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The military engagements that occured at Lexington and Concord on 19th April 1775 have been well documented and written about over the last 250 years. One man who was present at the famous clash of arms, was General Lord Percy. This aristocratic officer saved the beleaguered British detachment from a humiliating surrender or worse and fought his way back to Boston in a maelstrom of bloodshed. Not only did Percy earn credit from the British authorities, but also from the rebels. Likewise, Percy was among the first to give respect to the fledgling rag tag American Army and wrote; whoever looks upon them as an irregular mob will find themselves much mistaken.
Although much has been written about the Revolutionary War, little has been from a British point of view. Within the archives of Percy's ancestral home at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, there lies a treasure trove of documentation, the greater part of which has never before been published. After careful selecting and transcribing many letters and extracts form journals etc., Bill Openshaw has woven them into a narrative of the events around Boston as they unfolded, from the time of Percy's arrival in 1774 until the British evacuation in 1776. With start of the 250th anniverary of the begining of the American Revolution, Lord Hugh Percy's voice can now once more be heard and allow a different understanding of the war. A second volume is planned which will enable us to follow Lord Percy through the New York Campaign of 1776, through to his time in Rhode Island.
In addition, letters by an officer in the 5th Foot recently came to light. William Charleton fought at Bunker Hill and during the campaign around Philadelphia in 1777. His few letters found within the archives at Alnwick Castle, provide further insights and serve as a memorial to another forgotten soldier of the Revolutionary War.
