Russell visits site of ancestor’s death

American actor Kurt Russell spent part of his Fourth of July visiting the Arlington, Mass., house where his eighth great-grandfather was butchered to death by British soldiers in a bloody battle that kicked off the Revolutionary War in 1775.

Russell, 74, said he wasn’t aware until recently of his family’s ties to the American Revolution.

The actor’s eighth great-grandfather, Jason Russell, was shot twice and brutally bayoneted by British soldiers outside his home as the Red Coats were retreating from the battles of Lexington and Concord.

– Tribune News Services