Percy's Relief Column Reaches Menotomy

Lord Percy's relief column, with fresh troops and artillery, had rescued Smith's exhausted force at Lexington. By the time they reached Menotomy, Percy's discipline was also fraying. His flanking parties cleared houses along the route, sometimes killing whoever they found. The artillery kept militia at a distance but could not prevent the steady harassment. Percy later praised his soldiers' restraint, but accounts suggest the fighting was brutal on both sides.