tone, but one which thrilled me to the marrow:

"If we would aid the Cause, lads, now has come the time when each must stand to his musket without sign of fear, whatever may be in his heart. There is no chance a fight can be avoided, unless so be you are willing to show the white feather by turning tail. Remember that not every British bullet finds its billet, for the king's men are known to be mighty poor marksmen, however soldierly their appearance. When the scrimmage opens, set about the work of shooting down those who have come to oppress us yet more bitterly, as if you were firing at squirrels. Don't waste your shot; but take careful aim. Now let each lad conceal himself as best he may under the rail so that no more than his head and arms be exposed to view."

This little speech heartened me wonderfully, as I know it did many of the other lads, because their faces brightened and they clutched their muskets with a certain show of determination which told that they would do their best to obey the command.

We made our preparations as Hiram had suggested, and were none too soon in gaining the protection of the rail, for before he who was our leader had made any move toward screening himself, a volley of bullets came whistling over our heads.

The aim of the Britishers was poor, for not a missile came within ten feet of the deck, but the jib and mainsail looked like a sieve.

Then I shouted to Hiram that he should obey his own command and get behind the rail.

"Some one must steer the sloop lest we fail of putting her in such a position that our consort may go free. Get to your work since the lobster backs have opened the game, and let them see what kind of marksmen are the Minute Boys of Boston. Now then, lads, fire as you please so that you take steady aim!"

I believe it was Harvey Pearson who first discharged his musket, and I saw a red-coat reel back, his arm, which had been raised to charge his musket, falling heavily at his side.

Then came our answer to the opening fire, the sharp crackle of musketry seemingly running the whole length of the port rail, and on the instant the compact mass of red was shrunken, with here and there gaps which told that more than one had been stretched upon the deck.

After having emptied my gun, and while recharging it, I turned ever so slightly to look at our consort, which was now edging away to the westward, we having come so far up on the enemy's quarter that he could not have turned in pursuit without running afoul of us.

Now as to what was done in particular during the next ten minutes or more I cannot rightly set down, because so great was my excitement and so intense the fever which had come upon me after the first volley, while the acrid odor of burning powder assailed my nostrils, that I hardly know what I myself did.

I was like unto one in the delirium of fever; it seemed as if there was a red veil before my eyes; I loaded and discharged my musket, taking aim as best I could, rapidly until the barrel of the weapon was so hot that I threw it on the deck, running into the cabin to get from the spare weapons a cool one.

As I came up the companion-way, brushing past Hiram who shouted something in my ear, I know not what, I was dimly conscious of seeing the laden sloop standing well over on the northern shore, every inch of canvas set and drawing.

Then I began to charge the weapon, and while so doing glanced involuntarily across the deck, seeing here and there a tiny thread of dull red. On the instant my heart turned cold, for until then I had had no thought that any of our lads were hurt.

"Some of the boys are wounded!" I cried shrilly, turning to Hiram, and then I saw that his left arm hung by his side as if useless, while he held the tiller with his right hand, standing astride it that his legs might aid him in the grip.

"Ay, lad, some of us must pay the price, although I reckon we are making it tolerably expensive for the lobster backs."

It was the first time since the action began that I could see clearly, and glancing across the narrow space of water which separated the two vessels, I saw that the mass of red had dwindled until no more than six or seven lobster backs stood opposed to us, while three sailors were doing whatsoever they could toward wearing ship in order to take to their heels.

It was a sight which filled me with astonishment and pride. That the Minute Boys of Boston, not one of whom was above fifteen years old, had saved for the American army all the provisions that were on board the sloop which was now sailing away to the westward, seemed too good to be true, and, what was absolutely amazing, these same lads had thrashed the king's men, those who had come to the colony for the purpose of whipping us into subjection – thrashed them, until their only desire was to run!

I became as wildly delirious with joy and pride as I had been during the turmoil of battle, and, waving the ramrod of the musket above my head, I cried triumphantly to the lads who were still pouring lead into the red-coats:

"Who shall say now that we haven't the right to call ourselves Minute Boys, and to take our stand side by side with the men at Cambridge?"

Half a dozen of the lads cheered wildly, after which they again devoted their attention to the human targets, while Hiram cried as he swung the tiller down, willing now to give the lobster backs a chance to run away:

"You have done your work like little men, and when we gain port my first act will be to ask that I may be permitted to enroll myself among the Minute Boys of Boston, rather than with the company to which I now belong."

Hiram said that "we had done our work," and indeed he was right, for the battle, and truly it may be called such, was over so far as the Britishers were concerned. They were now putting forth every effort to wear ship in order that they might get out of our way, and never one of those fancifully dressed soldiers of the king had fired a shot during the past three minutes.

Had we been blood-thirsty, or, perhaps I may say, had we become hardened to warfare, we might have shot down every last one of them before they could get beyond our line of fire; but we lads did not have the heart to shoot down human beings who were simply struggling to escape, no matter what crime they might have committed against us.

In fact, once the musketry fire had ceased and we were given time to see how much of injury had been inflicted upon the Minute Boys, I for one lost all stomach for further fighting.

It was sickening to stand where I did well aft, and look along the deck where were four of our fellows lying upon the planks as if lifeless, while as many more had a bandaged arm or leg telling of wounds which did not quench their ardor in the effort to prove themselves worthy of standing against the king's men as defenders of the Cause.

As I have said, Hiram allowed the sloop to come well before the wind, thus giving the schooner's crew an opportunity to put about as they were so eager to do, and finally when she was brought on a course which would carry her past Noddle island to the passage eastward of the Charlestown shore, they clapped on all sail, having had such a bellyful of the medicine dealt out by us Minute Boys as to make them anxious only to get under cover.

Once they were well off, and our consort so far away in the distance that there was no possibility of her being overtaken, even though the lobster backs had sufficient pluck remaining to make the attempt, we lads, wounded as well as sound, sent after them a ringing cheer of triumph. I can well fancy that those soldiers who had counted on grinding us of the colonies into the dust with but little effort, must have felt like hiding their faces for very shame at having been thus soundly whipped by a company of boys who had never until that moment even so much as played at being warriors.

We followed close in the wake of the schooner with scarce sixty yards between us, and then, had we been so blood-thirsty, we might have picked off every man that showed himself on her deck, while they could have inflicted no damage upon us.

Once we had stretched off on a course that would lead us to the mouth of the Mystic or the Charles river, whichever we saw fit to make, Hiram gave up the tiller to Archie, who, like myself, had come off without a scratch, and he and I set about doing whatsoever we could in our ignorant way for the relief of those who were suffering.

My heart grew sick within me when we found two of the poor lads lying on deck still in death; but our first care was necessarily for the living, and we did whatsoever we could in our poor way for the two who were most grievously wounded, after which was made an examination of the lesser injuries.

We Minute Boys had gone into the battle fifteen strong, and, counting Hiram, we had our full number on board the sloop; two of these had gone over into that world of the Beyond; two lay, as it seemed to me, nigh unto death, while five had received what might be called trifling wounds, although I question whether a fellow who suffers from the pain caused by a British bullet through the fleshy part of his arm or leg, would be willing to call the hurt "trifling."

Long though the list was, it must have been small in comparison with what we had done to the lobster backs. From all I had seen, it appeared to me that at least five were put beyond all power of doing harm to us of the colonies, and I dare venture to say that not more than three or four of the entire number escaped without some evidence of our skill as marksmen.

And now, if you will believe me, in the midst of our rejoicing, for we did rejoice even though those two poor lads lay in the bow silent and motionless, covered with canvas, Hiram broke out with complaint because our work had not been finished, whereupon I asked in amazement and no little anger what he considered the finishing of the task.

"We failed of getting more than one cargo, and there were two to be had on Hog island, as I know full well. But for the fact that we are what you might call short-handed because so many are wounded, I would put about and pick up what laid ready for our hands but for the coming of the lobster backs," he said, much as though sorrowing because we had not been able to do that which an equal number of men would have failed at. "There is a chance that we might take aboard a bit more of meat and grain, with the Westons to help us, even if the second farm does stand two miles from the shore."

Fancying that I read on his face a half-formed determination to return to Hog island that very moment, I cried indignantly:

"The Minute Boys shall not have a hand in anything whatsoever save the running of this sloop, until those who have been wounded are cared for by a surgeon. Go whither you will so they can be set ashore where kindly hands may minister to their hurts; but more than that is not to be done this day."

I truly believe Hiram, glutton though he was in behalf of the Cause, felt more than a little bit ashamed of having suggested that we might accomplish more, for he made no reply to my angry outburst; but continued on with me to look after the injured lads, bathing this wound or giving that sufferer the water which he craved, without heed to his own injury, which was indeed slight.

As a matter of course the schooner, having more canvas than we spread to the breeze, speedily drew away from us; but when she was come to the passage between Charlestown and Noddle island it was a case of standing down against the wind, and as we ran past I had a good view of her deck.

Only five men could I count on their feet, although there might have been sound ones below; but surely it was that they had suffered more than we.

We had no argument as to where it might be best to make a landing, for with the wind due south it would have been little less than folly had we attempted to gain the mouth of the Cambridge river. The Britishers could have sent out guard-boats in sufficient number to board us past all hope of successful resistance on our part, and once that schooner arrived at Boston town with the news of what we Minute Boys had done, our rejoicing must speedily have been changed to wailing.

Venturesome though Hiram Griffin was, he did not even suggest that we do other than take such course as was indicated by the direction of the wind, and we went on past Morton's point, counting to bring the voyage to an end at near about the Penny ferry, where we surely would find housing for our wounded, while those who were sound in body might make their way to the American encampment.

The laden sloop which we had protected at risk of our lives, could be seen far in the distance as we swept on up past Morton's point. She had come to anchor near where I counted we would make land, and from the number of boats plying between her and the shore, it was easy to understand that our people had already begun to take from her that cargo which had cost the lives of two of the Minute Boys, and the blood of many others.

I wish I might set down here, so that all could realize fully, the sense of satisfaction and of pride which came over me as I saw this token that our work had been well done! I gave no heed, as had Hiram, to the fact that we might have brought more from Hog island, for truly, I said to myself, any person who would set himself as judge of our work must see that we had accomplished all within reason.

Now in truth had come the time when we could present ourselves at Cambridge, and ask with good grace to be considered as part of the American army, for had we not already shown ample proof of our ability to stand up against the king's men, and, what is more, beat them handsomely in fair fight where one would have supposed the odds to be all against us who were unversed in warfare?

Somewhat of the same thought must have been in Archie's mind, for as we two stood side by side well aft, while Hiram was still busying himself ministering to our wounded, he said in a tone of exultation:

"Since yesterday we have come off first best against all that a traitorous comrade could do, and I take no little pride in it, though it did happen by accident and was so close a shave that we were within a hair's breadth of being made prisoners. Put that close shave by the side of what we have done since morning, and then you may say with good reason that we have been of service to the Cause."