Wednesday, August 27, 2008

101 Ways, Part 10: Slain by the Enemy

For a brief intro to the "101 Ways to Say 'Died'" series, click here.

Robert Munro was one of the ten Lexington residents killed during the Battle of Lexington in 1775. The 62-year-old, a veteran of the Louisbourg campaign (1758), was one of the first to fall. He is buried in Battle Green Park with the other militiamen who were killed on that day.

In addition to the monument on the Battle Green, Robert Munro is memorialized on the gravestone belonging to his wife, Anna Munro, that stands in the old burial ground in Lexington.
Remember Death
Here lies Interr'd ye
Body of Mrs. Anna
Munro widow of Mr.
Robert Munro (who
was Slain by the Enemy
on the 19th of April 1775)
who departed this
Life Augt. 20th 1775 In
ye 57th year of her age.

3 comments:

Lori Stokes said...

I'm enjoying this series so much! I might add, in the same vein, that Jason Russell's gravestone in Arlington states that he was "barbarously murdered in his own House by GAGE'S bloody Troops on ye 19th of April 1775" with 11 men "who, in Like manner, with many others, were cruelly slain on that fatal day."

A bold and dangerous political statement that could have brought down some retribution on the village.

Caitlin GD Hopkins said...

Ooh, thanks for reminding me about Jason Russell. I have a picture of his gravestone, but it's under a tree, so the light is not great. Maybe I can put it through the wringer in iPhoto and come up with something readable.

Robert J. said...

That's a nice stone from William Park's workshop in their 1770s style. The five-part flower element is pretty common, and there's a stone in Fitchburg with the woven basket element also. Park often has "Memento Mori" as part of the tympanum; it's interesting to see it here in English. The use of parentheses (often enclosing an italic phrase) is also characteristic, as is the fleur-de-lis device in the tympanum.

After learning to recognize the style at one location it's always a pleasure to see other examples like this from elsewhere.