Public service by americas and Television Companies is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. An american hour, cities tv exclusive, our tour visit says concord, massachusetts, to learn more about its unique history and literary life. For six years, weve traveled to cities bringing the literary scene. The bridge that arched the unfurled, here nce the battle farmers stood and heard the shot heard round the world. Historical park was established to celebrate the april that took place on 19, 1975. Behind me is something called north bridge. This is what is considered to be 777. Behind me is something called north bridge. This is what is considered to be of thes is the beginning american revolution. Its here, america, colonial will, will you encounter one another, shots will be fired. Lives will be lost on both sides. More importantly, its where the colonial militia was ordered fire upon the kings troops creating, in essence, an act of treason. Was, of course, a royal colony. Here had been tensions going with the mother country since, really, the 1770s. Of all this tension, the Royal Military governor thomas appointed to oversee. What started to happen as the a seriesre on, you had of events that would take place. Theres something called the boston massacre which takes and of course the famous boston tea party. The tea party was the destruction of private party and of this destruction, Royal Authority had to punish colony. Etts bay so one of these punishments were something called a series of cts called the intolerable acts. Again, you brought in the royal overnor whos now a british officer. You have the closing of the port of boston, and you also have the government was basically shut down. N essence, what that meant was any town in the colony, they were not allowed to meet. How is was an affront to people had been governing themselves for almost years. Well, at least 100 so you have a series of place, s that take amongst those responses that take place is the reactivation of the militia system. Meant was a community effort. Men 16 to 60 were required to militia training and practice. As an off shoot, something called the minute companies are companies minute would be usually younger men who were better equipped, who would at a uired to turn out moments notice, hence the term minutemen. So you have these militia minute companies forming up and drilling and preparing for something. The al thomas gauge, british officer in charge, was aware of the growing tensions here in the colony. He was also aware of armaments that were starting to be colony as round the well. In fact, some armaments were tolen and secreted out of boston and four brass cannon of particular interest thomas reclaim. Four of those cannons would actually make their way out here concord, actually, the home of colonel James Barrett would e the place where some of this would be stored. Well get to that in a few moments. Rising, e of tension thomas gauge wanting in april to seize these arms and armaments he had been collected, wanted to do it in a very secretive fashion. Nfortunately, when he gathered 700 british soldiers on boston ommon to come on out here to concord to collect these arms, it was not the bestkept secret. Besides a system of alarms that were set up in boston as well as colonies, word got out, aul revere, William Dawes and even Samuel Prescott would spread the word of the british army who was now on the march out. As the british army marches down in the early morning, they encounter 77 militia men on the lexington green. Nobody knows who did it, but shots were fired that morning will have rse, you seven, eventually eight olonials who will die on lexington common. The british will then continue to march towards concord. To march closer to , lincoln he concord and bedford militias who had morning were in merriams corner. They would see the british because the road and of the sheer size in number, they decided to pull back. They were ahead of the british like 500 yards. He colonials would come into concord and come out here towards the north bridge area and go across the river, and gather in an area punkatasit hill which is behind me to the left. The main colony gets into concord early morning. Approximately 120 soldiers are dispatched to go towards colonel farm and 90 additional soldiers are sent to guard the and the roadway. Were leaving north bridge parking lot and on our way to farm. Ette from north bridge to the barrett farm was just about under 2 so it was not in the center of town. It was certainly out a bit. April the morning of 19th, colonel barrett was not on farm. He had heard the alarm going so he was already out and gathering concord militia. The farm land, this area would have been devoid of a lot of the housesof course, you see today, some of them are modern, but some of these houses to the period and as we get p closer to barretts farm, besides the farm house, there would have been other out uildings that would have been part of it. Thats typical of any new england village. Most of the people if they had outside of the town they would have had a few outbuildings that would have supported their farm. House that were coming upon to my right is the barrett farmhouse. So weve gotten out of the car here at barretts farm and here, where general thomas gauge had ordered his soldiers o come look for four cannon that were stored, presumably in the basement of the house. Who was James Barrett, a colonel in the concord militia secreted this material away early in the morning when the alarm had arrived. Y 11 00 a. M. , the british soldiers, approximately 120 of them from the 700 that were in concord arrived at this location searching for the cannon that were reported to be in the basement of this house. They encountered mrs. Barrett ho did give them permission to search the house and the property. After some searching, nothing was found. Some ofhis time period, the soldiers asked mrs. Barrett drink d and something to as they had been up since the day before. Mrs. Barrett did allow some food drink for the soldiers. When they offered to pay her, she refused to accept any payment. However, some of the soldiers did throw some showings upon her feet. Search of the h barrett property and nothing was found here, the army gathered began their march back towards concord. Miles, about 11 30, they encountered the north and they saw something had taken place right there. A nwhile, back in concord, lot of wooden implements used to up y cannons are gathered and theyre burned in the center of town. This fire then actually spreads house, and the residents of concord employ the ritish to stop the fire, which they did. However, over on punkatasset gathering colonials, whose strength is up to about rising from the village of concord and they did what most people would assume accident assume that their on fire. Its at this point they gather up in orderly common, they will muskets own with their loaded, the captain seeing the coming upon onials him. He starts to panic, pulls the soldiers back over to this side they move over to the side of the bridge, some confusion rings out, a few shots fired, as the colonials get that much closer. The colonials. They do kill two colonial soldiers. Is captain davis. The other is private abner hosene r. The americans and the colonialials fire back. To fire by dered major john but rick who were to fire, for r gods sake fire. Two soldiers were hit. Two british soldiers killed immediately, a third would die f his wounds, and the captain loses control. He pulls his soldiers back. Ere not far again from the center of concord. Lieutenant Francis Smith starts and encounters the british retreating back into concord. That the is point colonials arent sure what to do because some people break ranks. Others gather back up at the punkatasset hill. At this point, theres a quiet lull. This takes place between 11 00 11 30 when the british who were at barretts farm return. Soldiers come by and see something happened. They see a few dead british and get a little bit concerned. In fact, one of the british soldiers was mangled badly in altercation that a rumor starts to spread that the scalping the british soldiers. Complete, mission is the army starts to gather back fornd will start to prepare their long, arduous march back that will make for a very long day. This would have been part of the british army coming into concord back out of concord. It might not be obvious but on a lefthand side, there was ridge that runs along this road and trees but behind it, theres this ridge for hat served as cover when the colonials were gathering and reforming after the battle took place and after british marched into concord, reorganized and started bostong back out towards british way, you have armies, thats important to know, because by the time on the other side, were going by merriams corners, a thousand. Outnumbered. It showed how unorganized they were. I dont think he and like a lot of british soldiers that to the extent of the sheer number would out and they just kept coming. Thats the thing. As we come up here, were coming to merriams corner and its battle re the running will begin by the house of the family. Weve arrived at the merriam house. What the concord militia does companies the other stowe, ncoln, actin, bedford, theyll gather over here as the british army starts out later in the afternoon. That concernedng Lieutenant Colonel smith. There was a point in the road narrow. On one side its swampy and marshy where they had to go. You had a tiny bridge so they had to march three a breast. It was a funnel point, a choke point. Nonetheless, the army comes through. Encounter the militia. Most of the army comes through. Hey fire back at the army gathered. They turn and fire in unison back and you have whats commonly referred to as the battle. From this location all the way charlestown, youll have the battle thats going to take place. At the end of the day, 700 make their way back towards lexington, 1500 up by nal soldiers sent thomas gauge as relief will gather with these panicky location. This in the meantime, the colonial forces keep building in size and strength. Day, end of the approximately 4,000 colonial to descende starting upon the soldiers and the king returning back to boston, which 2200 this point about strong. That will take place from this point all the way back o boston will claim the lives of at least 300 british soldiers thats killed, wounded or missing, whereas the colonial forces have only about 93 killed, wounded or missing. Beginning of the siege of boston, the beginning revolution. N because the bluj of it took place on both sides. Because the american colonials ere ordered to fire at the british and because the british broke and ran, this is considered the beginning of the american revolution. Its not going to be for another year that we will declare our independence in 1776. Tensions had been growing for some time. It was thought that this was something maybe that was just a issue, but it wound up being more than will husetts, as time tell. The concord mu seem was founded in 1886, but actually, founded around a collection that had begun almost 40 years before that, so it was collection that an individual, Cummings Davis, started putting objects with histories. That was the important thing. He was only interested in had histories. So the institution was formed that collection. Ur earliest object is stone projectile point thats about 12,000 years old. Thats not very long after the glacier retreated from this area. E have a very good collection of 17th and 18thCentury Furniture owned and, in many cases, made in concord. 9th Century Furniture objects associated with the authors in reau, d, emerceon and tho primarily, and the objects 1777. To april 18, we have, arguably, more objects that were participants in the of april 19, 1775, maybe more than any other collection. Look at the objects that arranged, more or less, chronologically, following the day, through the collection of the objects, that its Strong Enough you can pick the high points all along the road. O one of the most iconic objects in the Museum Collection in his lantern, and it was this collection even before the thism was formed, and that was in Cummings Davis collection by 1856 and had been to the public since before the civil war. One of the tory, is two lanterns that was used as a in al from Christ Church boston on the night of april 18th. So this is not a signal to paul but arranged by paul the e to be flashed across iver for the advice of the provincial militia in charlestown, because revere was planning to spread the alarm regulars were coming out to capture the supplies, and e knew that he didnt really have a very great chance of getting first getting across thought maybe e id better have a backup. This is the backup. The ct, he got across signal, so the day got under way. That longfellow put two if by if by land, sea, an eye on the opposite shore shall be. On the other shore. He was in boston when the signal was posted. S i said, the signal was meant for someone else on the other shore. But the way revere put it is if british went out by water, we would show two lanterns in steeple. Hurch and if by land, one as a signal. Hey knew they were going to concord so they were only two ways out of town to get to concord. So there were a, two lanterns. Only one of them survives. There are some examples of the targets on april 19th. Military there were stores in concord. They had that because a pretty good military spy network. The provincials knew that had a pretty good spy network too. It was clear to both sides that something was going to happen. Was where and on hen and general gauge determined the where when he gave the troops ordered to go ut to concord to seize and destroy the supplies that they found there. These are the examples of some things. These wooden spoons have a of ory of use in one concords militia companies. Of them that rels were being stored in concord, the provincial congress had of red supplies for an army 20,000. And not an army for one day, but an army that was meant to stay field. So they had barrels of wooden spoons. Of flour. Rels barrels of cannonballs because the provincials had several cannon, acquiring all of those they their hands on and these two, in particular, were thrown into the mill pond by the regulars on the 19th. Their duty that day was to destroy those things and threw them into the mill pond. Out of the mill pond reauxe 1850s and henry tho writes about it in the journal because he knew immediately what they were when they came out. Shovel is whats called a shovel and its meant for digging trenches for combat and private sword a from the 10th regiment, one of companies that was in concord on that day, and this 19th in red on april the center of concord or its history, it wass this ier who deserted and was his sword. But it carries all of the markings of the 10th on it. This was a private sword. A this is the powder horn of in one rett, and he was of concords minute companies. The minute companies were sort troops, the younger men, and they were charged with responding at a minutes notice an alarm. So barrett was at the north bridge and 50 years after that event, he wrote a letter, a onderfully evocative letter describing what he did that day, and he says right in the eginning of it that those events of 50 years before were mind than t in his even events of a week ago, and you can tell it from his language as he narrates what happened, that hes right back there. Its really neat. So that having the object that was there and the firstperson account that goes thats about as good as it gets. There above the bridge, watching the british. The british started taking off the bridge so that cross vincials couldnt it, and thats when they marched marched down and even the british accounts say the same thing. They came down in marshall order. So they arent a mob. Army, and they marched down to the bridge. Amos barrett said they fired shots into the river. I saw them splash in the river on us. They fired captain davis was killed and mr. Hosene r. There, two casualties on the regular side. John butrick was in overall ommand of the troops on the bridge. John butrick gave the order to back. As far as i know thats the first time provincial troops were ever given the order to regular troops in america. Significant moment. Maybe the most significant is he fact that the order was obeyed. I also think it might be the ast time anybody that day was ordered to fire. In other words, the firing never topped but no one had to order firing again. Their fire was effective too. Whoe were several religious were gulars who regulars who were killed and wounded and they tarted their retreat back into boston. And by the time they got to merriams corner. This was about noon, and there were 1200 provincials. So now they were outnumbered and circling fire began. Thats how it was described, so aroundvincials are going and around the regular troops them. Ing on that kept up for the whole rest of the day and the regulars ran ammunition. They hadnt brought sufficient it r or any rations, and so was a long day. By the time they got to arlington, it looks like some of them were just throwing their equipment aside. Youre out of ammo, why carry a any further when youve now been marching 12 hours straight or Something Like that . This seems to have been discarded at that point. Musket. Officers and, you know, it seems likely to have been discarded rather captured, because no officers were killed none of were killedofficers at arlington in the afternoon. There were two brothers from who heard about all this. They were too young to be in the they turned out watertown d went from to arlington, got there in time, one brother picked this up, one this up. Ked maybe the same officer. This is an officers sword. Of work with the blade and everything. An officers musket. Its smaller than an enlisted musket and has rack no. 5 kecion plate and so on. It was a big deal to throw away your sword. He bought this himself, it was seems to me itit was an indicator of what sort of a day for these fellows that those hoose to throw away. We brought a few additional bjects out to from storage to give some further suggestion of the collection here, and these two actually go together. This is the powder horn and the usket of a minuteman from lincoln, samuel bacon. Those are his initials there. Alarm. Sponded to the he was in concord maybe about 4 00 in the morning. He was at the north bridge. And his is his musket, actually, in many ways, its a Middlesex County firearm. He militia and the minute companies were responsible for arms when eir own they responded. In other words, youre not issued arms. You bring them from home. And so this is a fowler. His is what youd use to hunt