# The Story of April 19th



## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

This story was originally told to me in this format by Garymac libertyseed .org









Concord Hymn
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...
Ralph Waldo Emmerson

Paul Revere made his famous ride and our forefathers faced off against their government's army to try and restore they rights that have been taken away. Capt. John Parker and 80 men of the Lexington Militia stood up against 200 light infantry on Lexington green. Those redcoats were backed by 600 more infantry in the main British column.

Firing without orders, the redcoats opened up on the militia and then followed with up with a bayonet charge. When the smoke cleared 17 Lexington men lay dead or wounded with only one slightly wounded redcoat. The British commander ordered three cheers and a victory musket volley in celebration as they marched out of town toward Concord to confiscate arms they knew to be stored there.

Once in Concord the British regulars searched the town, confiscated the few supplies they found and set them on fire in the town square. The 400+ militia who had gathered outside of town saw the smoke and marched down to the north bridge thinking the redcoats were burning the town. They were stopped by 4 companies of light infantry at the north bridge who opened up on them. Capt. Isaac Davis of Acton minutemen was killed along with Abner Hosmer. This time the militia opened up on the redcoats killing half of their officers and drove them from the bridge.

When the British commander saw his troops running from the bridge he knew he was in trouble. He had 18 miles to march back to Boston in a country side now literally up in arms. A mile east of Concord his column was attacked both at the front and rear by militia responding to the road. From there the fighting was non stop. In the town of Menotomy it was brutal hand to hand and house to house fighting. Thousands of colonists joined the fight and attacked the British all the way back to Boston.

Those colonists walked out that morning not with revolution on their minds but with restoration of their rights as free Englishmen. Rights guaranteed by the Magna Carta and their colonial charters and courts. They simply stood up to let the crown know that they were not going to take the infringement of their rights lightly and they were not going to give of the means to protect themselves. They weren't looking for civil war but simply to preserve their civil rights. It would be another 14 months before they would declare their independence.

We tend to remember the birth of our country on July 4, but forget the sacrifices and choices the people in the colonies had to make on April 19th. They walked out with no assurance that they would live to see the sunset. Their choices that day included the hot lead of a British musket ball, the cold steel of the bayonet or the hangman's noose. They sacrificed their lives, their livelihood and their families. And yet, they stood as one for a concept of liberty, for self determination and civil rights.

Remember April 19th and the gift of this great republic which they gave us.





Part 1-Powder Raids

In September of 1774, a company of British troops crossed the Charles River by boat from Boston to Cambridge in the middle of night. By early morning they had arrived at the Massachusetts Provisional Powder house. The powder house was a stone silo type structure used as a powder magazine to house the black powder used by the surrounding communities. They were let in by the local sheriff and subsequently confiscated 250 half barrels of powder belonging to the Massachusetts colony.

The redcoats marched back through Cambridge drawing the attention of the locals who spread the word "the powder raids have begun!" The locals were so outraged at this raid that nearly four thousand assembled. They took the sheriff hostage and made him write notice that he would never help the red coats again. They rampaged through the Tory/loyalist section of town and ran the most prominent of them out of town, never to return. It was only the intervention of local patriot leaders who kept the mob from marching to Boston and confronting the army stationed there.

This raid did two things. It confirmed the fear of the colonists that "the Regulars" (what they called the army) could and would raid and confiscate arms. The second thing it did was motivate colonial leaders such as Paul Revere and Dr. Joseph Warren to set up a network of citizens to keep an eye on the troops in Boston for any indication of them mobilizing for future raids.

The early warning system and subsequent alert notification system developed by Revere and Warren would be tested in the coming months.





Part 2-Intolerable Acts

The events in September of 1774 were precipitated by events In 1773 as a result of the Boston Tea Party. The Parliament passed a series of laws to bring the colonies under control. These laws were called "The Coercive Acts" and did exactly what they meant, to coerce the colonies into submission. The colonists didn't hear about the Coercive Act until 1774 and by then started referring to them as the "Intolerable Acts".

The Coercive Acts banned free speech. Troops raided newspapers and smashed or confiscated printing presses. They did away with local control of towns, cities, counties and colonies. It removed local judges. A person could now be held without warrant and sent back to England to be judged for any crime the crown could think up.

Under the Coercive Acts, militias were banned as was military type training. Importation of black powder and muskets was stopped.

In December of 1774, General Thomas Gage, commander of all British forces in north America and military governor of Massachusetts was ready to do another raid. This time the plan was to send a ship load of troops up to New Hampshire to secure the powder and weapons stored at an outpost called Fort William and Mary in Portsmouth. The fort was manned by an officer and a small number of regulars.

Paul Revere's intelligence network, called "The Mechanics" because the were all tradesmen and laborers notified him and he made the long ride to the fort in a snowstorm. He contacted the local militia, which was now outlawed and they gathered 250 men and stormed the fort. Shots were fired, people were wounded but no one was killed. The fort was taken and the militia relieved the fort of powder, muskets and small artillery pieces. The militia melted back into the country side.

The governor of New Hampshire was outraged. He sent a message to Gen. Gage calling the raid “an armed insurrection.” The ship load of soldiers had been delayed because of a snow squall and didn't make it for another day. To add insult to injury the ship was run aground (some say intentionally) by the harbor pilot.

The score was now the Regulars 1, Colonists 1. The next raid wouldn't be tried for another couple months.



Part 3- Setting The Stage

The conflict between the crown and colonists didn't happen over night. In fact it was a decade long escalation of push and push back. By 1764, England was on the edge of a fiscal cliff. They had just finished the "7 years war" with France around the globe. In north America it was known as the French and Indian war because that's who they were fighting.

To pay for the wars the crown turned to the American colonies. Britain like most of the major powers generated wealth by exploiting the natural resources of the regions they conquered or settled and then created a market in those locations to sell finished products back to. The American colonies had the most resources and were their biggest market. They enjoyed the highest standard of living of all of Britain's colonies including that of the home island. It is always the way to go after the rich, they can afford it. So the crown imposed new taxes on the colonies. First it was for sugar and then they devalued the money basically creating run away inflation.

The colonists had always considered themselves lucky to be "free Englishmen" protected by one of the first codified statement of human rights from centuries before, the Magna Carta. They were also somewhat autonomous from the direct government involvement. They were a long way from Parliament and as such had developed their own style of local government and justice system over a period of decades. The colonists had pushed back the frontier with their own hands. They had fought the French, Spanish, pirates, Indians and marauders of all kinds. They had cleared the land with their own hands. The had bore and buried their children on it. They developed a system that worked and they highly resented the crown taking what they considered to be theirs.

The new taxes shocked and angered them. They formed groups to protest the new taxes. One group that was particularly vocal was The Sons of Liberty. Men like Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, John Hancock and others became leaders. They were able to successfully argue down new taxes only to have them replaced with others.

The more the crown pushed, the more the colonists resisted and pushed back. This caused the crown to send more troops to enforce the regulations and protect the tax collectors and government officials. Of course this escalated the tension between the two sides and increased the odds of a confrontation. With the passing of the Stamp Act (taxing every commercial piece of paper such as newspapers, contracts, letters etc) the resistance intensified.

Samuel Adams one of the major agitators and was in charge of the Boston Mob. Not an organized crime mob but laborers and tradesmen whom he could get on short notice to start a demonstration or antagonize the soldiers in Boston. This came to a head in March of 1770 when soldiers taunted by the mob and pelted with snowballs opened fired on the crowd, the infamous Boston Massacre. The British sent more troops into the city in a show of force and of course the Boston Massacre became galvanizing event for the resistance.

The crown backed off for a time and for several years an uneasy peace reigned with only minor conflicts. However, with the passing of the Tea Tax in 1773, colonial passions were again flamed which resulted in the Boston Tea Party. As everyone knows, Sons of Liberty dressed as Indians went aboard ship and dumped the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tea into the harbor. While the Indian garb may have been to disguise those involved, it was actually used because Indians were considered the symbol of a free people.

The crown was outraged and sent more troops. They created more restrictions such as the Townsend Acts which implemented financial sanctions and import, export regulations. These were met with more resistance. By 1774, the American colonies were under martial law and Boston was occupied by thousands of troops sent in to enforce the mandates of the Coercive/Intolerable Acts.

to be continued...


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Part 4-More Trouble

By 1774, the colonists were not only resisting but actively planning for the inevitable. Because the crown banned public meetings and militias the colonists set up "Committees of Correspondence". Paul Revere became the chief messenger and director of communications between the various groups spread throughout the colonies. He often made long dangerous rides carrying dispatches from the leaders in Boston to New York, Philadelphia and the other colonies.

Banning the militias only heightened their activities. What was for years a rag tag group of farmers and shop keepers were now openly arming and training out in the towns and villages. Colonies had also formed provisional governments and holding meetings in open defiance of the law. John Hancock was the president of Massachusetts colonial congress and worked side by side with his chief mentor and aide Sam Adams.

General Gage of course knew all of this. Most of the people in the colonies were not for a revolution. Many did not support the movement and were loyal to the king. As loyalists they felt obligated to keep the Gage's forces apprized of what was going on out in the countryside. Even many of leaders of the resistance were not openly for revolution but belonged to stand up for their rights as free Englishmen thinking that the crown would eventually come to their senses.

In February of 1775, Gen. Gage received information of more stock piling of weapons in Salem, Massachusetts. With good intelligence at hand he sent a ship load of soldiers to Salem. The orders were to arrive early Sunday morning, stand off until daybreak and then make their way to town while everyone was still sleeping or at church. The prize was a local forge where they had information that ship's cannons were being converted to field pieces.

The troops came ashore and quietly made their way to town only to be observed by a local. He ran back to the village and raised the alarm. The villagers turned out led by the local minister. When the regulars (what they were called by the locals) reached town they were greeted by a raised draw bridge and a angry crowd on the other side. The officer in charge demanded the bridge be lowered while the minister engaged him in conversation and negotiation. Upon reaching and agreement the bridge was lowered and the troops were allowed to pass. Reaching the foundry the soldiers found it had been stripped clean while the minister stalled them at the bridge. They returned to Boston empty handed, angry and embarrassed.




Part 5-Tensions Rise

In March of 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren, a prominent Boston physician and head of the intelligence gathering operation in Boston gave a rousing oration on the 5 year anniversary of the Boston Massacre. In attendance at the church that day were numerous British officers who hissed and booed so loudly that they were run out into the street. Troops were summoned to quell the near riot.

By now, Revere, Warren and the mechanics were patrolling the streets every night looking for any signs of mobilization. In early April Warren received letters off a packet ship from England that another raid was imminent. Reports started coming in that British officers in plain clothes were seen out surveying the roads west of Boston and watching militia units. They were identified in the taverns and way stations by the fact they were carrying pistols under their cloaks. No one carried pistols but army officers.

The concern became so great that during the second week of April Paul Revere rode the 18 miles west to Concord to warn John Hancock, Sam Adams and Dr. Benjamen Church. Church, another Boston physician, was head of the security committee. He and the others were in Concord conducting meetings of the provisional congress.

Back in Boston, orders for Gen. Gage had arrived on the same ship from which Dr. Warren received his letters. Gages' orders were clear. He was to make all efforts to quash the insurrection and arrest the leaders, particularly Hancock, Adams and Revere. Gage had his own intelligence organization in place. He knew of the meeting in Concord. He also knew that large stores of military goods were in Concord and he exactly who had them and where they were. He knew the strength and size of the militia units along the way. He knew the conditions of the roads. He also knew that his army was being closely watched.

Gen. Thomas Gage had up to this point been roundly criticized in London for not cracking down on the rebels earlier or more harshly. Some of his junior officers referred to him behind his back as "Old Lady Gage" for not rounding up and hanging the leaders. He chose however to use a softer hand knowing that harsh treatment would only further inflame the passions of the colonists.

His actions were also tempered by the fact that he had lived in the colonies since the 1740s and because his wife, Margaret Kimble Gage was the American born daughter of rich family in New Jersey. She was heiress to the family fortune. She and Gage held large estates in New Jersey and large plantations in the West Indies. He also loved his wife and had a lot to lose if a revolution started.

Margaret was the top rung of society being married to the most powerful man in north America. She was sometimes called the Queen of America but she was sympathetic to the cause of liberty.

Gen. Gage formulated his plan. On April 18th, under cover of darkness, he would send a column of troops under the command of Col. Francis Smith. Their sealed orders, only opened after they left Boston, would be to go to Concord and confiscate or destroy all military stores hidden there. They were to arrest Hancock and Adams and any other rebel leader the ran across and return to Boston by noon of the next day. Hours before their departure, he would send out 20 officers in advance to spread out along the roads to pick up any messengers coming out of Boston.

In order to keep the plan a secret, he would tell only three people. They were Col. Smith who would lead the brigade of 700 men, his second in command, Gen. Hugh Earl Percy, and his wife Margaret.

On April 18th, Revere and Dr. Warren were kept busy by reports of a mobilization. Boats were being lowered from all the war ships in the harbors. Army officers were telling stable boys to get their horses ready. Troops had been confined to quarters or being called back into garrison. As the day wore on and the soldiers retreated back into their quarters Boston became quiet. Tension hung in the air. Something was up and everybody knew it.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Part 6-It Begins

By evening, troops were being moved to the south end of Boston near the back bay. It was still unknown which direction the army would move. Would they take the short route by boat across the Charles river or would the march out by the long road?

In those days, Boston was only connected to land by a narrow strip of land called Boston Neck. The road in and out was controlled by a gate. If the army marched south they would have to swing south around the back bay then back up to Cambridge to get to the road west to Concord. If they took the shorter route across the river they would essentially land in a swamp and make their way west to pick up the road from Charlestown to Cambridge. The water route was shorter but would take more logistics to move 700 men across.










Learning of the troop movements Dr. Warren called upon his one intelligence source high up in Gen. Gage's command. He was able to get details of the plans of the column.

Immediately Warren called on Revere and another man named William Dawes. Their plan was put into place. Revere would cross by boat to Charlestown and proceed west to put out the alarm. Dawes would try to get out the south end of Boston and spread the word as well with the idea the one of the two of them might get through. The penalty if caught was likely the hangman's noose.

With the troops still massing at the south end, it was still unknown which way they would go. Another part of Revere's and Warren's communication plan was implemented. As soon as troops started moving observers would spread the word to a pair of men in the north end. Those men, vicars in the North Church would then post lanterns in the steeple. One light if the troops went out Boston neck and two lanterns if they went across the bay in boats.

Paul Revere made his way to the water's edge on the north side of Boston. He was met by two men who began rowing him across the bay. The moon was full and laying in it's mooring out in the bay directly in their path was the British ship of the line, HMS Somerset.

Part 7-The Ride

While Paul Revere was being rowed across the bay to Charlestown, William Dawes had to make his way through the gate blocking entry to the city on Boston neck. He then had to take the long southern road around and then up to Cambridge then west on the road to Lexington. The guards at the gate were ordered not to let anyone in or out but Dawes had developed a relationship with the guards. He may have slipped them a drink, a coin or just a good word and was allowed to pass.

Paul Revere's boat was quietly rowed and was able to skirt the HMS Somerset by staying in it's moon shadow. Reaching the far shore he was met by his contacts and given a horse named Brown Beauty. The horse chosen because of it's speed and endurance. Looking back toward Boston, Revere and his contacts noticed two lanterns in the North Church steeple. The army was coming by the short route over the river, he needed to hurry.

Revere's ride was to take him through Charlestown down the Charlestown neck and south into open country where he would pick up the west road north of Cambridge. Clearing Charlestown he swung south and noticed a pair of riders in the road ahead. He slowed and upon realizing they were British Officers, wheeled his horse around and took off across the fields. The officers immediately gave chase. One was eventually bogged down in mud and Revere was able to outrun the other. The choice of Brown Beauty had been a good one.

The chase had pushed Revere north and fearing other riders he chose to take the north road up to Medford a detour of 5 or 6 miles out of the way. This did however afford him the opportunity to contact local leaders who in turn sent out other rides to spread the word.

Unlike popular myth, Revere did not ride through the countryside shouting "the British are coming". He and everyone else considered themselves British so it didn't much sense to call them what they themselves were. He also didn't shout out, instead he had a well established fan out notification system in place. He would wake the local leader who in turn would send out more riders. By this method by the end of the night some 80 riders had spread the word to a distance of 100 miles away.

After Medford, Revere swung south back down to Menotomy (now modern day Arlington) and notified his contacts there. After a short rest he turned west on the road to Lexington. Revere reached Lexington around midnight.

to be continued...


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Part 8-Smith's Column

While Revere was riding west to Lexington, Col. Smith's column was assembling at the water's edge on the south end of Boston. The officers who were present did not know the mission and were only told to get their companies in line but things were not going well. By 10 pm the units that were supposed to being ferried across were still being formed and no progress was being made. Large wooden skiffs were present but there was not enough of them to carry the 700 men across. Col. Smith was not in attendance and arguments broke out among the officers as to who should go first.

The troops had been issued the standard combat load of 36 rounds of ammo for their .75 cal smooth bore Brown Bess, flint lock muskets. They also carried the requisite 18" triangular bayonet, cartridge box and haversack for food and personal items.

Col. Smith arrived near midnight and found his troops still on the eastern shore of the Charles River. He quickly got his officers in order and the troops began moving across. The troops were packed shoulder to shoulder in the low skiffs with water all the way up to the gunnels. They were set ashore at a place called Lechmire Point in a marsh at high tide. Many had to wade ashore in waist deep water.

Once ashore it was learned that food rations had not been issued. A call was put out to the navy to bring rations. The navy responded by clearing out their spoiled and rotten supplies which once issued, the soldiers promptly threw them away.

Long after Paul Revere had reached Lexington and the militia turned out, the troops were finally ashore and assembled. The orders were given to march west.

continued...




Part 9-Lexington

Upon reaching Lexington Paul Revere immediately went to the house of Reverend Jonas Clark. He knew that John Hancock and Sam Adams when warned out of Concord a few days before had retreated to Rev. Jonas Clark's house. This house was chosen because Hancock's grandfather had built the church and rectory and served as it's minister for many years before Clark took over. Hancock was well known in the town having spent a great deal of time there with his grandfather.

Revere was surprised to be stopped by armed militia men as he approached the house. He was told that earlier in the day 8 men on horses identified as army officers had come through town. John Parker the militia captain had ordered the same number of his men to protect Hancock and Adams.

Revere, Hancock, Adams and Parker met to discuss what to do. Hancock wanted to stay and fight but Adams and Revere talked him out of it. Parker decided he would call out his militia and send scouts east toward Boston to try and locate the column. As they talked, William Dawes, the other rider out of Boston showed up.

After some rest and food, Adams and Hancock were to leave town as soon as possible while Revere and Dawes would continue their ride to Concord.

On the road out of town, Revere and Dawes ran into Dr. Samuel Prescott from Concord. Prescott had been in Lexington visiting his fiance' Lydia Mulligan. Prescott informed Revere that he was "a true son of liberty" and would help spread the word. Since he was doctor he knew most of people in Concord and surrounding areas.

As the trio rode west they noticed a couple riders along the road ahead in the moonlight. Moving forward two more riders appeared from the shadows under the trees. Four more riders suddenly appeared behind them and they realized these men were British officers. Faced with 8 armed men with pistols and nowhere to run Revere and his companions were forced to surrender. The officers, a combination of lieutenants and sergeants forced the men off the road into a stone walled coral. A quick glance among the trio was exchanged and all three spurred their horses forward. Prescott and Dawes managed to clear the wall and escape while Revere's reins were seized by the nearest officer. Revere was caught and ready to pay the price.

to be continued...


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Part 10- The Alarm

Sixteen year old William Diamond lay asleep in his house with his family. He was warm and comfortable under the quilts and blankets huddled together with his brothers and sisters. There was no central heat just a fireplace that had burned down leaving the house cold in the mid April night.

Suddenly he was shaken awake by his mother. "Billy get up, there is trouble in the village, take your drum." He was still groggy when he and his father started the walk through town. He was also cold in the chilly New England air. He noticed that the same full moon that guided Paul Revere across the river earlier in the night was now high in the sky. He could hear the meeting house bell ringing in the distance.

As he and his father walked he noticed other people in the houses moving about in the flickering candle light. He noticed other men and boys moving silently along, the bright dots of candle lanterns swaying as they walked.

One of those boys he saw was Jonathon Harrington. Jonathon was walking with his father and cousin Caleb Harrington. As they reached the town square, known as Lexington Green, his family met at his uncle and namesake's house at the north end of the green.

Prince Esterbrook was already awake in his shack behind the main house when there was a knock on his door. "You don't have to go" his master said. Prince knew the value of freedom by not having any. As a slave he thought maybe these white men might appreciate what they had if it was in danger of being taken away. He had already decided. "I am ready," he said as he stood.

Captain John Parker was 40ish. He was a veteran of the French Indian War. He had been in Roger's Rangers an elite company for it's time and the forerunner of today's Army Rangers. Parker had been elected captain of the Lexington Militia by his friends and neighbors because of his steady hand, resolute demeanor and experience. He watched the men file by singly or in small groups onto the green. When he saw Billy Diamond and the young Jonathon Harrington he walked over to them. He put a hand on each of their shoulders "I need you boys to stay close to me. Billy, beat assembly to call the men in. When they are formed, Johnny play something on your fife while we wait for the others."

Diamond the company drummer and Harrington the company fifer did as they were told. Both were only five years old when the trouble started. From the time they could remember all they heard from their elders was about how their liberty was being taken away. They had grown up under the shadow of government oppression and they were both eager to stand up against it no mater what the cost.

As the men and boys formed that day they had no idea what to expect in the coming hours. Standing in armed defiance to the crown was treason. There was no health insurance or life insurance to help their families if wounded or killed. There was no social security or welfare. The death or disablement of the bread winner in the family meant destitution for the whole family. The was no emergency medical service to respond if wounded. There were no anesthetics to dull the pain. There were no antibiotics to prevent infection.

The choice was not simple and it's consequence this day was likely the hot lead of a musket ball, the cold steel of the bayonet or the hangman's noose.

Yet, despite the dangers the women of the town sent their sons and husbands, brothers, fathers and grandfathers. They were as young as 15 years and old as 70. The fathers stood with their sons, nine pairs on the green that morning. Nearly everyone on the green were related either by blood or marriage.

They stood together as one in defense of liberty.

more later...




Part 11- The Advance

Paul Revere stood in the darkness with 8 officers of the kings army surrounding him. A cocked pistol was pressed to his head and the officer demanded his name.

"I am Paul Revere" he replied. Surprised, the men all looked at each other as if to ask "Paul Revere? THE Paul Revere?"

"Do not lie to us sir, who are you and what are you doing about this eve?" Asked the leader.

"I AM Paul Revere and I beg your pardon." He said disgustedly. "I am taking a message to Concord about the column of troops going there to deprive our countrymen of their rights and arms."

The Lieutenant was startled by this. While he knew a a column was out, he had no knowledge of the mission of Smith's column. His orders were simply to patrol the roads and stop any messengers that might be out. As he pressed Revere for more information Revere readily obliged.

Back in Lexington, Captain Parker had briefed his men on the green. He had sent scouts east to find the column. As the night wore on the men standing in the cool spring air became tired and restless. The initial surge of adrenaline had worn off and many fought to keep their eyes open. No word had yet come back from the scouts about the location of troops.

Out on the road Revere was being pressed for more information. He thought that his only chance was to tell the truth but maybe enhance it a little. He began to tell his captors that they had been watching the troops assemble in Boston and knew from the outset the mission. He explained that by now all the supplies they were after in Concord had been removed and hidden. He told them that he had 500 men in Lexington waiting for Smith, the mission would be a disaster.

Back in Lexington Captain Parker surveyed his men. With no real idea of what was happening he decided to have the men stand down. "Men," he said. "Stand down but stay in town and within the sound of the drum." Many of the men including the Harringtons retreated to Uncle Jonathon Harrington's house on the edge of the green. Others who had come into town from the surrounding countryside were grateful that the proprietors of the Buckman Tavern on the south edge of the green opened its doors to provide food and a chance to warm up. As those men gathered to enter the tavern they unloaded their muskets by firing a volley into the air. The cool damp air worked it's way into the black powder if given a chance. The only way to ensure proper operation was fire the muskets and then reload when the time came to go back out.

Back on the road, Paul Revere was raising the anxiety of his captors with each telling of the massing of the militia. Suddenly as if on cue, a volley if musket fire came from the direction of Lexington. The startled officers suddenly had to make a decision. Do they execute the prisoner, take him with them or ride quickly back to warn Smith of the ambush? An extra horse would be useful if they chose to warn the column and surely they would be forgiven for not bringing the famous Paul Revere if it meant saving their fellow troops.

The decision was made. Revere was left on foot as the officers took his horse and raced east hoping to meet Smith before he got to Lexington.

to be continued...




Part 12-The Challenge

Col. Smith's troops had reached Menotomy (modern day Arlington) just a few miles from Lexington when 8 of his officers rode up. Smith called a halt while he listened to them explain that they had caught Paul Revere and that there was 500 militia in town. No, they hadn't seen them themselves because they had taken a wide berth around Lexington to avoid detection but they had heard the musket fire and the bell ringing the alarm.

Smith's troops themselves had heard bells in each town they passed through. They had heard shots off in the distance alerting the country side as they marched. He knew that there presence was known but was sure the colonists didn't know the purpose.

Turning to Major Pitcairn, his second in command, Smith ordered his royal marines to the head of the column. Pitcairn's marines, essentially light infantry, were to proceed as fast as they could in advance of the main body to Concord and carry out the mission.

As the marines advanced on Lexington, Capt. Parker was suddenly made aware of one of his scouts returning to town. The scout reported that he had been trapped behind the column in Cambridge and only managed to get around them when they stopped in Menotomy. He reported that they were only a mile or so out and moving fast. Parker immediately ordered young Diamond to beat assembly. The men filed out of their houses and the Buckman Tavern and formed up again at the west end of the green.

About this time Paul Revere walked into town from his ordeal on the road. Talking to Capt. Parker he was shocked to learn that Hancock and Adams were still in town. Revere immediately ran to Rev. Clark's house and confronted the reluctant Hancock who wanted to stay and fight. Revere explained that if he was killed or captured it would be devastating blow to the cause. He must leave, NOW!

Hancock finally agreed to go. Urged on by Sam Adams they packed up and headed north out of town. Revere stayed behind and learned from Hancock's male secretary that all the papers from the provincial congress were in a trunk and still in his room at the Buckman Tavern. If those papers fell into the hands of the army, the cause and many people associated with it would suffer terribly. Revere determined to save the trunk.

Lexington Green is a triangular shaped space about 100 yards long and 50 yards wide at it's north west end. The narrow point is toward the east where the meeting hall stood. The road from Boston split at the meeting hall. The right fork going past Buckman Tavern across the street from the hall and continuing at a north west angle skirting the green. The left fork swung straight west to Concord.

Parker's men in the meantime were formed at the wide end of the green. They were nervous and uneasy, not knowing what to expect. A few grumbled about how it wasn't worth it and talked about leaving. Parker said, "the first man to leave will be shot dead." These were his own friends and family standing with him. Most of them knew he meant it. The fear of Parker humiliating them and perhaps shooting them in front of their families was worse than the fear of the redcoats. They remained steadfast.

As the dawn broke the sounds of many men on the road to the east became apparent. Revere and Hancock's secretary had reached Buckman Tavern and were wrestling with the heavy trunk. Jonathon Harrington's cousin Caleb, John Simmons and another man were on the second floor of the meeting house watching as the royal marines came into view on the road to the east.

Major Pitcairn had put one of his firebrand lieutenants at the head of his column. Lt. Jesse Adair rode ahead and noticed men at the far end of the green in the early morning light. His mission was to go to Concord but he was itching for a fight and wanted to teach these insolent farmers a lesson. As his men reached the fork in the road he made a fateful decision to confront the men on the green. He lead his two hundred men onto the right fork and then onto the green. He immediately formed them into battle lines.

Paul Revere had seen the approach of the marines. He and Hancock's secretary barely got out the back door of the tavern when the marines spilled past them intent on forming on the green. Staying behind the tavern, he made his way behind the buildings skirting the road to the treeline as the troops formed their ranks.

Seeing the ranks of soldiers spilling onto the green, the 70-80 man militia heavily outnumbered, took an involuntary step backward. Capt. Parker shouted to his men, "Stand your ground men. Do not fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here!"

more later...


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Part 13-The Fight

Capt. Parker's men watched the redcoats form into battle formation some 70 yards away, their bayonets glinting in the early morning light.

Suddenly Major Pitcairn swinging his pistol rode half the distance to the militia and shouted at them "lay down your weapons, ye villains, ye rebels, lay down your arms and disperse!"

Capt. Parker had made his point. Vastly outnumbered he turned to his men and told them to stand down. *At the same time a shot rang out. Paul Revere would later testify that it sounded like a pistol shot as he retreated with the trunk of papers. Others reported it came from the side of the green from behind a wall. A loud sharp sound in an open space surrounded by buildings often bounces around making it hard to pinpoint. No one knows who fired that first shot but we know who fired the first shots. Without orders, the front line of the regulars opened up in an ragged volley.* The second line advanced and poured a full volley into the militia as they scrambled away.

The troops now out of control and ignoring orders charged the militia with bayonets, they bayoneted Jonas Parker to death as he lay on the ground trying to reload his musket. They continued after all those who ran.

Jonathon Harrington's uncle and namesake was shot in the back as he retreated. He rose back to his feet and collapsed again. Crawling on his hands and knees he made his way to the edge off the green. Falling into the arms of his horrified wife on their doorstep, he died as his children watched from the doorway.

At the other end of the green, Caleb Harrington, Joshua Simmons and another man were caught in the meeting hall as the redcoats swarmed on to the green. When the troops charged they attempted to make a run for it. They were seen by soldiers who fired upon them. The other man was wounded but was able to make it to the cover of a woodpile. Caleb was shot down and killed as he ran. Simmons was forced back into the meeting hall where he barricaded the door. The soldiers who fired upon him pounded on the door trying to gain entry. Simmons knew that if they entered they were likely to find the town's black powder supply stored on the second floor. He ran up the stairs as the troops broke down the front door and started searching for him. Picking up his musket, he thrust the muzzle into one of the barrels of powder. "They would pay a heavy price for the powder today" he said to himself as he cocked the hammer and said a prayer.

The soldiers on the green still out of control were hunting down anyone they could find. Col. Smith back in the main column rode to the sound of the fighting and was shocked to see his troops rampaging through the town ignoring their officers. He quickly grabbed a drummer and had him beat to assembly. The men, more out of conditioning than duty began to respond.

To be continued...

Part 13 continued...

Back in the meeting house the soldiers reached the bottom of the stairs. Joshua Simmons closed his eyes and began to squeeze the trigger. As they began to climb the stairs they heard the beat of the drum. Conditioned to react to the drum and without further thought, the soldiers wheeled around and exited the meeting house angry that the rebel they had chased into it would slip through their fingers.

It took some time for the troops to reassemble. Their blood lust was up and they were reluctant to stop. Col. Smith finally got them into order and calling upon his officers told them the mission.

Many of the officers realized that they had just fired without orders. They knew that their men had gone out of control and they would be held responsible for the deaths. There would be courts-martial and trials. The countryside would be up in arms over this atrocity. They had another 8 miles further west to travel and another 18 miles back to Boston though hostile territory. To continue would be folly.

Col. Smith looked past the officers to the men. He and they were still charged up for the fight. He listened to the arguments of his officers and clearly stated that the mission would continue. Turning back to the men, he ordered three HUZZAHS and a volley of musket fire to celebrate the victory. Forming back into column they began the march west to Concord.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Part 14- The Aftermath

After the column had left, Capt. Parker stood on the green and looked at the dead and wounded. He looked past the green to the houses and the heard the lament of the women and families who lost loved ones. He saw others scurrying about taking anything of value and burying it in the garden. He knew that the column had continued west and would come back through Lexington. He knew there would be reprisals against the town for standing up to the king's troops. He knew there would be pillaging and plundering.

He also knew that if he didn't hide the bodies of those who were slain, the army would dig them up, and hang them out of spite and as a warning. His men would take the dead to the edge of the burial grown and dig a ditch. They would bury the dead including his uncle Jonas in the ditch and then cover the ditch with leaves, branches and brush to disguise the grave.

He knew that the fight wasn't over. He began to prepare to avenge the attack on his town.

Young Jonathon Harrington couldn't stop crying. He had lost his uncle and his cousin. He had seen his friends and neighbors shot down. Of the 9 sets of fathers and sons on the green, 5 were separated by death.

The day had just begun. No one knew what would transpire that day or how it would end. They did know that by standing up for their liberty the spark of revolution had been lit.



Epilog...

Paul Revere survived the war serving as an artillery officer. He never saw much action and was passed over for promotion several times. He did however become a prominent citizen and in addition to his silversmithing started a foundry which made brass bells and fittings. That company still exists today. He outlived two wives and 6 of his 12 children. He really only became famous to history after his death with the publishing of Longfellow's poem, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.

If you recall, Dr. Joseph Warren found out the details of the raid on Concord through someone high up in Gen. Gage's command. That person is thought to have been Gage's wife. Margaret Kimble Gage was American born and her high status in society put her in contact with many people including Dr. Warren. It was pretty evident who gave Warren the information. After the battle, Gen. Gage put her on a ship ferrying wounded back to England in deplorable conditions. They reportedly never lived under the same roof again.

At the time of Lexington Dr. Warren was a widower with 4 young children yet he spent most of his time working for the cause. While the British were fighting their way back to Boston from Concord, he rode out and connected with the militia near Lexington. Despite having no military experience he distinguished himself in such close contact with the enemy that the men cheered his bravery. At one point a musket ball cut a hair lock (ribbon) that held back his pony tail. He was offered a generalship after the battle.

Warren refused the rank saying he had no experience and hadn't earned it. In June of that year he was fighting in command of a delaying action on Bunker Hill. They were holding off the British advance until the rest of the militia could retreat. He was killed on the last charge up the hill by the British. Sadly Dr. Warren who is relatively unknown today, would likely have gone down in history of one of our great founding fathers, perhaps even a president had he lived.

Major John Pitcairn, the British officer who led his Royal Marines on Lexington Green was also on Bunker Hill in June. He faced Dr. Warren on the last charge up the hill. Pitcairn was wounded yards from where Dr. Warren fell and died in the arms of his son who was a Lieutenant in the king's army.

Fifer Jonathon Harrington survived Lexington and went on to enlist in the Colonial Army. He fought in many battles and survived the war. He lived to a ripe old age. His sword is displayed in the statehouse in Mass.

William Diamond, the Lexington drummer also survived the battle. He also enlisted and survived the war. He became a prominent citizen. Ten thousand people came to his funeral when he died. His drum is on display at the Buckman Tavern in Lexington.

Capt. John Parker who commanded the militia at Lexington, was sick from tuberculosis when he stood his ground at Lexington on April 19th. Later in the day he would lead his militia west and get his revenge against Col. Smith. He died in August of that year from the disease.

Dr. Samuel Prescott rode to Concord after he escaped from the officers on the road. He warned the town and they sent out other riders to spread the word. His brother Able was one of the riders. Able Prescott was killed later in the day at the south bridge while trying to return to town. Samuel Prescott never married his fiance' Lydia Mulligan. He enlisted as a ship's surgeon and was captured. He died of disease aboard a filthy prison barge two years later. Without a word from him or about him, Lydia waited 7 years for him to return. Her house was used as headquarters and then burned to the ground by Gen. Percy when he saved Col. Smith's column outside of Lexington. Her brother faced the British that morning on Lexington Green and later enlisted in the Colonial army. He died of camp fever (typhus) a couple months later.

William Dawes, the other rider out of Boston never made it to Concord that night. Upon escaping, he rode until he was thrown from his horse losing his pocket watch in the process. Battered, bruised and frightened, he decided he had had enough. He turned around and limped back to Lexington but was unable to stand with the militia. He later went back and found his watch. It should be noted that Dawes met Dr. Joseph Warren after he was injured smuggling stolen cannons out of Boston months before Lexington and Concord.

Prince Esterbrook was wounded but survived the Lexington battle. He signed on for a number of short term militia enlistments and then in the Continental Army. He and hundreds of other slaves served in the first integrated army and the last until the Korean war. Esterbrook survived the war and was freed for serving as were many others. Their service in the revolution was the seed that grew into the abolitionist movement in the New England states after the war.

Dr. Benjamin Church was a prominent physician in Boston and in charge of the security committee for the Massachusetts provincial congress. He was in charge of the colonial secrets and security of John Hancock and Sam Adams. He was also a spy for British Gen. Thomas Gage. It was Church who compiled a list of the guns and powder/supplies stored in Concord and the whereabouts of Hancock and Adams.

It wasn't ideology that made him give secrets to the British general it was greed. Church also kept a mistress. He spent his money poorly and was always in debt.

On April 20th, the day after the events at Lexington and Concord Church was seen easily passing through the gate into Boston. Boston was now besieged by 14,000 militia and the British army was holding the city. Church was contacted by Paul Reveres' wife who gave him a note and 200 pounds (a huge sum of money) to give to Paul who needed money to live on outside the city. Paul never got the money and the note was found in Gen. Gage's papers after the war.

People became suspicious of how Church could pass in and out of the city so easily. After the British evacuated Boston, Church was arrested and imprisoned. He was later banished from the colonies. The ship he got on to go to England never reached it's destination and was never seen again.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

The story of an individual who participated in the events of April 19th 1775.

Death on a Pale Horse

On the morning of April 19, 1775 Hezikiah Wyman sat wondering what to do. He had been aroused earlier in the night by the sound of a knock on his farmhouse door. A neighbor was standing there in the cool April air and explained that the alarm was being sounded and that the regulars/redcoats were on the move from Boston. Later as he stood talking with neighbors in the village of Woburn a rider had come in and said that the redcoats had fired on the militia in Lexington killing and wounding a good number of them, had then marched to Concord and had fired on the militia at the north bridge and were on their way back to Boston. The rider had explained that many militia companies were now attacking the column along the road and that fighting was intense.

The Wobun militia was mustering but Wyman at the age of 55 was too old and lame to march with them down to the road near Menotomy east of Lexington. Instead, he and the other older men were part of the alarm list who generally acted in administrative duties. Having watched the Woburn company march off he returned to his farm and spoke to his wife.

"I feel useless" he said. His wife replied "what can you do? You are only one man, and a lame old man at that. Let the young men handle it".

"I can't stand by and do nothing while our friends and neighbors answer the call"

You can hardly walk let along fight, there is nothing you can do, his wife said.

I can't walk, but I can ride and I can shoot", he finally said. "I won't kneel to a tyrant thousands of miles away while his soldiers take away our rights and liberties."

Hezikiah saddled his horse, grabbed his rifle, powder, shot, and swung a bag with bread, meat on water over his shoulder. He bid his wife goodbye and rode south to the east/west road. When he got close to the town of Menotomy he stopped a rider who said the British column had been reinforced by another brigade of 700 men and were now just east of town. Fighting in Menotomy had been house to house, hand to hand. The British were giving no quarter and taking no prisoners in the town.

Wyman rode along the road for awhile until he could hear the musket fire in the distance. He left the road and went up into the trees and rode until he could see the smoke and hear the shooting. He dismounted and waited until he could see the red column approach. Laying his rifle across his saddle he looked for the bright red uniform of an officer instead of the faded cheaper uniform of an enlisted man. Finding one in his sights he squeezed the trigger. The figured in his sight dropped dead and Wyman was immediately surrounded by the buzz of flying musket balls in return. The soldiers on the road saw only a glimpse of a tall gaunt man with long flowing white hair on a white horse disappear into the woods.

Wyman rode a quarter mile further down the road and stopped his adrenaline still pumping. He disliked having to kill a man but felt no sorrow at striking down an enemy of freedom. He decided to strike again as the column came into view. Another redcoat fell to his rifle and again the ghostly figure of man on a white horse was seen disappearing into the trees. He continued to ride and strike again and then again. The word was passed down through the column. Watch out for the man on the pale horse for where ever he appears, death will follow. He struck such fear and loathing in the column that whenever he appeared the column would scatter. He rode and shot all day until his powder, ball and energy ran out. He became and is still known 239 years later as Death on a Pale Horse.

So the question is what can one man do? One man only needs to do what they can do whatever that may be. In many cases it is simply to become involved in his community that makes a difference.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Another tid bit that wasn't taught to you in history class-

Samuel Whittemore stood behind the wall thinking about the events of the morning. He watched as men streamed past him and occasionally shouted "Sam, you are too close to the road, move out of there. You're going to get killed". Sam would reply "I can't hit 'em if I can't see 'em" and then wave them past. He thought about dying and figured he had lived a pretty good life already. He thought about the alarm that had been raised early in the morning that the redcoats had marched through and fired on the men in Lexington and then in Concord. He thought about the fighting that was going on all the way back to Boston. Sam thought about his flint lock, Brown Bess musket, standard issue for the militia and his two pistols and sword which were not. He thought about how he came to be standing in this place, at this time.

Samuel Whittemore came to America 30 years before in service with the King's Royal Dragoons. As a captain he marched his troops up to Nova Scotia and fought the French. When he marched back he was in possession of a pair of French pistols. When asked about it he would simply say "the previous owner had no further use for them". Sam loved America and the promise that it held. He retired and built a farm outside of Menotomy and raised his family there. He helped build the town and served at various times as the mayor and on the town council. But foremost Sam was a warrior. When the French violated a treaty and moved back into the fort in Nova Scotia, Sam joined the expedition to take it back. This time they leveled the fort and when Sam returned home he had a very nice French sword. When asked about it Sam would simply repeat "the previous owner had no further use for it."

Within a year of Sam's return to his farm another incident in Quebec saw Sam on the march again. Five years later, at the age of 68 Sam again joined an expedition to run the French out of Fort Detroit. The expedition was a disaster for the British but Sam returned with a beautiful white stallion with French saddle. "The previous owner had no further use for it" he would say when asked about it.

Sam's thoughts then went back to his wife and family. He thought about how his wife and now grown up daughters cried when he said he was going out to fight. He tried to explain to them that he was a proud and free Englishman and could not bear to see the dissolution of their rights by force over the last ten years. He could not stand by and do nothing when his own king's troops were firing on civilians, confiscating guns and ammo, breaking up printing presses, banning groups from forming. He said that he would rather die that day than watch his grandchildren grow up under the thumb of a tyrant thousands of miles away. "I would rather die on my feet, then live on my knees in subjugation" he said.

The close by rattle of musket fire shook Sam from his thoughts. He could now see smoke and hear distinct shooting. He checked his flints and then primed the pan on his musket. When first redcoats appeared he aimed and fired, one body dropped and the others scattered as he reloaded. A hail of musket balls flew past him as he fired again and knocked another soldier off his feet. He quickly reloaded and watched as the soldiers regrouped, formed up into a squad and began advancing on his position. Sam fired again sending another redcoat to his maker. Musket balls whizzed past his head as he dropped his musket and pulled his pistols. One then another soldier went down as he fired. Dropping the pistol he pulled his sword and fended off the bayonets that were stabbing at him. A flash of light, then darkness. Reload he thought but couldn't move, darkness. Then he was floating, glimpses of faces, pain, then darkness again.

The militia men who found Sam were horrified when they found him after the fight. Sam was trying to reload his musket unaware that the lower part of his face had been blown away by a point blank musket shot. They counted 14 bayonet wounds on him as they carried him to Cooper's Tavern on top of an old barn door. His family was summoned and told by the doctor that there was no hope for recovery (there were no antibiotics or pain medication back then). It would be merciful for Sam to die quickly the doctor said. All they could do would be to bind his wounds and try to make him comfortable.

Sam Whittemore, was declared THE Official State Hero of Massachusetts in 2005. He was 80 years old when he made his stand and died EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER at the age of 98!






Hope you enjoyed the story.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

That is a clearly written and succinct account of an important event, for which I thank you, sir.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

The story when it was told to me on another forum absolutely captivated me. Most of the details were not taught in school even in my day. Id bet your lucky to hear about it at all in a school these days.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

hawgrider said:


> The story when it was told to me on another forum absolutely captivated me. Most of the details were not taught in school even in my day. Id bet your lucky to hear about it at all in a school these days.


Teach this in school? Too many references to evil GUNS, can't have that. Schools are no gun zones and safe spaces for 'the children'.

Hawg, I love history and there were things in that story I'd never heard before.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> Teach this in school? Too many references to evil GUNS, can't have that. Schools are no gun zones and safe spaces for 'the children'.
> 
> Hawg, I love history and there were things in that story I'd never heard before.


 Death on a pale horse and the Sam Whittemore side storys were great. Yeah me too most of the April 19th story was omitted in school.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Good reminder. Thanks


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## BuckB (Jan 14, 2016)

Thanks Hawg


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Excellent post Hawg! Excellent!


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Bump for 2019


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Missed it in '16 I guess, . . . 

Got it this time, . . . thanks Hawg.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

dwight55 said:


> Missed it in '16 I guess, . . .
> 
> Got it this time, . . . thanks Hawg.
> 
> ...


Great account of history. It should be mandatory reading. I re read it every year.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Bump!

Still reading...excellent!


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## Demitri.14 (Nov 21, 2018)

THank you, But boy, how times have changed.


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)




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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

hawgrider said:


> the story of an individual who participated in the events of april 19th 1775.
> 
> Death on a pale horse
> 
> ...


outstanding!!!!!!!!!


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

rice paddy daddy said:


> outstanding!!!!!!!!!


My favorite part !


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Good time to reread this thread.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Denton said:


> Good time to reread this thread.


Yes it is. Listening to people here and elsewhere start to give up and drag lips on the ground is not how patriots act! It by no means is over even if heels up harris and pervert joe are seated. At some point men and women will decide no matter the cost they will fight for the future of their sons and daughters and grandchildren. If the 1% of BLM and Anifta along with the SICK left wingers can raise such a ruckus just imagine what patriots will do when finally backed into a corner.

Read and enjoy the accounts and facts from the story of April 19th.

There is your pep talk from an old crippled harley riding fat ass! Don't tread on me ever!


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

I got chills reading this, again.

Soap Box has failed

Ballot Box has failed

Jury Box has failed

What's left ?


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

AquaHull said:


> I got chills reading this, again.
> 
> Soap Box has failed
> 
> ...


Dry powder ? And a set of morals and standards....

The wolverine and the badger are wicked fighters when backed into a corner.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

hawgrider said:


> AquaHull said:
> 
> 
> > I got chills reading this, again.
> ...


The wolverine and the badger really are fierce, and can fend off a bear. My worry is, how many Americans will fight that way?

Not many I am sad to say. As for me, I will only die once. And all I ask is that I die a brave death.

Because, it is looking pretty grim in America, and the possibility of being killed by ATF, or some other pack of goons, seems real..

They will have to break a few eggs, to get everybodies attention.

On one hand you have the ATF, and on the other you have BLM. Both organizations are lawless goons, that do not answer to anyone.

How handy is that to Biden-Harris?


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

AquaHull said:


> I got chills reading this, again.
> 
> Soap Box has failed
> 
> ...


What's left is for people to quit abdicating the responsibility to others...and find their pale horse.

Show up for demonstrations, rallies. Wear a mask (say it's for covid LOL) Find your tribe. Make organizational plans now with paper and pencil (and not on FB ffs). Get Siri/Alexa and any other device that can monitor out of your house.

People can lip drag over Trump all they want - but this isn't even about Trump/Biden anymore. Both parties and most of the govt is out of control. This is about saving the Constitution... and that makes this a whole 'nother thing.

They fought for it, we can too.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Well, I live in The Wolverine State, but you'd have better luck finding a badger. I've stared down Bobcat while drawing my .357, and the big cats just don't GAF and look at me and on their way.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

AquaHull said:


> Well, I live in The Wolverine State, but you'd have better luck finding a badger. I've stared down Bobcat while drawing my .357, and the big cats just don't GAF and look at me and on their way.


Didn't we just have a wolverine found in the thumb a couple years ago?


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Maybe, I didn't read that.

The Vinery that Don Martus had / has Badger, they are SOB's

He's gone, but so is Doug who showed me how to prune a grave vine

It was towards OHIO though. I was unemployed and if I trimmed the vines, I got dinner and wine. Amy was nice.


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## Demitri.14 (Nov 21, 2018)

Thank you , I can't wait to read the accounts of the 2nd Revolution that occurs in summer of 2023 !


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## Steve40th (Aug 17, 2016)

I had to put it on a notepad. Going to read it now..


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

It is a good read.

4-19 is when we petition our state guv. She whines cause we carry guns.


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## Steve40th (Aug 17, 2016)

AquaHull said:


> It is a good read.
> 
> 4-19 is when we petition our state guv. She whines cause we carry guns.


Thats awesome. Maybe if we started teaching kids how to use guns and respect guns again, in schools we wont have such people in office.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

We carry into the Capitol , and have the reps address our concerns

They do no like that.. They don't even listen to us. The guards of color sure did though.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Come to think of this

I might move to NoDak or Montana.

https://genius.com/Waylon-jennings-drinkin-and-dreamin-lyrics


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

sideKahr said:


> That is a clearly written and succinct account of an important event, for which I thank you, sir.


 @sideKahr, come back I miss you--I think we all do if I may say so, especially all your wonderful stories.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I got to reading this and discovered I had read this before. I skimmed through it again. Great story


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Of all the story . . . Hezikiah Wyman and his exploits was the one I laughed the most about.

AND . . . his going for the officers . . . not the soldiers . . . is exactly how I would have done it.

Again . . . thanks Hawg . . .

May God bless,
Dwight


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Today is the day! The story of April 19th-


Bump for a good read.


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## Tanya49! (Jun 20, 2020)

Great read Hawg!


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## Ranger710Tango (Feb 27, 2021)

The best thing I’ve read all day 👍


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## Real Old Man (Aug 17, 2015)

hawgrider said:


> The story when it was told to me on another forum absolutely captivated me. Most of the details were not taught in school even in my day. Id bet your lucky to hear about it at all in a school these days.


you can't teach the disrespect for a dictatorial regime. That's blasphmy! Today if you were in possession of a brown bess musket without the states written approval you'd be doing a year in the slammer with no time off for good behavior.


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