Happy Patriots' Day (April 19, 1775)

The Library of Congress, Today in History ^ | April 19, 2007 | NonValueAdded

[Paige]

2. When asked if he was afraid to advance.

3.Concord Action men....The Acton’s company was the only one present that was entirely outfitted with bayonets, perhaps because Isaac Davis himself was a blacksmith and a gunsmith.  Isaac Davis became the first commissioned officer to die in the Revolutionary War. The British were turned back at the bridge, in large part due to Acton’s stand.  April 19th, 1775 was the day it truly all began, and the turning point at the old North Bridge was the first time the British had been forced to retreat in the face of colonial opposition.

[sten]

Just read a post containing an account from a man that was at Lexington with Captain Parker [ link ]. In that post, Sylvanus Wood declares that only the British had fired in Lexington. This was news to me, and I grew up in Acton.

I knew Davis was the first officer down, but does this mean that the Acton Minutemen were the first to fire a shot at the British?

(maybe next time the guys in concord can get their asses out of bed and get to their own bridge... before guys from another town ;)

[NonValueAdded]

Quiz answers:

1. A cow, given to Mrs. Amos Wyman by Mass. Governor Hancock (see link #470)
2. "Are you afraid to go?" (see link) “A” to Gondring
3. They were well equipped for irregulars, even having bayonets, and had trained extensively (see link for #2) “A” to Gondring
4. [IANL so I’m allowed to ask a question that I don’t know the answer in advance]
5. Mother Batherick was working in the field, had her gun, took 6 fleeing British Redcoats prisoner...then 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.” (see link) “A” to Paige
6. Hezikiah Wyman (see link for an amazing story - is there a bit of Hezikiah in Gibson's "Ghost" in The Patriot?)
7. First time in memory the weather cancelled the reenactments AlGore’s fault! “B” to NeoCaveman & Hemingway's Ghost
8. Menotomy (Arlington) “A” to gusopol3 & Hemingway's Ghost

Special thanks to Hemingway's Ghost for the Powder House Alarm factoid. I love learning new things every day here at FR. Thanks to all my fellow FReepers for daily sharing your knowledge.

And a few things for you all to consider …

Imagine if Capt. Isaac Davis survived the battle and was able to serve General Washington in the role eventually filled by von Steuben, and train Washington’s men as well as he, Capt. Davis, trained the Acton Minutemen?

Further, what impact did the general lack of training and equipment of the April 19th militia (save Isaac Davis’ men) have on the crafting of the 2nd Amendment? Did the founding fathers aim to a) justify April 19th and b) ensure the militia would be ready for the task within Jefferson’s 25-year rinse & repeat timeframe?

To Paige’s point “we women Rock!” in telling us about Mother Batherick, let me add “all the elders rocked” that day. Consider that the militia that captured Percy’s resupply train and chased off the lobsterbacks into Mother Batherick’s custody were too old to keep up with the youngin’s answering the alarm. The same held true for The White Horseman. But look at the pivotal role those seasoned citizens played from that day forward.

Now think about this … there is an age cutoff in the current United States Code that defines what is the militia. And what if by some change in the Supreme Court the 2nd Amendment is re-interpreted to be a collective right, arming the militia with a grudging nod towards Isaac Davis’ preparation regimin? Would that disarm Mother Batherick? Hezikiah Wyman? The others who captured Percy’s supply wagons? Would the Founding Fathers throw that all away or did they rightly consider the individual contributions of the citizen Patriots that day, young and old, spry and slow-moving, male and female?

Interesting stuff that I hope to explore further.

[NonValueAdded]

Thank you for adding the graphics to the thread. Pharmboy too for the Concord Bridge on the ping out.

[NonValueAdded]

I knew Davis was the first officer down, but does this mean that the Acton Minutemen were the first to fire a shot at the British?

I'm doing this off the top of my head but I think it is safe to say that the Acton Minutemen were ready to accept and give the first deliberate volley. They were chosen to take the bridge due to their training and equipment, being the only ones with bayonets to face the similarly equipped British regulars. I don't think it was an issue of the Concord men sleeping in :)

I'm not sure we can accept Wood's statement at face value and it is, of course, impossible to find out for sure.

[gusopol3]

thanks again ; good stuff.

[Christopher Lincoln]

On March 23 Patrick Henry, speaking in Virginia’s Convention (a revolutionary body), had said “The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms!”. He was right.

[M. Espinola]

[Cato Uticensis]

thanks for the link!