The Shot Heard Round the World

North Bridge over the Concord River

First thing this morning we headed to Minute Man National Historic Park. Even though the British troops marched from Lexington to Concord on April 19, 1775, we traveled the Battle Road in reverse, beginning at the North Bridge in Concord.

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world."
- Concord Hymn, Ralph Waldo Emerson

British regular guarding the bridge

We continued east and stopped at Hartwell Tavern, where the ranger was leading a muster drill for militia men...

...and walked along part of the Battle Road Trail.

Somehow the boys had it in their heads that the colonial militia were hiding among the trees, acting as snipers picking off the British troops as they made their way back to Boston from Concord (thanks a lot, Assassin's Creed!) But the ranger pointed out that much of the land at the time had been cleared for farming and was not as wooded as it is today. Another thing I learned from our time here was that the Minutemen were actually a more select, highly-trained group of men than the regular militia. I guess you could call them the "special forces" of that day!

For completing the entire Junior Ranger booklet, M and J were awarded these very cool looking patches in addition to the usual badges...

Concord was also a rich center for literature in the mid-19th century: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Louisa May Alcott all resided here. Unfortunately, "The Wayside," the house that Alcott (and later Hawthorne) lived in was closed for restoration. We also didn't have time to see Walden Pond, although I must confess that I didn't really enjoy reading the book in American Lit in high school, so I wasn't too disappointed.

I can't think of a better way to close out this post than with...