"The Regulars fight and do mischief at Concord"
This is an odd time of year for me now that I'm up here on the frontier. It's a time when I'm excited about spring's arrival and time to get planting, but at the same time, there's a part of my life missing because back in Middlesex county this is the time of year that the whole reenacting world is abuzz about the events of April 19th, 1775 since it happened right there.
Now that I'm 100 miles away, I'm observing the anniversary of that time a little differently, since it would have affected me differently in this place at that time. Back in Massachusetts, the area we lived in received word that "the regulars are out" and marching on Concord around 8AM on April 19th. (all of the surrounding villages got the word in the 1AM timeframe, our messenger must have stopped off at the tavern for some antifreeze...)
At that time and place, folks were already up and working. The farmer who owned the land that my house was built on 120 years later was plowing his fields and when he got the message, he left his plow in the furrow, hitched his team to a tree, and headed off to the drama that was already unfolding in Concord. The scene at Lexington Green had already taken place, the British had arrived at Concord. By the time the guys from my neighborhood reached the battle, the "shot heard round the world" had already been fired across Concord's North Bridge. They took place in the first major ambush of the retreating British troops at a place called Merriam's Corner.
Up here in New Hampshire, we were a bit removed from the drama. We didn't hear about the Lexington and Concord events until the 20th, but when we did, it caused an appropriate uproar.
I'll tell the NH story of this time and date by stepping back and letting Abner Sanger tell it. He was there. Abner was a farmer/laborer living in Keene, NH in 1775. He kept a great journal which is currently in publication. Keene is about 30 miles south of here.
from Sanger's journal:
April 19 - This day morning is fair and clear. Jeremiah Stiles comes and begins to hew barn timbers. I fix away to town, the first time I have been to Keene Town Street from the last days of August 1773 to this. I do down. The first place I go into is Rugg's and Abijah Wilder's, then to Josiah Richardson's, then old David Nims's, then Eliphalet Briggs Jr.'s, then to the saw mill with Zadock, then back to Dr. Tiffany's, then up to Benjamin Osgood's until the sun sets. Fair clear and cool. Then to Eliphalet Carpenter's, then to Joseph Brown's by dark, then to young David Nims's. I stay all night. Cool, this day is fair, cool and windy. The Regulars fight and do mischief at Concord.
I suspect Abner went into town to settle up account books, since he stopped in to see so many people. It was just another New England day. His line at the end about the Regulars was obviously added later, when he transcribed his notes into his journal.
April 20 - This morning clear, cold and frosty. I am at young David Nim's. I get up and spend the morning with said Nims and talk about reckoning. His child is sick. I eat breakfast. Then I go to Breed Batchelder's. Grows cloudy. He comes in from work. I borrow his manuscript of surveying. Then I come off. I come to old Eliphalet Carpenter's. Looks like rain coming up. Said Carpenter requests me to his sugar boiling place and help him bring down ashes from it. the wind rises very high. We're in danger of trees falling on us. rain comes up. I go to dinner at said Carpenter's. Afternoon rain descended. I set out home. I get to old Wheeler's. I get Mrs. Frink's "Gentleman's Library", then into town by Baker's. Now is the news of the fight with Regulars in Concord, Lexington, Menotomy and also of people being killed. Keene town is in an uproar. They warn a muster. I go to Baker's, Dorman's, Williams's office, Wadsworth's and to his shop, old Gideon Ellis's, then to Israel Houghton's, then set out home to John Houghton's. I meet El above the Bellows's house going to hear the news. This night fair and clear. I am at John Houghton's. Cool night.
I'm not sure at this point if Abner visits all of the named people in April 20th's entry to spread the word about the hostilities, or if he is still "reckoning" his accounts.
April 21 - This morning is fair, cool and clear. The town of Keene musters in general. A number enlist to go off to fight Regulars. Then all that enlist retire home to make ready to march on the morrow. Captain Wyman is chosen captain. Sergeant Thomas Baker is chosen lieutenant. Jeremiah Stiles is chosen orderly sergeant. Isaac Esty comes to said Houghton's and offers me his gun to go fight Regulars. I accept it and go up to El's at Mother's and make ready to go to said Houghton's overnight. Lawrence and Eb Billings is there.
It is now two days after the engagement on Lexington Green, the word of the battle has reached the NH countryside, and the locals are readying to respond to the crisis. But first, they need to gather at the muster, elect officers, and round up equipment. Abner has to borrow a musket! It seems that by 1775, things have relaxed from the days of the French wars to the point that the militia is no longer in a state of readyness. He doesn't pick up the borrowed musket until the next day, April 22nd, three days after the start of hostilities. The local militia marches as far as Winchendon (the NH/MA border) on the 22nd, finally reaching Cambridge on April 25th, six days after the events at Lexington and Concord. They stuck around Cambridge for five days, and were given the option to either enlist or return home. Abner chose the latter and was back in Keene on May 3rd.
No statues to them, no great poetry about them, just farmers, millers, shopkeepers and craftsmen whose lives were interrupted by politics and violence. Life on the farm was often far more pressing to deal with than global politics and the abstract concept of infringed rights. We aren't much different today, only today we have TV, radio, the Internet, and cars that could take us from here to Concord in two hours.
What would we, as modern Americans, do if we were in their shoes?
Now that I'm 100 miles away, I'm observing the anniversary of that time a little differently, since it would have affected me differently in this place at that time. Back in Massachusetts, the area we lived in received word that "the regulars are out" and marching on Concord around 8AM on April 19th. (all of the surrounding villages got the word in the 1AM timeframe, our messenger must have stopped off at the tavern for some antifreeze...)
At that time and place, folks were already up and working. The farmer who owned the land that my house was built on 120 years later was plowing his fields and when he got the message, he left his plow in the furrow, hitched his team to a tree, and headed off to the drama that was already unfolding in Concord. The scene at Lexington Green had already taken place, the British had arrived at Concord. By the time the guys from my neighborhood reached the battle, the "shot heard round the world" had already been fired across Concord's North Bridge. They took place in the first major ambush of the retreating British troops at a place called Merriam's Corner.
Up here in New Hampshire, we were a bit removed from the drama. We didn't hear about the Lexington and Concord events until the 20th, but when we did, it caused an appropriate uproar.
I'll tell the NH story of this time and date by stepping back and letting Abner Sanger tell it. He was there. Abner was a farmer/laborer living in Keene, NH in 1775. He kept a great journal which is currently in publication. Keene is about 30 miles south of here.
from Sanger's journal:
April 19 - This day morning is fair and clear. Jeremiah Stiles comes and begins to hew barn timbers. I fix away to town, the first time I have been to Keene Town Street from the last days of August 1773 to this. I do down. The first place I go into is Rugg's and Abijah Wilder's, then to Josiah Richardson's, then old David Nims's, then Eliphalet Briggs Jr.'s, then to the saw mill with Zadock, then back to Dr. Tiffany's, then up to Benjamin Osgood's until the sun sets. Fair clear and cool. Then to Eliphalet Carpenter's, then to Joseph Brown's by dark, then to young David Nims's. I stay all night. Cool, this day is fair, cool and windy. The Regulars fight and do mischief at Concord.
I suspect Abner went into town to settle up account books, since he stopped in to see so many people. It was just another New England day. His line at the end about the Regulars was obviously added later, when he transcribed his notes into his journal.
April 20 - This morning clear, cold and frosty. I am at young David Nim's. I get up and spend the morning with said Nims and talk about reckoning. His child is sick. I eat breakfast. Then I go to Breed Batchelder's. Grows cloudy. He comes in from work. I borrow his manuscript of surveying. Then I come off. I come to old Eliphalet Carpenter's. Looks like rain coming up. Said Carpenter requests me to his sugar boiling place and help him bring down ashes from it. the wind rises very high. We're in danger of trees falling on us. rain comes up. I go to dinner at said Carpenter's. Afternoon rain descended. I set out home. I get to old Wheeler's. I get Mrs. Frink's "Gentleman's Library", then into town by Baker's. Now is the news of the fight with Regulars in Concord, Lexington, Menotomy and also of people being killed. Keene town is in an uproar. They warn a muster. I go to Baker's, Dorman's, Williams's office, Wadsworth's and to his shop, old Gideon Ellis's, then to Israel Houghton's, then set out home to John Houghton's. I meet El above the Bellows's house going to hear the news. This night fair and clear. I am at John Houghton's. Cool night.
I'm not sure at this point if Abner visits all of the named people in April 20th's entry to spread the word about the hostilities, or if he is still "reckoning" his accounts.
April 21 - This morning is fair, cool and clear. The town of Keene musters in general. A number enlist to go off to fight Regulars. Then all that enlist retire home to make ready to march on the morrow. Captain Wyman is chosen captain. Sergeant Thomas Baker is chosen lieutenant. Jeremiah Stiles is chosen orderly sergeant. Isaac Esty comes to said Houghton's and offers me his gun to go fight Regulars. I accept it and go up to El's at Mother's and make ready to go to said Houghton's overnight. Lawrence and Eb Billings is there.
It is now two days after the engagement on Lexington Green, the word of the battle has reached the NH countryside, and the locals are readying to respond to the crisis. But first, they need to gather at the muster, elect officers, and round up equipment. Abner has to borrow a musket! It seems that by 1775, things have relaxed from the days of the French wars to the point that the militia is no longer in a state of readyness. He doesn't pick up the borrowed musket until the next day, April 22nd, three days after the start of hostilities. The local militia marches as far as Winchendon (the NH/MA border) on the 22nd, finally reaching Cambridge on April 25th, six days after the events at Lexington and Concord. They stuck around Cambridge for five days, and were given the option to either enlist or return home. Abner chose the latter and was back in Keene on May 3rd.
No statues to them, no great poetry about them, just farmers, millers, shopkeepers and craftsmen whose lives were interrupted by politics and violence. Life on the farm was often far more pressing to deal with than global politics and the abstract concept of infringed rights. We aren't much different today, only today we have TV, radio, the Internet, and cars that could take us from here to Concord in two hours.
What would we, as modern Americans, do if we were in their shoes?
posted by MVTCoPete | 7:25 AM
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