[NonValueAdded]

Because the British didn’t know the area, they had to stick to the road, while militiamen who knew the terrain well could cut across fields to reach the ambush locations first. Militiamen from Woburn had positioned themselves on the southeast side of the road, while the militiamen who had been following the British since Concord cut through the fields to the northwest side. Other militias remained to the rear. With militiamen on both sides of the road, the British were caught in a crossfire. Their only saving grace was that they could run down the road, whereas the wooded terrain slowed the Patriot pursuit. Of the seventy or so British soldiers who were killed on April 19, 1775, it is estimated that thirty were killed at Bloody Angle. Only four Patriots were killed in this area.

The British troops continued their march back to Boston, sustaining more ambushes at bottlenecks along the way. At Lexington they were met by 1,000 reinforcements under the command of Hugh Percy. These men had no idea that fighting had broken out when they left, and only heard about it when they reached present day Arlington (then called Menotomy). However, the additional British troops did nothing to stop the harassing fire and ambushes because the militia now numbered around 4,000 men. By the time the British made it back to Boston they had marched or ran nearly 40 miles in less than 24 hours with weapons and full packs. That goes to show what getting shot at can do for motivation.

[NonValueAdded]

Minutemen from Reading were also with the Concord Minutemen, in a running chase of the British. My boys from Woburn were lying in wait, commanded by Major Loammi Baldwin.

[glorgau]

By the time the British made it back to Boston they had marched or ran nearly 40 miles in less than 24 hours with weapons and full packs.

Thats what most amazed me about the fight that day. I've ridden the route on a bicycle and still thought it was a nice workout. It was really a great amount of discipline to hold together under that kind of strain. Those guys must have been completely used up after that day and no good for anything for about a week.

[Bigg Red]

Thanks for posting this. I wish the writer, though, had not compared our brave Massachusetts patriots to those filthy Somalian murderers.