Grasshopper
04-19-2007, 01:11 PM
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/patriotsday/peopleevents/p_reenactors.html
A Shot Rang Out
Around 4:30am, Captain John Parker and 77 other Lexington minute men stood on Lexington Green waiting for the arrival of the British troops. They did not block the road, but merely stood at attention off to the side. The British arrived. No one knows exactly what was said, but by the fiftieth anniversary in 1825, while veterans of the combat still lived, eyewitnesses reported that Captain Parker said, "Stand your ground! Don't fire unless fired upon! But if they mean to have a war, let it begin here!" British Major Pitcairn, at the front of his column, shouted to the Americans: "Lay down your arms, you damned rebels and disperse!" The Americans were clearly outnumbered. Parker ordered his men to back away.
A shot rang out.
Men on both sides fired their weapons.
Eight Americans fell dead.
After the confrontation with a local militia at Lexington Green, the British regulars continued their march on Concord. Captain John Parker's Lexington Training Band fled in their wake, suffering casualties of eight dead men and ten wounded.
To Concord
Meanwhile, the local militia companies, alerted by the midnight riders, Paul Revere and William Dawes, converged on the town of Concord. One hundred and fifty armed Americans saw the 700 British soldiers and beat a retreat, finding higher ground. They stayed there to observe the British movements.
The Weapons Search
Upon entering Concord, the British found the rebels on a ridge. The Light Infantry made their way up the hill, pushing the minute men into further retreat. The British commander, LieutenantColonel Francis Smith, deployed his men around the town. Three companies were assigned to guard the North Bridge and four companies were to search a nearby farm. The remaining troops and officers searched the town for military supplies but were not very successful, perhaps because they were ordered to be polite to the locals. At about this time, a British relief force, led by General Earl Percy, set off for Concord from Boston.
Defending the Town
More militia men arrived at the retreat position on Punkatasset Hill each moment; soon 400 men kept vigil above Concord. Then, they saw smoke. "Will you let them burn the town down?" asked Joseph Hosmer. According to later depositions, the men decided "to march into the middle of town for its defence or die in the attempt." Again, the minute men were ordered to hold their fire unless fired upon.
Blood on Both Sides
The Brits dismantling the North Bridge were taken aback by the American advance and hastily got into formation. According to Amos Barrett of Concord: "... they [the British] fired three guns one right after the other. I see the balls strike in the river on the right of me... as soon as they fired them they fired on us.... We then was all ordered to fire and not kill our own men.... Capt. Davis was killed and Mr. Hosmer and a number wounded." The outnumbered Redcoats quickly retreated, but not before three of their men were killed and four men -- all officers -- wounded. The first British blood had been shed.
British Forces Retreat
Around mid-morning, the British forces consolidated in the center of Concord (which, incidentally, was not burned -- in fact, British soldiers helped put out a fire that had spread to a house). Having been up all night and morning on the march, they needed a rest. Still, Colonel Smith knew well enough that the longer they waited, the larger the force of militia men grew. Around noon, they began the long march back to Boston.
American Ambush
The Americans now had the advantage of numbers. More than a thousand men rushed ahead of the British column, setting up ambushes and sniper's nests for the Redcoats. Where the road narrowed at Meriam's Corner, the British flankers had to rejoin the column -- allowing the Americans to get close and attack the main group. The British took many casualties, while the guerrilla tactics of the locals kept their losses to a minimum.
One Old Yankee Woman
Meanwhile, word got out that General Percy's supply train was moving in advance of his men, and without much protection. A dozen older men of Menotomy -- too old for the regular militia -- set up to surprise the wagons in the center of their town. The wagons arrived and the old men demanded surrender. When their command went unheeded, they opened fire on the wagons, killing soldiers and horses. The survivors ran off, abandoning their weapons and eventually surrendering in a field to an old woman, Mother Batherick. She delivered her prisoners to a minute man captain and told them, "If you ever live to get back, you tell King George that an old woman took six of his grenadiers prisoners." The story did get back and one English paper asked, "If one old Yankee woman can take six grenadiers, how many soldiers will it require to conquer America?"
Exhausted Redcoats
By this time, Lt. Col. Smith's retreating troops had returned to Lexington and Captain John Parker and his men had had their revenge for earlier American losses. The British were exhausted, dragging their wounded, and their ammunition was running low. The retreat evolved into a rout as the Redcoats limped on.
More Fighting
Finally, just east of Lexington Green, General Percy and his 1100 men arrived to protect Smith's bedraggled troops. Percy's cannons boomed, leveling buildings that could be used to hide snipers. With the reinforcements, the British now numbered about 1700 men, and the Americans had a similar sized force. After the tired Redcoats had some relief, the fighting intensified and dozens more men on either side fell in Menotomy.
Brits Find Safety
As dusk settled, the British finally found protection in the British ship H.M.S. Somerset, docked at Charlestown. For hours afterwards, boats ferried them back across the river to Boston.
The War for Independence Had Begun
Whether the war had begun in Lexington or Concord, at the moment the first Patriot or the first Redcoat fell, has been a matter of historical conjecture and local bias. By the end of April 19, 1775, however, no man who had stood on the field of battle had any doubt that the Colonies were at war with Britain. In the day's aftermath, the British counted 73 dead, 174 wounded and 26 missing. The Americans 49 dead, 41 wounded and five missing.
Dr. Joseph Warren, Samuel Adams' protégé and the man who had assigned the two midnight riders, Paul Revere and William Dawes, their mission, knew that the story of what had happened in Lexington and Concord was still in flux in the days following April 19. Warren chaired the Committee of Safety of the Provincial Congress in John Hancock's absence. From the British perspective, unruly citizens who had set up an illegal shadow government were amassing weapons -- and had to be stopped to prevent a civil war. From the American opposition's perspective, an intrusive government had harassed its own free citizens.
Spin
The Committee of Supplies at Concord wrote a letter "expressing their joy at the event of the preceding day." This was the wrong message. Warren understood that the story of the battlewas evolving and spreading quickly. He felt the revolutionaries needed to issue a statement of outrage that focused on the injustices of what had occurred, not celebrate the remarkable rout of the British forces. The first circular on the subject from the Committee of Safety was a propagandistic screed decrying the crimes of the British soldiers and inciting paranoia within all the colonists. Sent out to other local Committees of Safety, Warren's letter motivated the patriots to create a provincial army.
Volunteer Response
In response to the alarms, militiamen from as far away as New Hampshire and Connecticut came to join the militia groups that had chased the British regulars back into Boston. In all, some 20,000 men volunteered to confront the 4,000 British soldiers in Boston. Some of the troops stayed in Cambridge and Charlestown, across the Charles River from the city. Others went to Roxbury, to control the small strip of land that connected the city to the mainland. The Siege of Boston had begun.
A Spy's Work
The Americans went to work to create an official record of clashes in Lexington and Concord. The Provincial Congress appointed a committee to take statements from witnesses to the battles -- among them three British prisoners -- and commissioned a written narrative. All the witnesses stated that the first shots, both at Lexington and Concord, came from the British troops. Even "witnesses" who could not have seen the first shots agreed. The final report did not limit itself to the facts of the deposition, painting a picture of innocent American farmhands menaced by armed British soldiers. The document's pro-American bias was undoubtedly exaggerated by its author, Benjamin Church, who expressed his loyalty to the American cause all the more emphatically to disguise the fact that he was a British informant. In fact, Church was integral to the events of that April -- he was the one who had sold information about the munitions in Concord to the British government.
News Travels Fast
The battles were big news. Copies of the report and depositions were sent to papers throughout the Colonies, as far south as Georgia. Newspapers everywhere published some of the most lurid details of the events. Copies were sent to England; a cargo ship carrying General Thomas Gage's report to his British superiors had a four-day head start, but Captain John Derby's lighter American schooner arrived in the British Isles a fortnight earlier. The London Evening Post published the American account weeks before the government had any of its own information ready. Derby's quick sailing ensured a public relations victory; the British public was split about the way the government was treating their colonial cousins.
A Unifying Virginia Commander
Back in the soon-to-be United States, the second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. Massachusetts representative John Adams needed the Congress toassume responsibility for the ad hoc army that had gathered in Cambridge. Adams wanted all of the colonies to participate, so that the conflict would not be simply between Britain and New England. He realized that the best way to achieve full colonial participation was for the body to appoint a unifying leader. After some maneuvering, Adams nominated George Washington, a charismatic Virginian and veteran of the French and Indian War, as the Commander of the Continental Army. On July 13, Washington arrived in Cambridge to take command.
The Spark
In the aftermath of April 19, 1775, it was clear that the day had served as the spark for revolution. It would be immortalized as a mythic American moment, in poems, engravings, songs, and in celebrated phrases like Ralph Waldo Emerson's "the shot heard round the world." The day is honored with a Massachusetts state holiday and its events are reenacted each year. Though historians today still discuss the question of who fired first and what exactly took place on Lexington Green, the battles of Lexington and Concord provided a few motivated men with the spark that they needed to ignite the passions of their countrymen. A war had begun, but more importantly, an epochal idea -- democratic government of, by, and for the people -- took root.
A Shot Rang Out
Around 4:30am, Captain John Parker and 77 other Lexington minute men stood on Lexington Green waiting for the arrival of the British troops. They did not block the road, but merely stood at attention off to the side. The British arrived. No one knows exactly what was said, but by the fiftieth anniversary in 1825, while veterans of the combat still lived, eyewitnesses reported that Captain Parker said, "Stand your ground! Don't fire unless fired upon! But if they mean to have a war, let it begin here!" British Major Pitcairn, at the front of his column, shouted to the Americans: "Lay down your arms, you damned rebels and disperse!" The Americans were clearly outnumbered. Parker ordered his men to back away.
A shot rang out.
Men on both sides fired their weapons.
Eight Americans fell dead.
After the confrontation with a local militia at Lexington Green, the British regulars continued their march on Concord. Captain John Parker's Lexington Training Band fled in their wake, suffering casualties of eight dead men and ten wounded.
To Concord
Meanwhile, the local militia companies, alerted by the midnight riders, Paul Revere and William Dawes, converged on the town of Concord. One hundred and fifty armed Americans saw the 700 British soldiers and beat a retreat, finding higher ground. They stayed there to observe the British movements.
The Weapons Search
Upon entering Concord, the British found the rebels on a ridge. The Light Infantry made their way up the hill, pushing the minute men into further retreat. The British commander, LieutenantColonel Francis Smith, deployed his men around the town. Three companies were assigned to guard the North Bridge and four companies were to search a nearby farm. The remaining troops and officers searched the town for military supplies but were not very successful, perhaps because they were ordered to be polite to the locals. At about this time, a British relief force, led by General Earl Percy, set off for Concord from Boston.
Defending the Town
More militia men arrived at the retreat position on Punkatasset Hill each moment; soon 400 men kept vigil above Concord. Then, they saw smoke. "Will you let them burn the town down?" asked Joseph Hosmer. According to later depositions, the men decided "to march into the middle of town for its defence or die in the attempt." Again, the minute men were ordered to hold their fire unless fired upon.
Blood on Both Sides
The Brits dismantling the North Bridge were taken aback by the American advance and hastily got into formation. According to Amos Barrett of Concord: "... they [the British] fired three guns one right after the other. I see the balls strike in the river on the right of me... as soon as they fired them they fired on us.... We then was all ordered to fire and not kill our own men.... Capt. Davis was killed and Mr. Hosmer and a number wounded." The outnumbered Redcoats quickly retreated, but not before three of their men were killed and four men -- all officers -- wounded. The first British blood had been shed.
British Forces Retreat
Around mid-morning, the British forces consolidated in the center of Concord (which, incidentally, was not burned -- in fact, British soldiers helped put out a fire that had spread to a house). Having been up all night and morning on the march, they needed a rest. Still, Colonel Smith knew well enough that the longer they waited, the larger the force of militia men grew. Around noon, they began the long march back to Boston.
American Ambush
The Americans now had the advantage of numbers. More than a thousand men rushed ahead of the British column, setting up ambushes and sniper's nests for the Redcoats. Where the road narrowed at Meriam's Corner, the British flankers had to rejoin the column -- allowing the Americans to get close and attack the main group. The British took many casualties, while the guerrilla tactics of the locals kept their losses to a minimum.
One Old Yankee Woman
Meanwhile, word got out that General Percy's supply train was moving in advance of his men, and without much protection. A dozen older men of Menotomy -- too old for the regular militia -- set up to surprise the wagons in the center of their town. The wagons arrived and the old men demanded surrender. When their command went unheeded, they opened fire on the wagons, killing soldiers and horses. The survivors ran off, abandoning their weapons and eventually surrendering in a field to an old woman, Mother Batherick. She delivered her prisoners to a minute man captain and told them, "If you ever live to get back, you tell King George that an old woman took six of his grenadiers prisoners." The story did get back and one English paper asked, "If one old Yankee woman can take six grenadiers, how many soldiers will it require to conquer America?"
Exhausted Redcoats
By this time, Lt. Col. Smith's retreating troops had returned to Lexington and Captain John Parker and his men had had their revenge for earlier American losses. The British were exhausted, dragging their wounded, and their ammunition was running low. The retreat evolved into a rout as the Redcoats limped on.
More Fighting
Finally, just east of Lexington Green, General Percy and his 1100 men arrived to protect Smith's bedraggled troops. Percy's cannons boomed, leveling buildings that could be used to hide snipers. With the reinforcements, the British now numbered about 1700 men, and the Americans had a similar sized force. After the tired Redcoats had some relief, the fighting intensified and dozens more men on either side fell in Menotomy.
Brits Find Safety
As dusk settled, the British finally found protection in the British ship H.M.S. Somerset, docked at Charlestown. For hours afterwards, boats ferried them back across the river to Boston.
The War for Independence Had Begun
Whether the war had begun in Lexington or Concord, at the moment the first Patriot or the first Redcoat fell, has been a matter of historical conjecture and local bias. By the end of April 19, 1775, however, no man who had stood on the field of battle had any doubt that the Colonies were at war with Britain. In the day's aftermath, the British counted 73 dead, 174 wounded and 26 missing. The Americans 49 dead, 41 wounded and five missing.
Dr. Joseph Warren, Samuel Adams' protégé and the man who had assigned the two midnight riders, Paul Revere and William Dawes, their mission, knew that the story of what had happened in Lexington and Concord was still in flux in the days following April 19. Warren chaired the Committee of Safety of the Provincial Congress in John Hancock's absence. From the British perspective, unruly citizens who had set up an illegal shadow government were amassing weapons -- and had to be stopped to prevent a civil war. From the American opposition's perspective, an intrusive government had harassed its own free citizens.
Spin
The Committee of Supplies at Concord wrote a letter "expressing their joy at the event of the preceding day." This was the wrong message. Warren understood that the story of the battlewas evolving and spreading quickly. He felt the revolutionaries needed to issue a statement of outrage that focused on the injustices of what had occurred, not celebrate the remarkable rout of the British forces. The first circular on the subject from the Committee of Safety was a propagandistic screed decrying the crimes of the British soldiers and inciting paranoia within all the colonists. Sent out to other local Committees of Safety, Warren's letter motivated the patriots to create a provincial army.
Volunteer Response
In response to the alarms, militiamen from as far away as New Hampshire and Connecticut came to join the militia groups that had chased the British regulars back into Boston. In all, some 20,000 men volunteered to confront the 4,000 British soldiers in Boston. Some of the troops stayed in Cambridge and Charlestown, across the Charles River from the city. Others went to Roxbury, to control the small strip of land that connected the city to the mainland. The Siege of Boston had begun.
A Spy's Work
The Americans went to work to create an official record of clashes in Lexington and Concord. The Provincial Congress appointed a committee to take statements from witnesses to the battles -- among them three British prisoners -- and commissioned a written narrative. All the witnesses stated that the first shots, both at Lexington and Concord, came from the British troops. Even "witnesses" who could not have seen the first shots agreed. The final report did not limit itself to the facts of the deposition, painting a picture of innocent American farmhands menaced by armed British soldiers. The document's pro-American bias was undoubtedly exaggerated by its author, Benjamin Church, who expressed his loyalty to the American cause all the more emphatically to disguise the fact that he was a British informant. In fact, Church was integral to the events of that April -- he was the one who had sold information about the munitions in Concord to the British government.
News Travels Fast
The battles were big news. Copies of the report and depositions were sent to papers throughout the Colonies, as far south as Georgia. Newspapers everywhere published some of the most lurid details of the events. Copies were sent to England; a cargo ship carrying General Thomas Gage's report to his British superiors had a four-day head start, but Captain John Derby's lighter American schooner arrived in the British Isles a fortnight earlier. The London Evening Post published the American account weeks before the government had any of its own information ready. Derby's quick sailing ensured a public relations victory; the British public was split about the way the government was treating their colonial cousins.
A Unifying Virginia Commander
Back in the soon-to-be United States, the second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. Massachusetts representative John Adams needed the Congress toassume responsibility for the ad hoc army that had gathered in Cambridge. Adams wanted all of the colonies to participate, so that the conflict would not be simply between Britain and New England. He realized that the best way to achieve full colonial participation was for the body to appoint a unifying leader. After some maneuvering, Adams nominated George Washington, a charismatic Virginian and veteran of the French and Indian War, as the Commander of the Continental Army. On July 13, Washington arrived in Cambridge to take command.
The Spark
In the aftermath of April 19, 1775, it was clear that the day had served as the spark for revolution. It would be immortalized as a mythic American moment, in poems, engravings, songs, and in celebrated phrases like Ralph Waldo Emerson's "the shot heard round the world." The day is honored with a Massachusetts state holiday and its events are reenacted each year. Though historians today still discuss the question of who fired first and what exactly took place on Lexington Green, the battles of Lexington and Concord provided a few motivated men with the spark that they needed to ignite the passions of their countrymen. A war had begun, but more importantly, an epochal idea -- democratic government of, by, and for the people -- took root.