[Lexington and Concord]

A Narrative, of the Excursion and Ravages of the King's Troops Under the Command of General Gage on the nineteenth of April, 1775. Together with the Depositions Taken by Order of Congress, to Support the Truth of It. Worcester: Isaiah Thomas, by order of the Provincial Congress, [1775]

8vo (8 x 5 in.; 205 x 130 mm, uncut). Light browning and staining. Modern marbled boards, calf spine gilt, red lettering piece.

Town Clerk, Shrewsbury (inscription on title). Acquisition: William Reese

Church 1122; Evans 14269; North American Imprints Project w013746; Sabin 51804; Streeter sale 2:770

8vo (8 x 5 in.; 205 x 130 mm, uncut). Light browning and staining. Modern marbled boards, calf spine gilt, red lettering piece.
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One of the most sensational publications of the American Revolution, a fundamental source for the eyewitness accounts of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and the first book published in Worcester by patriot printer Isaiah Thomas. "This is thought to be the first separate account in pamphlet form of the first engagement of the American Revolution. It was preceded by the rare 'Bloody Butchery' broadside" (Streeter). The designation as being the first book printed in Worcester is due to a manuscript note in Isaiah Thomas's hand in the American Antiquarian Society's copy: "This was the first printing done in Worcester."

The twenty-five depositions record the development of the harrowing events of the first major conflict of the American Revolution. Half of the testimonies, including that of John Parker, captain of the Lexington militia, described how on the morning of 19 April 1775, British regulars fired on the assembled militia, killing eight men. The subsequent testimonies describe the scene later in the day at Concord Bridge (given by Col. James Barrett, who headed the militia there), with a brief account of the battle and retreat of the regulars. Hannah Adams's deposition describes her terrifying encounter with British soldiers at bayonet point, who forced her to flee her bed with her newborn child after which they set fire to the house, still occupied by her five other children.The last two leaves provide a list of those killed and wounded during the engagements, arranged by the towns in which they lived. The tally numbered fifty killed, thirty-nine wounded, and five missing.