March 14th, 2009
The spy who was not there
John Howe’s tale of his surveillance activities just before the Battles
of Lexington and Concord has interested historians since it was
published in 1827. McCue assesses the big question of whether the
surveillance ever happened.
CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, in April 1775
wasn’t a particularly friendly place for a British regular. The town
seethed with seditious activity-the colonials were stockpiling
munitions, printing incendiary tracts, and gathering nightly at
alehouses to rail against the Crown. It was not exactly a town where
22– year-old John Howe, a member of His Majesty’s 52nd Regiment of
Foot, would have felt comfortable, especially since his mission was to
spy on colonial activities west of Boston.