Amanuensis Monday- Bloody Butchery by the British Troops

I read about Amanuensis Monday in Randy Seaver’s blog “GeneaMusings”, and Randy read about it on John Newmark’s genealogy blog “TransylvanianDutch”. Amanuensis: A person employed to take dictation or copy manuscripts.



This broadside poster is known as “Bloody Butchery by the British Troops” and was printed in Salem, Massachusetts by Ezekiel Russell in 1775. It is a bit of propaganda not very different from Paul Revere’s cartoon distributed in the aftermath of the Boston Massacre. An original can be seen at the American Antiquarian Society, and reproductions are sold in the gift shop at Minuteman National Park in Lexington. Click on the photo to enlarge it, and you can read the names of the fallen next to the coffins printed across the top of the broadside.

This is a partial transcription of the text:

Names on the coffins:

Robt. Monroe, Jonas Parker, Sam'l Hadley, J. Harrington, C. Harrington, I. Muzzy, John Brown, John Raymond, Nat. Wyman, Jed. Munroe, Jason Russell, Jabez Wyman, Jas. Winship, Deacon Haynes, -- Reed, Capt. Niles, Capt. Wilson, Capt. Davis, -- Horsmer, J. Howard, Azael Porter, Dan. Thompson, J. Miller, W. Barber's Son, Isaac Gardner, John Hicks, Hon. Putnam, Ab. Ramsdell, D. Townsend, Will Flint, Thomas Hadley, Henry Jacobs, Sam. Cook, E. Goldthwait, G. Southwick, Ben. Daland, Jot. Webb, Per. Putnam, Benj. Pierce, -- Kennison.

BLOODY BUTCHERY, BY THE BRITISH TROOPS; OR THE RUNAWAY FIGHT OF THE REGULARS.

Being the PARTICULARS of the VICTORIOUS BATTLE fought at and near CONCORD, situated Twenty Miles from Boston, in the Providence of the Massachusetts-Bay, between Two Thousand Regular Troops, belonging to His Britannic Majesty, and a few Hundred Provincial Troops, belonging to the Province of Massachusetts-Bay, which lasted from sunrise until sunset, on the 19th of April, 1775, when it was decided greatly in favor of the latter. These particulars are published in this cheap form, at the request of the friends of the deceased WORTHIES, who died gloriously fighting in the CAUSE OF LIBERTY and their COUNTRY, and it is their sincere desire that every Householder in the country, who are sincere well-wishers to America, may be possessed of the same, either to frame and glass, or otherwise to preserve in their houses, not only as a Token of Gratitude to the memory of the Deceased Forty Persons, but as a perpetual memorial of that important event, on which, perhaps, may depend the future Freedom and Greatness of the Commonwealth of America. To which is annexed a Funeral Elegy on those who were slain in the Battle……..

The following is a list of the Provincials who were KILLED and WOUNDED.

Belonging to LEXINGTON. KILLED.

1 * Mr. Robert Monroe, 6 * Mr. Isaac Muzzy,
2 * Mr. Jonas Parker, 7 * Mr. John Brown,
3 * Mr. Samuel Hadley, 8 Mr. John Raymond,
4 * Mr. Jonathan Harrington, 9 Mr. Nathaniel Wyman,
5 * Mr. Caleb Harrington, 10 Mr. Jedediah Munroe.

WOUNDED.
1 Mr. John Robbins 6 Mr. Joseph Amee
2 Mr. John Tidd 7 Mr. Ebenezer Munroe
3 Mr. Solomon Pierce 8 Mr. Francis Brown
4 Mr. Thomas Winship 9 Prince Easterbrooks (a Negro Man)
5 Mr. Nathan Parmer

MENOTOMY. KILLED
11 Mr. Jason Russell 13 Jason Winship
12 Mr. Jabez Wyman

MISSING, (supposed to be on board one of the men of war)
Mr. Samuel Frost Mr. Seth Russell

SUDBURY KILLED
14 Deacon Haynes 15 Mr. ---- Reed

CONCORD KILLED
16 Captain Miles

BEDFORD KILLED
17 Captain Jonathan Willson
18 Captain Davis
19 Mr. ------ Hosmer
20 Mr. James Howard

WOBURN KILLED
21 * Mr. Azel Porter 22 Mr. Daniel Thompson

WOUNDED
10 Mr. George Reed 11 Mr. Jacob Bacon

CHARLESTOWN KILLED
23 Mr. James Miller. 24 Captain William Barber's Son, aged 14

BROOKLINE KILLED
25 Isaac Gardiner, Esquire

CAMBRIDGE KILLED
26 Mr. John Hicks

MEDFORD KILLED
27 Mr. Henry Putnam
WOUNDED
12 Mr. William Polly.

LYNN KILLED
28 Mr. Abednego Ramsdell 30 William Flint
29 Daniel Townsend 31 Thomas Hadley
WOUNDED
13 Mr. Joshua Felt 14 Mr. Timothy Munroe

DANVERS KILLED
32 Mr. Henry Jacobs 36 Mr. Benjamin Daland, jun.
33 Mr. Samuel Cook 37 Mr. Jotham Webb
34 Mr. Ebenezer Goldthwait 38 Perley Putnam
35 Mr. George Southwick
WOUNDED
15 Mr. Nathan Putnam 16 Mr. Dennis Wallis

SALEM KILLED
39 Mr. Benjamin Pierce

BEVERLY KILLED
40 ------ Kennison
WOUNDED
17 Mr. Samuel Woodbury 18 Mr. Nathaniel Cleaves

FRAMINGHAM
19 Mr. ----- Hemmenway.

BEDFORD.
20 Mr. John Lane.

Those distinguished with this mark [*] were killed by the first fire of the enemy……

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A complete transcription of the entire broadside can be found at
http://www.americancenturies.mass.edu/collection/itempage.jsp?itemid=16201&img=0&level=advanced&transcription=1

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Amanuensis Monday- Bloody Butchery by the British Troops", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 19, 2010, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/04/amanuensis-monday-bloody-butchery-by.html: accessed [access date]).