On the morning of April 19, 1775, Ensign Robert Munroe, Jonas Parker, Samuel Hadley, Jonathan Harrington Jr., Isaac Muzzy, Caleb Harrington, and John Brown of Lexington, and Ishael Porter of Woburn, fell on this field as the first victims of British tyranny and oppression. Their blood, shed in the cause of God and country, was held to have sealed and defended the freedom and independence of America, then still colonies, and to have given spirit, firmness, and resolution to their fellow citizens, who rose as one to avenge their brethren's blood and assert and defend their native rights. The contest that followed was long, bloody, and affecting, but victory crowned their arms, and the peace, liberty, and independence of the United States of America became their reward. Built in 1799, this monument later became the burial place of the remains of those who fell in the Battle of Lexington, which were brought here from the old cemetery and buried within the railing in front on April 20, 1835.
