Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Poetry and Incidents., Volume 1.
Frank Moore, Ed.

Remarkable Coincidence — was it accident?--It has already been noticed, that the attack upon the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment at Baltimore, occurred on the anniversary of the battle of Lexington--the one being on April 19th, 1861, and the other on April 19th, 1775, just 86 years previous. This fact was remarkable, but not as much as another in the same connection.

It appears from a Boston letter in the New York World, that that Regiment was all from Middlesex County, which embraces the battle-fields of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. One or two of the companies are entirely composed of the lineal descendants of the patriots who were in the “Concord fight.” The gallant Sixth was first sent forward because it first reported itself at Headquarters with fullest ranks. Col. Jones received his orders at Lowell on Monday night at 11 o'clock, in the midst of a driving northeast storm. He mounted his horse, and rode all night through the scattered towns in which his companies were. Every company was in Boston with full ranks next Tuesday noon, and, if the equipments furnished by the State had been ready, the Regiment would have left that afternoon for Washington, instead of twenty-four hours later, which was done.

The Stoneham Company, Capt. Dike, which performed a conspicuous part in the affair at Baltimore, has a rather remarkable record for promptitude. The town is situated about midway between Bunker Hill and Lexington. The company belonged to the Seventh Regiment, which had not been ordered out. On Tuesday night it was determined at Headquarters to attach the Stoneham Company to the Sixth. Capt. Dike, who had no warning of this intention, received his orders at 4 o'clock in the morning. At 10 o'clock, he and his company, with sixty-four muskets, and every uniform full, were at Faneuil Hall ready to march. The same (Wednesday) afternoon they left for Washington with the Sixth Regiment; on Thursday they were in New York; on Friday they were in the midst of the fight at Baltimore, where Capt. Dike and ten of his men were wounded, and one has been reported killed.

The most remarkable of all is, that the first man who fell at Baltimore was a member of the Stoneham Company, and he a lineal descendant of the first one killed at Lexington! Thus we have the connection in the days of the year, and the late and unexpected change of the Stoneham Company from the Seventh to the Sixth Regiment, with a seeming design to the remarkable connection in the first victims of the two wars — the one to establish freedom in this country, and the other to defend and maintain it.--Toledo Blade.