Captain Samuel Whittemore, a man of 78 years old, perched behind a rock wall in front of his house on April 19, 1775. Whittemore’s ancient fingers firmly gripped his rifle and his pistol. A weapon protruded from his buckle. Soldiers scavenged residences as they fled Boston. The top Patriot, who had resisted dictatorship and the concept of the Crown for decades, planned to fight to the death to protect his house.
He blasted apart as the American army came near, killing two Redcoats with his sword and injuring or killing another. The Confederates next shot Whittemore in the face with a, sending their fury out. 69 ability ball, taking off part of his jawline, and bayoneting him six days. They bludgeoned him with the bottoms of their muskets and yelled,” We have killed the ancient rebel!” to finish the job. Whittemore sat in a share of his own body. His helmet and garments “were shot through in some areas. ”
The ancient Patriot steadfastly resisted passing away, ironically. Dusting off the flesh scars, he may live to the ripe old age of ninety-six. Whittemore’s spectacular have and the Lexington and Concord Battles are commemorated this week. Farmers, merchants, laborers, and mariners of all stripes joined forces to fight the world’s most skilled military two hundred and forty years ago. April 19, 1775, marked the beginning of an incredible trip for a band of brothers who risked EVERYTHING for a country yet to be born. Many of these Americans marched thousands of miles, frequently barefooted, paid, and starving, over the course of almost eight years to fight for freedom and rights that most Americans now take for granted. In light of numerous recent events and persistent challenges to American freedom, their steadfast position things.
In the fall of 1774, King George III told Lord North, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, that “blows may determine whether they [colonists but hereafter referred to as the Americans ] are to be subject to this country, or separate. The Crown turned to using army, the Crown said. In the counties, resistance had been growing for years. Beginning in September 1774, Gage’s makes conducted a number of so-called flour warnings aimed at seizing gunpowder and weapons. Since almost no healthy creation was possible in North America, black powder was expensive and had to be imported. The export of ammunition and weapons was prohibited by the Crown. Brutally, they leveled a number of painful economic measures, closed the port of Boston – throwing thousands out of work – and passed some acts aimed to kill the colonies ’ financial will.
Colonists responded by banning American goods. The Crown authorised General Gage, the commander-in-chief of English troops in North America and the military government of Massachusetts Bay, to use a “vigorous exertion ” of that force, seize the main players and evasion, as well as destroy the Americans, in the early days of 1775. During the past several weeks, most colonies had hoped for peace and also considered themselves British as they prepared to defend themselves. Any revolution could be easily overthrowned by the British throughout the history of their kingdom without the use of powder and cannon to assist a standing army. But, Gage must perform the disarmament raids with clinical precision until reinforcements arrive so that he can anticipate that the colonists will recruit potentially overwhelming forces. He spent months preparing for the procedure to acquire rebel weapons that Americans had amassed at Concord.
Around 10:00 p.m., Gage’s spies ‘ operations to seize the Patriots ‘ powder and cannons at Concord began. m. , April 18, 1775. Over 700 American regulars headed for Lexington and Concord under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith.
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Major John Pitcairn led the six wealthy light infantry and Marines under the command of Smith to advance ahead of the paragraph and stable two roads leading to Concord. The portly officer was aware that he would require reinforcements, so he properly sent a message to Boston.
Through the first faint grey stripes of dawn, the English vanguard saw the grounds and rocks come alive with armed men leaping toward Lexington. One official recalls that there were numerous Country Militia members who were “going over the Hill with their arms to Lexington.” Paul Revere and other users had alerted the Americans that Smith’s regulars were marching.
Rounding a bend in the road, the British saw the painted shadows of Lexington’s chapel and properties.
The Americans were sounded to a drumbeat. On the east part of Lexington Common, the army of Captain John Parker gathered. A senior of the French and Indian War, Parker knew how to fight. John Parker may have yet another outstanding struggle in him despite the fact that he had tuberculosis and was terminally ill and only had five months to live. After Revere’s first notice that the Redcoats were heading for Concord, Parker’s army had been up all night. Parker barked to his people:
Let the soldiers go by, ” he said. Do n’t mole them without putting them in the first place. ”
A English officer yelled,” Damn them, we may have them!” as one American audibly heard one. There are so few of us, it would be folly to walk around, as one of Parker’s over 70 Republicans worriedly eyed the British. ”
It was. The Americans had a higher gun and out-of-control population. A match of meat ensued.
The Lexington Minuteman statue ( 1900 ), by Henry Hudson Kitson, is now known as the Captain John Parker statue.
Parker vehemently urged his forces to” stay your earth!” Don’t flames unless fired on! But let’s start with this, if they want a conflict. ”
Major Pitcairn rode toward the group and yelled to Parker’s people ,“Throw down your Hands, ye Monsters, ye Separatists! ”
Nothing of Parker’s men lowered their hands. But Parker suddenly changed his commands to “disperse and not to flame. ”
Pitcairn yelled,” Surround and subdue them. ”
A British official yelled,” Ye villains, ye rebels, separate, damn you, evacuate!” as a second American audibled it. The Redcoats yelled “huzza! huzza! to terrify Americans.
Nothing laid down their arms, but some men quietly dispersed, while another stood their ground.
Time seemed to stand also.
The New England common’s night air was pierced by the high-pitched hole of a chance.
No one knows which side fired second.
The British charged and fired into Parker’s people just about 30 to 60 miles away.
The English officers had lost control of their males despite being known for their metal skill, education, and military prowess on the battle. The alternative was a wildly populated area for the army.
In the ensuing conflict, some Americans held their ground, ignoring Parker’s orders to remove. Jonas Parker, Parker’s cousin, was writhing in pain from a gunshot wound, but he did n’t move an inch. Parker attempted to reload his rifle after being hit vulnerable from the pressure and on his hands and knees. One of his fellow Americans heard him declare, “[that ] he would never run. A Redcoat charged, impaling the New Englander with a spear, and disembarking him soon after uttering those terms. Major Pitcairn rode out into the fight and drew his dagger flashing frantically in the air, signaling a stalemate. He was horrified by the unfolding chaos and his men shooting American without instructions. Eight Americans, including some groups of fathers and sons, would eventually death during the wedding. Numerous another Americans were hurt.
After regaining control of his people, Smith addressed his officers, who had only just begun to learn of their task: to move to Concord and capture and kill the weapon and munitions it.
Several of the soldiers risked their jobs and told Smith to leave the goal. The whole land was informed. Smith refrained from giving any instructions and argued that he had his own directions. The American column trudged toward Concord. They could hear the aircraft and burdens of Concord’s church bell sounding an alarm in the distance. approximately 7:30 a.m. m. , the lengthy column of forces that stretched out almost a third of a mile arrived in the area.
To fend off the British, Concord and nearby towns ‘ militia and confederates boldly gathered on the hill behind Concord’s meetinghouse, armed with a miscellaneous of their own personal weapons. The officials of the military ordered their people not to flames unless fired upon and, after a discussion, decided to withdraw to another hill roughly a mile from the center of Concord near North Bridge that led into the city.
Smith ordered his men to search and destroy any munitions or warcraft found in the town without warrants, with the center of Concord clear of Americans. Following information gathered from Dr. Gage’s spies and Dr. American traitor Benjamin Church, they knew exactly where to start looking. They discovered several cannons buried behind the tavern after putting a gun to the head of the neighborhood tavern owner, which they disabled. Additionally, they discovered thousands of musket balls and a few wooden gun carriages for the artillery in a millpond. The British mission of disarmament at Concord had failed. The Americans were initially alerted that most of their stocks had been moved successfully.
The cannon carriages were manhandled by Smith’s troops and rolled into a blazing fire. But soon flames from the inferno spread to the nearby structures.
The Revolution stopped abruptly, and both sides put their differences at ease. A bucket brigade was formed by Concord residents and the Crown’s troops to put out the flames that had engulfed a nearby structure.
On the hill overlooking Concord’s North Bridge, the minutemen and militia saw the billowing clouds of white smoke. Young lieutenant Joseph Hosmer stormed over to the militia leaders and asked them to decide whether to let them burn the town down. ! ” The senior American Colonel, James Barrett, who wore, “an old coat, a flapped hat, and a leather apron” and whose farm was now being raided by Smith’s troops looked at the faces of his men. Barrett was urged to march on Concord by the men, who showed no signs of fear. Barrexett commanded hundreds of men to advance, but he cautioned against shooting first and waited until the men were shot.
In practically a repeat of Lexington—a shot rang out, but this time the British clearly fired first.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the poet and grandson of Reverend Emerson, later coined the phrase” the shot heard round the world.”
The front British ranks erupted in a sheet of flame and smoke as they discharged a volley after one British soldier fired without any orders, followed by two others.
Several provincials fell and many suffered wounds from the fusillade.
The British engaged in a brief exchange before being forced back into Concord by the Americans, where they underwent reform and eventually marched toward Boston.
Smith marched alongside the uninjured as he went along, his walking wounded and bandaged arms, legs, and heads. The light infantry fanned out in an attempt to protect the flanks of the Redcoat column. In the distance, the ridges and hills eked with men rushing out of the nearby towns.
The first mile of march was smooth until the column hit a junction known as Meriam’s Corner, where several country lanes merged. Here, minutemen and militia ambushed the British. The Americans hid behind boulders, trees, and stone walls while unleashing a deadly volley into the retreating redcoats by using the terrain to their advantage. The light infantry advanced on the flanks, occasionally surprising and killing colonists who fled from their farms and homes.
Perched on a boulder-strewn hill outside Lexington, John Parker and his men patiently waited to pounce on Smith’s column. Smith’s men ran into an ambush that history dubbed” Parker’s Revenge” because they were low on ammunition and had already caused dozens of casualties. ”
Hit by multiple ambushes, exhausted, out of ammunition, and having sustained many dead and wounded, the men neared the ends of their ropes. The majority of Smith’s soldiers believed that their only hope was a miracle.
1,300 troops led by Lord Percy, who arrived to save the expeditionary force from “inevitable destruction,” performed miracle. ”
***
With the light infantry working the flanks, Percy created a marching square that was several columns wide. around 3:15 p.m. m. After a number of delays, Percy gave his men the order to move forward: “We had 15 miles to retire, and it started to grow pretty late. only 36 rounds. ” As the columns and flankers surged forward, British pipers and drummers mockingly played “Yankee Doodle. ”
The American general in charge of the minutemen and militia responded with a moving envelope of Percy’s troops, which the English nobleman called” an incessant fire, which like a moving circle surrounded &; fol[lowe]d us wherever we went. ”
Indiscernible during the battle, the militia and minutemen swarmed the British from all positions.
The Americans defended their homes firing from windows and doors. The soldiers were so distressed by the unseen enemy that they moved on and put to death all who were found in them, recalled Frederick Mackenzie, an officer in the Royal Welch Fusiliers Quarter. This was not always the case, and the British executed several prisoners after they had surrendered. After the Redcoats shot the men around him, Denison Wallis fled for his life. Wallis had been struck 12 times and left for dead, but lived to tell what he had witnessed. A dozen Americans were killed defending the home in and around the grounds of Jason Russell’s home, including the author’s relative, Amos Mills, and the home’s owner. Russell, 59, and lame, allegedly declared,” An Englishman’s house is his castle. ”A macabre scene of weltering, bayonet and bullet-riddled bodies of her husband and other Americans greeted Jason Russell’s wife when she returned to her home after the battle. She described the kitchen floor as an “almost ankle deep ” lake of blood. ”
Photo of the author next to a monument memorializing the death of his relative Amos Mills who was killed during the battle, Patrick K. O’Donnell
The Brits defied Gage’s orders and set out on an orgy of violence, burning homes, killing livestock, and plundering anything they could fit in their haversacks, including the church communion silver. They lost more men as they pushed east to break through the American gauntlet. The British troops finally made their way into Charlestown and established defensive positions, ironically on Bunker Hill, after a bloody day of rest for many of whom had not slept for two days.
The British would discover Boston surrounded by thousands of Americans in the morning. Fearing an attack from within Boston, Gage took the entire town hostage and banned Americans from leaving the city. He then implemented a gun registry and confiscation plan. If residents of Boston turned in their weapons and registered them with British authorities for safekeeping, they were assured that they could leave. Americans turned in over 2,000 pistols and long arms along with nearly 1,000 bayonets. The weapons were never returned, and the slaves were left before those who desired to leave Boston. Later, Gage declared that anyone who did not lay down their arms would be regarded as “rebels” and “traitors ” in a proclamation. ”As the British gathered American weapons, the Americans gathered depositions on the Battles of Lexington and Concord from colonialists and even captured British soldiers. They would defeat Gage’s slow transport brig by almost two weeks by employing a fast ship to bring his report to Britain. The American version of events caused a stir in British newspapers and London. The information war to win hearts and minds had commenced.
Captain Levi Preston was questioned about his participation in the Battle of Lexington a few years after the Revolution. Was it the Stamp Act or not? “ I never saw one of those stamps. Was it the Tea Tax? I never drank any drop of that substance; the boys threw it all overboard. The interviewer then inquired about a number of esoteric ideas that Preston rejected. When he then responded,” Young man, what we meant by going for those Redcoats was this: We always had governed ourselves and always meant to do so. They did n’t mean we should. ”
Americans dislike being told what to do. We call it American Sovereignty.
. Patrick K. O’Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and expert on elite units. He is the author of thirteen books, including His upcoming book, The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby’s Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America’s Special Operations, will be released on May 7 and will be available in Barnes and Noble stores in the coming weeks. He is the bestselling author of Washington’s Immortals, The Indispensables, and The Unknowns. ;; O’Donnell frequently speaks on espionage, special operations, and counterinsurgency and served in a Marine rifle platoon during the Battle of Fallujah. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks ’ award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and Discovery produced documentaries through the BBC, the History Channel, and Discovery. PatrickKODonnell. com; @combathistorian
