Concord Fight
On the morning of April nineteenth, 1775, while the British held this bridge, the minute-men and militia of of Concord and neighboring towns gathered on the hill across the river.
There the Concord Adjutant Joseph Hosmer demanded "Will you let them burn the town down?" There the Lincoln Captain, William Smith, offered to dislodge the British. The Acton Captain,Isaac Davis said, "I haven't a man that's afraid to go." And the Concord Colonel, James Barret,ordered the attack on the regulars.
The column was lead by the Major John Buttrick, marching from his own farm. His aide was
Lt. Colonel John Robinson of Westford. The Minute-men of Acton, Concord, Lincoln and
Bedford followed. After them came the Militia. At the British Volley Isaac Davis fell. Buttrick cried "Fire, Fellow-Soldiers, for God's sake fire." And himself fired first. The British fled.
And here began the separation of two kindred nations, now happily long united in peace.
The battleground!
In 1775...the first battle of the Revolution was held right there.
When we started on this drive, I wasn't all that interesting in the historical aspect,
I just wanted to hit Salem and check out the Witch Museum.
But once here...standing on this hallowed ground...it was as if I could feel the past.
I was suddenly struck by the fact that a couple hundred years ago a bunch
of farmers fought for freedom...and many died...RIGHT HERE.
The river behind the farm
This is the location of the farm house owned by Major John Buttrick,Just down this hill is where the first battle took place. The "Red Coats"
were coming over the bridge to his farm...when they were
confronted and pushed back by a bunch of patriot farmers.
This was taken by Dian Chapman and the notes was from her website.
