Prince Estabrook
A Brief Biography by Bill Poole and Charles Price
With the acrid smell of gunpowder in his nostrils and enveloped in a cloud of gun smoke that blinded him to all but the muzzle flashes of British muskets, Prince Estabrook suddenly experienced an agonizing blow to his shoulder that either knocked him to the ground, writhing in shock and disbelief or left him staggering away to safety—we do not know which. It had been only moments ago that the Red-coated soldiers had rushed onto Lexington Common shouting their battle cries and screaming imprecations at the wavering lines of Colonial militia. Captain Parker had just ordered his men to “quit the Field” when the firing commenced. Prince had scarcely begun to retreat in obedience to the order when he was wounded. All around him there was shouting and screaming, groans of the wounded and dying, the continuing discharges of the guns of the King’s troops, and the pounding footsteps of the Regulars as they rushed across the common— opposed by just a few scattered, answering shots of the retreating militia.
The shooting finally ended, and the urgent beat of a drum summoned the out-of-control troops back into ranks, hastened no doubt by the blows from the flattened swords of angry sergeants. Officers quieted the men, brought about order and chastised them for their unsoldierly behavior. A pause followed as the officers consulted, and then gave the men permission to fire a victory salute, give three cheers for the King and resume their march to Concord. Spectators and returning militia cautiously made their way back to the field of engagement to care for the wounded, and for many to weep over the bodies of fathers, sons, brothers,
neighbors and friends — lying still in death.
The above account of Prince Estabrook’s experience is of course somewhat conjectural, but Prince, a slave, was
indeed wounded on Lexington Common becoming the first Black battle casualty of the American Revolution.
Whether he was able to run from the Common despite his wound or fell to the ground is unknown. Most likely
his wound was cared for later by Doctor Joseph Fiske who is credited with dressing the wounds of the Lexington
militiamen following the engagement. Doctor Fiske later would also treat a number of wounded British soldiers,
casualties of the afternoon retreat from Concord, for which service he submitted a bill to the Provincial
Congress.
Click here for more information about Prince Estabrook.
With the acrid smell of gunpowder in his nostrils and enveloped in a cloud of gun smoke that blinded him to all but the muzzle flashes of British muskets, Prince Estabrook suddenly experienced an agonizing blow to his shoulder that either knocked him to the ground, writhing in shock and disbelief or left him staggering away to safety—we do not know which. It had been only moments ago that the Red-coated soldiers had rushed onto Lexington Common shouting their battle cries and screaming imprecations at the wavering lines of Colonial militia. Captain Parker had just ordered his men to “quit the Field” when the firing commenced. Prince had scarcely begun to retreat in obedience to the order when he was wounded. All around him there was shouting and screaming, groans of the wounded and dying, the continuing discharges of the guns of the King’s troops, and the pounding footsteps of the Regulars as they rushed across the common— opposed by just a few scattered, answering shots of the retreating militia.
The shooting finally ended, and the urgent beat of a drum summoned the out-of-control troops back into ranks, hastened no doubt by the blows from the flattened swords of angry sergeants. Officers quieted the men, brought about order and chastised them for their unsoldierly behavior. A pause followed as the officers consulted, and then gave the men permission to fire a victory salute, give three cheers for the King and resume their march to Concord. Spectators and returning militia cautiously made their way back to the field of engagement to care for the wounded, and for many to weep over the bodies of fathers, sons, brothers,
neighbors and friends — lying still in death.
The above account of Prince Estabrook’s experience is of course somewhat conjectural, but Prince, a slave, was
indeed wounded on Lexington Common becoming the first Black battle casualty of the American Revolution.
Whether he was able to run from the Common despite his wound or fell to the ground is unknown. Most likely
his wound was cared for later by Doctor Joseph Fiske who is credited with dressing the wounds of the Lexington
militiamen following the engagement. Doctor Fiske later would also treat a number of wounded British soldiers,
casualties of the afternoon retreat from Concord, for which service he submitted a bill to the Provincial
Congress.
Click here for more information about Prince Estabrook.
