Samuel Whittemore

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A monument in Arlington, Massachusetts reads:

Near this spot, Samuel Whittemore, then 80 years old, killed three British soldiers, April 19, 1775. He was shot, bayoneted, beaten and left for dead, but recovered and lived to be 98 years of age.

[edit] Actions during the British return to Boston during the Battle of Lexington and Concord

The story is that British soldiers returning from the Battles of Lexington and Concord were spotted by Samuel Whittemore an 80 year old man(1694-1786?) in Menotomy (modern Arlington). He loaded his musket, and took aim at the approaching soldiers from behind a nearby stone wall. He fired, killing one of the British troops. He then drew his dueling pistols and killed another soldier with his pistols. Having no time left to reload before the soldiers advanced to him, he drew a sword and advanced toward the British, attacking them with his sword. He was shot, bayoneted, and beaten by the infuriated troop of British soldiers.

Villagers came to remove his body after the British left. They were amazed to find him still alive. They removed him from the field, and he lived to recover from his wounds. He lived until he was 98 years of age, and was regarded by the locals as a hero of the revolution.

As darkness began to set in, colonials began to attack the front of the column. There were a few cavalry units made up of older, experienced men who rode to within shot of the front of the column, dismounted and fired with great accuracy, then mounting and riding away only to reappear elsewhere. Now and then, the Regulars would fire cannon scattering the Militia who would quickly materialize again as the British column approached Menotomy. At Jason Russel’s house, British soldiers invaded the house killing eleven Americans, including Russel who was later found bayoneted at the foot of the stairs. The floor was carpeted in blood. The British captured Americans and killed them as prisoners in Russell’s orchard. There would be no peace at the end of this Day (the Russel House, 1740, shown at right, is located on Jason Street near Massachusetts Avenue and Route 60 in Arlington.).

Again, the Brtitish, having not forgotten the atrocity at Concord, lost control of themselves and began a rampage through the Town killing any defenseless people who got in the way and burning the houses. They stole anything they could as they defied their officers’ orders. Meanwhile, the colonials harassed the Regulars as before always conspiring to set an ambush somewhere. Samuel Whittemore, aged eighty, set up his own ambush behind a stone wall in Menetomy and waited for the British column. He fired five shots before a British detachment was sent to his position. They shot him in the face and bayoneted him thirteen times, leaving him in a pool of blood. Found alive, he was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford who held no hope. Whittemore died eighteen years later at the age of ninety-eight. monument in Arlington, Massachusetts reads:

Near this spot, Samuel Whittemore, then 80 years old, killed three British soldiers, April 19, 1775. He was shot, bayoneted, beaten and left for dead, but recovered and lived to be 98 years of age.

Actions during the British return to Boston during the Battle of Lexington and Concord: The story is that British soldiers returning from the Battles of Lexington and Concord were spotted by Samuel Whittemore(1694-1786?) in Menotomy (modern Arlington). He loaded his musket, and took aim at the approaching soldiers from behind a nearby stone wall. He fired, killing one of the British troops. He then drew his dueling pistols and killed another soldier with his pistols. Having no time left to reload before the soldiers advanced to him, he drew a sword and advanced toward the British, attacking them with his sword. He was shot, bayoneted, and beaten by the infuriated troop of British soldiers.

Villagers came to remove his body after the British left. They were amazed to find him still alive. They removed him from the field, and he lived to recover from his wounds. He lived until he was 98 years of age, and was regarded by the locals as a hero of the revolution.

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