Pitcairn's Pistols

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Pitcairn's Pistols

PITCAIRN'S PISTOLS. Major John Pitcairn of the Royal Marines led the advanced guard of the British raid on Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, on 19 April 1775. His horse threw him during the action at Fiske Hill near Concord and bolted into the American lines, where the two silver-mounted Scottish pistols that he carried on his horse furniture were captured by an American militiaman. The pistols were acquired by Major General Israel Putnam, who carried them during the war. They are now in the Lexington Historical Society.

SEE ALSO Pitcairn, John.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fischer, David H. Paul Revere's Ride. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

                                revised by Harold E. Selesky