Concord in Middlesex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
The North Bridge
Minute Man National Historical Park
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 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.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1826.
Location. 42° 28.164′ N, 71° 20.934′ W. Marker is in Concord, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County. Marker is on Monument Street, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located at the start of the trail to the North Bridge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Concord MA 01742, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Robbins House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Old Manse (about 400 feet away); Concord Battle Monument (about 400 feet away); Grave of British Soldiers (about 400 feet away); Concord Fight (about 400 feet away); The Minuteman of Concord 1775 (about 700 feet away); Captain Isaac Davis (approx. 0.2 miles away); Two Revolutions (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map 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 Charlestown – 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.”
Also see . . .
1. Minute Man National Historical Park. National Park Service website. (Submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, 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 Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
3. The Battle of Concord. The American Revolutionary War website. (Submitted on May 7, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,363 times since then and 19 times this year. Last updated on February 10, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.