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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Concord in Middlesex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England) |
The North Bridge
Minute Man National Historical Park
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By Bill Coughlin, April 17, 2009 | |
| | | 1. The North Bridge Marker | | |
Inscription. Minute Man National Historical Park was the starting place of the American Revolution: here the resolve of citizens willing to risk their lives for the ideals of liberty and self-determination was instrumental in the formation of the American identity.
The park preserves sites where Colonial militia men and British soldiers clashed on April 19, 1775. A force of 700 British soldiers left Boston to seize military supplies stockpiled in Concord. Alarm riders alerted the countryside. In area towns, militia companies assembled, ready to defend their communities and their liberties if necessary.
After brief battles at Lexington Green (5:00 a.m.) and Concord’s North Bridge (9:30 a.m.) fighting escalated along the “Battle Road.” As the British troops marched back towards Boston, militia companies poured in. By afternoon, nearly 4,000 Colonists unleashed “an incessant fire” upon the British soldiers. At the end of the day, the Colonists surrounded and laid siege to Boston. The Revolutionary War had begun.
The North Bridge
Three companies of British Regulars (about 96 men) guarding the North Bridge opened fire upon 400 Colonists advancing from the opposite side. Major John Buttrick of Concord then issued the fateful command, “Fire fellow soldiers, for God’s sake fire!” For | | | | 
By Bill Coughlin, April 17, 2009 | |
| | | 2. Marker at North Bridge Visitor Center | | |
the first time, Colonists were ordered to fire upon the army of their King, and, for the first time, they killed British soldiers. Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his 1837 poem The Concord Hymn, immortalized this event as “the shot heard round the world.”
Erected by Minute Man National Historical Park.
Location. 42° 28.266′ N, 71° 21.173′ W. Marker is in Concord, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County. Marker is on Liberty Street, on the left when traveling south. Click for map. Marker is located in front of the North Bridge Visitor Center in Minute Man National Historical Park. Marker is in this post office area: Concord MA 01742, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Muster Field (within shouting distance of this marker); Major John Buttrick (about 300 feet away, in a direct line); Acton Minutemen (about 300 feet away); Major John Buttrick House (about 300 feet away); Two Revolutions (about 400 feet away); An Evolving Legacy (about 400 feet away); Reflections of the Revolution (about 400 feet away); The Road to Colonel Barrett’s (approx. 0.2 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Concord.
More about this marker. The top of the marker features a map of Minute Man National Historical Park, with a detail of the trail from the marker to the North Bridge. The bottom left of the marker contains a map of the British march on Concord on April 19, 1775, with the progress of the British retreat indicated: 1. British leave Boston – 10:00 p.m.; 2. Paul Revere and others Spread the Alarm; 3. Lexington Green – 5:00 a.m.; The North Bridge – 9:30 a.m.; 5. The Battle Road: Meriam’s Corner to Charleston – 12:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
An engraving by Connecticut militiaman Amos Doolittle of the fighting at the North Bridge appears on the right side of the marker. Also present are a picture of the Minute Man statue from North Bridge and a reprint of an image of Salem Gazette broadside telling of the “Bloody Butchery by the British Troops or the Runaway Fight of the Regulars.”| | | | 
By Bill Coughlin, April 17, 2009 | |
| | | 3. The North Bridge | | This bridge, where the 'Shot Heard Round the World' was fired, is located along a walking trail a short distance from the marker. | | |
Also see . . .
1. Minute Man National Historical Park. National Park Service website. (Submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.)
2. The Concord Hymn. Poem written by Ralph Waldo Emerson for the commemoration of the Concord Monument, July 4, 1837. (Submitted on April 28, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.)
3. The Battle of Concord. The American Revolutionary War website. (Submitted on May 7, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.)
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By Bill Coughlin, April 17, 2009 | |
| | | 4. Concord Minute Man Statue | | This statue of a Minute Man is located in front of the North Bridge. | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,219 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.
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