Page 114 - My FlipBook
P. 114
84 • HISTOEY OF DE^•TAL SUEGERY
became the fifer of that .company. AVlien news of the battle of Lexington
reached Porthind lie became concerned about the safety of the parents, and
on a "Sunday as a day on which he was least liable to be niissc
pistareens in his pocket, he took an early breakfast, jumped over a back
fence and was on his way to Boston." He walked forty miles the first day
witliout feeling fatigued. He was made the recipient of much adulation
from tiie peopb' along his route, many of -whom were preparing to march to
Boston, and to whom his fife was greatty inspiring. He was detained by
sentries and eompelled to go to Cambridge to obtain permission from General
Artemas Ward, the first commander of the Continental army, to cross the
ferry near which, on the Boston side, his father resuded. He, however, was
not allowed to cross. John Greenwood then, in May, 1775, enlisted in
Captain Bliss' Company and became its fifer.
Ha\ing an aunt residing at Andover, he olitained permission one day
from his captain to visit her, but l)efore having reached liis destination he
was im])elled by some unaccountable power to retrace his steps and returned
to his company just in time for the battle of Bunker Hill. He wrote con-
eerning it as follows:
"On my way there I met (Hi the road many wagons and cliairs filled with
the dead and dying, and others not so badly wounded, who were enabled to
walk l)y the assistam-e of others. This sight was entirely new to me and, I
must acknowledge, ahirmed me considerably, and at that moment I thought
I would have given anything in the world if I had not enlisted for a soldier.
But my fears were quickly dispelled by witnessing the fortitude of a poor
negro, who I had observed had a wound in the back of his neck from which
the blood flowed copiously. 1 obser\ed that he appeared to be (juite inditfer-
ent to his wound as if free from pain. I asked him if it hurt him mucli. He
said, 'no," and as soon as it was dressed he would return to the battle.
His courage seemed to have an electric effect on me and in an instant I felt
as brave as himself, and never again allowed myself to be influenced by fear
during the continuance of the war."
After the evacuation of Boston by tiie British, young Greenwood marched
witii his regiment to Montreal in tiie expedition under General Arnold, and
witli those who escaped the Indian massacre reached Lake Chainplain and
finally Ticonderoga. He wrote of this:
'"I empjdvcd much of my time in playing liv.ely tunes on my fife for the
