If I die, I will die in my best clothes.

Ah, the stories.

Researching 6th Great-Uncle Israel Porter of Danvers, Massachusetts. I had seen his name listed among those at Lexington during the fight there, so I went Chronicles of Danvers (old Salem village, Massachusetts) by Harriet Silvester Tapley to get some background.

Came across this passage and sad story.

Capt. Samuel Flint and Capt. Asa Prince with their men from the Village, Capts. Samuel Eppes, Gideon Foster and Caleb Lowe and their companies from the south part of the town, Capt. Jeremiah Page and his minute men from the Plains, Capt. Israel Hutchinson with the "New Mills" and Beverly men, and Deacon Edmund Putnam and his Putnamville and Beaver Brook men, 303 in all, old and young alike, ran sixteen miles and more to the scene of carnage. Over fences, through fields, scaling stone walls, and then marching on the highway, they hastened on. They started about 10 o'clock; they reached Menotomy (now Arlington) at about two in the afternoon. The British were said to be on the retreat into Charlestown. The Danvers men with others stationed themselves in the yard of Jason Russell, in the centre of Menotomy, where bundles of shingles served as a barricade, and awaited the approach of the enemy. Rumor had deceived the men as to the force of the British. It was their expectation to here intercept their retreat. But suddenly and unexpectedly the enemy came in sight, descending the hill near by in solid column on their right, while on the left a large flank guard was rapidly advancing. The Danvers men were caught in a trap, but they fought desperately and gallantly. The British, too, were desperate. Enraged at their defeat and harassed by the Provincials, who had fired upon them from behind stone walls and trees on their retreat, they now saw a chance for revenge. Some of the Americans were driven into a cellar nearby, where horrible deeds were committed, and here and in the yard seven of Danvers' young men fell, and two more were wounded. The dead were: Benjamin Daland, Jr., Henry Jacobs, Jr., George Southwick, Jr., Samuel Cook, Jr., Eben Goldthwait, Perley Putnam and Jotham Webb. Danvers lost more men than any other town except Lexington.

Captain Foster, with some of his men on the side of the hill, finding themselves nearly surrounded, made an effort to gain the pond. They crossed directly in front of the British column. On the north side of the road they took position behind a ditch wall. From this redoubt they fired upon the enemy so long as any of them were within range of their muskets. Some of them fired eleven times, with two bullets at each discharge.

Jotham Webb, one of the killed, had been married only a few weeks. When the call came, he put on his wedding clothes, saying, "If I die, I will die in my best clothes."

"A gallant hero, too, was Webb,
Nor deemed his nuptial suit too fine
In which to act a soldier's part
And pour his gifts at Freedom's shrine;

"But donned his best, and kissed his bride,
And sped to make the sacrifice —
The wedding garb his glory shroud,
The fatal ball his pearl of price."