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Deposition Taken by Order of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts
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Lexington, April 23, 1775.
I, Thomas Price Willard, of lawful age, do testify and declare, that being in the house of Daniel Harrington, of said Lexington, on the nineteenth instant, in the morning, about half an hour before sunrise, looked out of the window of said house and saw (as I suppose) about four hundred of Regulars, in one body, coming up the road, and
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marched toward the north part of the common, back of the meeting-house of said Lexington; and as soon as said Regulars were against the east end of the meeting-house, the commanding officers said something, what I know not; but upon that the Regulars ran till they came within about eight or nine rods of about a hundred of the Militia of Lexington, who were collected on said common, at which time the Militia of Lexington dispersed; then the officers made a huzza, and the private soldiers succeeded them. Directly after this an officer rode before the Regulars to the other side of the body, and hallooed after the Militia of said Lexington, and said, "Lay down your arms, damn you; why don' t you lay down your arms?" and that there was not a gun fired till the Militia of Lexington were dispersed. And further saith not.THOMAS PRICE WILLARD.