Lee and Katerina visit Lexington Green in July, 2008
We were on the return trip from our honeymoon in Maine. Looking at the map, we discovered that our route home would take us within a few miles of The Lexington Battle Green, where Capt Parker's Militia stood their ground (albeit temporarily) against a much larger body of British soldiers.
"Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon. But if they mean to have a war, let it begin here." -Captain Parker
This inscription is on the marker (pictured below) indicating the line where the militiamen stood.
Here is the spot where, on the early dark morning of April 19th, a handful (about 80, maybe less) of "embattled farmers" stood their ground against ten times as many well-armed, well-trained British regulars. Many of the militiamen has been gathered at the local tavern, and most likely had been at a pint or two. We could imagine Captain Parker rallying the troops away from their mugs....
Note to current militia persons: Nope, not the local bar...don't even think about it!
British Major Pitcairn then ordered, "Disperse you rebels, damn you! Throw down your arms and disperse!" After a few moments of tension, Captain Parker began to dismiss his militia, and then a shot rang out. (We can imagine farmer Simmons, stumbling out of the tavern and seeing seven or eight hundred Redcoats, loading and firing....) The British suffered a few wounded, while The Americans suffered a handful dead and a few more wounded. The fight was on.
The British then moved on to Concord, where they met even stiffer resistance. Following this, they headed back to Boston, and along the way they caught hell from "these damn rebels". The mission of the British detachment was to seize gunpowder and weapons from the Americans, a mission which many still cling to with futility even today...
The battle green itself is clean and well-maintained. There is a statue of Captain Parker at one entrance to the area.
It was pretty inspiring to be in this area, and see the monuments and displays and think about how they must have felt that April morning, outnumbered by as many as ten to one.
This is where the fighting started. This is where the courage of The American Patriots exploded into the light of day. This was the start of The American Revolutionary War. And we were there, Katerina and I. It was an awesome and moving visit.
Sometimes, when I want to complain about driving to a meeting in the rain, or driving up to the range in the rain, or when I complain about traffic on the way to a meeting, I really need to stop, and think about these guys in the cold on that April morning in 1775. We all live relatively comfortable lives, and maybe that puts a great distance between us and those "embattled farmers" of The American Revolution. We have cars and cable TV, and fast food, and whatever else. We enjoy comforts, and a way of life completely unimaginable to those who bled and died for our freedom. And yet, we need to feel a connection to the spirit of that fight, we need to honor their struggles, maybe by enduring a lack of comfort with a bit more patience now and then. They endured eight long, bitter years of brutal fighting, and conditions that would break most modern Americans in the span of a few minutes. The least that I can do, the least that ANY of us can do, is to put up with a traffic jam now and then.
There are many places you can go to if you want to read more about the history associated with this area. I can tell you that it is well worth making the trip to see. I wish we had the time to see the entire area, including The Concord Bridge, but that will be another trip, maybe with the kids this time.
-Weapon M