MA, USA
Inside the Russell House
Narrated by Militia Survivor — Woburn Company
We took shelter in Russell's house when the regulars came thick along the road. There were eleven of us inside, firing from the windows. Jason Russell—the owner, an old lame man—stood in his doorway. When the soldiers stormed in, he went down first. They came through the door and up the stairs and we retreated to the cellar. In that dark space, with bayonets and musket butts, they killed us. I don't know how I survived. When it was over, I crawled out past the bodies of men I had marched with that morning.
Sources
Primary & Secondary Sources
Depositions of April 19 Participants
Massachusetts Provincial Congress · PRIMARY · TIER1
First-hand accounts taken shortly after the battles
Jason Russell House Museum
Arlington Historical Society · INSTITUTIONAL · TIER1
Primary site for Menotomy April 19 interpretation
Lord Percy's Letter to General Harvey
Percy Family Papers · PRIMARY · TIER1
Percy's personal account of the retreat
Lt. Col. Smith's Report to General Gage
British Army Records · PRIMARY · TIER1
British commander's official report on the expedition
Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War
Commonwealth of Massachusetts · PRIMARY · TIER1
Service records of Menotomy participants
Minute Man National Historical Park
National Park Service · INSTITUTIONAL · TIER1
NPS interpretation of full April 19 engagement
Paul Revere's Ride
David Hackett Fischer / Oxford University Press · SECONDARY · TIER1
Comprehensive scholarly account including Menotomy fighting
Arlington Historical Society Archives
Arlington Historical Society · INSTITUTIONAL · TIER2
Local records and oral traditions
History of the Town of Arlington
Various editions · SECONDARY · TIER2
Town histories with local perspectives on the battle
https://arlingtonhistorical.org/learn/articles/the-battle-of-menotomy/
arlingtonhistorical.org · SECONDARY · TIER2
Discovered by agentic enrichment for Arlington
https://emergingrevolutionarywar.org/2025/04/17/the-bloody-battle-road-battle-of-menotomy/
emergingrevolutionarywar.org · SECONDARY · TIER2
Discovered by agentic enrichment for Arlington
https://www.americanheritage.com/forgotten-battle-menotomy
www.americanheritage.com · SECONDARY · TIER2
Discovered by agentic enrichment for Arlington
https://www.nps.gov/people/david-lamson.htm
www.nps.gov · SECONDARY · TIER2
Discovered by agentic enrichment for Arlington
Samuel Whittemore: Massachusetts State Hero
Massachusetts General Court · SECONDARY · TIER2
Documentation of Whittemore's official recognition
The Battle of April 19, 1775
Frank Warren Coburn · SECONDARY · TIER2
Classic early study with detailed Menotomy coverage
The Nineteenth of April 1775
Harold Murdock · SECONDARY · TIER2
Critical examination of April 19 evidence
Battle of Menotomy - Wikipedia
Wikipedia · TERTIARY · TIER3
General reference for the April 19, 1775 fighting in Menotomy (Arlington). Cross-check with scholarly sources.