I find it quite poignant today. The 18th of April, 1775 was an important juncture in modern history.
I'm not much of a student of history but the Battles of Lexington and Concord can teach us much, particularly in light of recent developments.
The British were marching to seize the militia's arms.
I've watched with some fascination as conservatives weigh in (or avoid) on the Bundy Ranch events. I'm sure everything King George's forces did was completely "legal"...
At some juncture for the Patriots at Lexington and Concord, that no longer mattered.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Lexington_and_Concord
I was taught this at home and in school when I was young,wonder if they do that anymore?
Bump
Israel Bissell rode for four days and six hours covering the 345 miles from Watertown, Massachusetts to Philadelphia raising the alarm.
Looks like good press gets you remembered.
Actually he did not make it to Lexington. He was captured by the lobsterbacks in Lincoln, there is a monument there marking the capture site.
Today the call would be, “The Fed Coats are coming! The Fed Coats are coming!”
My favorite line.
You might enjoy “Turn” on AMC. Its a history based drama about the beginnings of Washington’s Culper spy ring.
Being a drama means artistic license but they appear to have held pretty firmly to actual history and real people as a basis. A lot of loyalists turned as a result of the arrogance and abuses of the British. A lot of it is strangely familiar.
You can watch the first two episodes here.
http://www.amctv.com/full-episodes/turn
Yes, King George had all the laws on his side. Harry Reid would have called the Minutemen “domestic terrorists”.
Although Paul Revere is better known due to the epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Bissell was the subject of the less well known “Ride, Israel, Ride,” an epic poem by Marie Rockwood of Stockbridge.
Israel Bissell (1752–1823) was a patriot post rider in Massachusetts who brought news to American colonists of the British attack on April 19, 1775. He reportedly rode for four days and six hours covering the 345 miles from Watertown, Massachusetts to Philadelphia along the Old Post Road, shouting “To arms, to arms, the war has begun,” and carrying a message from General Joseph Palmer which was copied at each of his stops and redistributed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Bissell
Izzy gets no respect.
Nobody even knows about it anymore.
My father memorized this poem in public school in Washington County, ME, sometime during the 1930-40s. We lost Dad to dementia nearly 3 years ago. In his early 70s he could still recite a large portion of Longfellow’s poem before a TIA started his 7 year decline. I miss him, but am thankful he did not know what Obama had done to this nation.
Thanks for posting this.
Thanks for posting. It’s been years since I read that poem, and re-reading it today stirs my heart just like the first time.
Our Patriots were incredible, and Longfellow captured the scene perfectly (even though there was more than one “Paul Revere” spreading the alarm.)
Lexington & Concord. The first big gun grab in New England.