"A topical portrayal of community life during the earlier days of this century as told through the memories of the town's long-time residents"--Pref., p. ix.

It is April 19, 1775. 7:00 p.m.: The boy Solomon Brown hurries down the road to Lexington, carrying secret papers to Sam Adams and John Hancock. Ahead loom nine British officers—armed! Midnight: Paul Revere gallops by moonlight to warn every household that the British are coming. 4:00 a.m.: The colonists march solemnly behind the drummer out onto the Lexington green. Hour by hour, you relive the day the American Revolution began. It is a Day of Blood and a Day of Glory—and YOU ARE THERE!

Mr. Tourtellot's book is the best account we have of the day of Lexington and Concord. The actions of each individual who played a conspicuous part in the day's work are minutely traced but Mr. Tourtellot never loses the main thread of his narrative and the wealth of detail he has included gives substance and color to an exciting story.' - J.C. Miller, New York Herald Tribune Book Review