Luther Blanchard was eighteen years old on April 19th. He was “slightly” wounded in the side by the first shot fired at the Concord Bridge. The story goes that he reported to Col. Barrett’s house, which was being used as a hospital and morgue.
According to Lemuel Shattuck added in a footnote in A History of the Town of Concord: Luther Blanchard went to Mrs. [Rebeckah] Barrett’s, who, after examining his wound, mournfully remarked, “A little more and you’d been killed.”
“Yes,” said Blanchard, “and a little more and ’t wouldn’t have touched me;”—and immediately joined the pursuers.
There is controversy as to whether Luther died days later or months later. Several sources say he died from this wound within hours or days. However, records show that he enlisted in the Army on the 24th of April and may have participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill. On September 30th, he was reported dead.
So, either way, he was a young Patriot who died before his time.
Another post will tell about the “White Cockade.”