Coming into April 19th, 1775, the Redcoats thought of the Americans as mere shop-keepers and farmers. They totally underestimated the colonial forces. For example, we’ll look at some of the words of Lord Hugh Percy. If you’ll recall, he brought the reinforcements that in his words saved Smith’s forces “from inevitable destruction.”
But first, a bit about him.
Lord Hugh Percy was aristocracy. He was heir to a vast fortune, maybe the greatest in the western world at that time. He was a professional soldier from his teenage years and, when he came to America, was 32 years old.
In 1774, he arrived in Boston as a colonel of his own regiment. He was generous with his money lived in a fine house, entertaining his officers and friends lavishly. He was a good leader and, when he arrived in America, had positive feelings about the colonists. In England, he had voted against the Stamp Act and though the American policies were foolish.
With regards to fighting the colonies, he said, “Nothing less than the total loss or conquest of the colonies must be the end of it, either, indeed is disagreeable.”
But that all changed. Over the next months, Percy’s view of the Americans flipped.
Just weeks after coming to America:
“. . . A set of sly, artful, hypocritial rascals, cruel, and cowards.”
“Like all cowards, they are cruel and tyrannical.”
He thought the colonists had “not the least idea of religion or morality,” and that they “talk much and do little.” “I cannot but despise them completely.”
On April 19th, though, his opinion changed.
“During the whole affair, the rebels attacked us in a very scattered, irregular manner, but with perseverance and resolution, nor did they ever dare to form into any regular body. Indeed they knew too well what was proper, to do so. Whoever looks upon them as an irregulr mob, will find himself very much mistaken. They have men amongst them who know very well what they are about. . .”
“For my part, I never believed, I confess, that they would have attacked the king’s troops, or have had the perseverance I found in them yesterday.”
(Note: All quotes taked from Paul Revere's Ride, by David Hackett Fischer.)