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Debunking American History

The Not-So-Valiant Battle of Concord
by Marilyn N.
American History Major

We all remember the stirring rhetoric of Nat’s story about the Battle of Concord. To commemorate another rebroadcast of "Bluffing," it’s time to look at what really happened at the Battle of Concord on July 19, 1775. For over 200 years, the legend of the Minute Men and Paul Revere’s famous ride has grown unchecked, and it’s time to consider who these militia men really were. First, we need to review the circumstances that led up to the battles of Lexington and Concord. Then the actual battle conditions aren’t necessarily well-known. Finally, the British retreat to Boston is significant.

By 1775, American colonists were beginning to resent British controls over their commercial activities. "Mother country takes all" seems to have been England’s motto. British colonists weren’t allowed to conduct trade with other European countries or their colonies. (For example, the Spanish Empire to the south was off-limits, and France controlled large parts of southern North America.) Then when Britain began to increase taxes, many citizens felt unrepresented in Parliament. Tensions arose in the colonies, and Samuel Adams manipulated events that led to the Boston Massacre in 1770, when British soldiers fired on civilians. Then he and other leaders used the martyrdom of Boston citizens as a war cry to fuel further resistance. In 1773, when taxes rose on tea, a group of rebels threw a shipment overboard into the harbor. Of course, Britain demanded that Boston pay for the lost tea, and the colonists refused. By May of 1774, Boston was an occupied port.

A network of militia volunteers grew in the countryside around Boston and also in New York. By 1775, garrison activities in Boston were increasing, and British regulars were destroying property. The colonist militia began to stockpile arms at Concord, with approximately 100 barrels of gunpowder stored there. The militia boasted to have 15,000 men who were prepared to fight. The evening of April 18, 1775, General Gage of the British army sent out a brigade from Boston to capture the arms store at Concord. En route to Lexington, the regulars stopped the locals, questioning them about the arms stores, and released the citizens after scattering their horses. Dr. Joseph Warren, one of the rebels’ leaders, ordered Paul Revere to inform Samuel Adams in Lexington of the recent troop movements. Revere used his later-famous lantern signal ("one if by land, two if by sea"), and began his ride.

In the countryside, the people were less concerned about possible British maneuvers. The militia system had begun, but they had little military experience, and were more concerned about protecting their individual properties. On April 17, 1775, the Committee of Safety began to move some of the arms from Concord to other towns. Revere arrived in Lexington the night of the 18^th, then headed for Concord to spread the alarm further. William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott rode with him, and the British convoy stopped all three on the road. Prescott escaped, and continued to Concord to inform the people there. The people began to hide or destroy the stores accumulated in Concord.

The regulars arrived in Lexington the morning of April 19. Captain John Parker of the militia made a tactical blunder in forming his men up on the green, instead of using the natural cover of the woods and pastures. Then some contradictions in both sides’ commanders appear. It seems that each side had given orders not to fire. The British simply wanted to disarm the colonists. But as the militia began to disperse, somehow a shot was fired, and the skirmish began. The British eventually regained control, and ceased fire. They regrouped and continued to Concord. Eight colonists died in the battle. The remaining minutemen marched to Concord, to support the militia there.

One difference between Lexington and Concord lay in the topography of the land. Concord was much hillier, and that gave the colonists an advantage in defending the area. A ridge along the road into the village gave defenders both height and cover. The militia harassed the British as they marched to Concord, falling back to the next ridge as necessary. As the British marched, they searched surrounding farms and homes for the hidden supplies, destroying what they found. According to the townspeople, the soldiers did not harm any civilians in the search. The colonists lost arms, ammunition, gun carriages, and food supplies. Minutemen up on the ridge saw the smoke from the burning carriages, and thought the British were firing the town. So they rushed the north bridge, held by a single British company. The British attempted a rotating formation to keep the minutemen on the far side of the bridge, actively firing on the colonials. This gave the colonists an excuse to fire back, and the British fell back to Concord. One minuteman died in the skirmish, and three British, with several wounded on each side.

That’s all that happened in the "battle" of Concord. The British began to march back to Boston, hampered by the difficult terrain and the minutemens’ advantage of firing on the road with cover from the ridge. The real colonist victory came in harassing the British during their retreat. The Redcoats limped back to Boston, suffering more casualties in the process. The militia used attack and fade tactics, stationing snipers in houses along the route. More and more militia members arrived from the countryside as the retreat continued. The British weren’t used to guerrilla tactics, and were surprised by the number of troops the colonists were able to raise. It was clearly a victory for the patriots, but final success came during the British retreat. Yes, the citizens of Concord could feel pride for driving back the British, but they still lost a fair amount of food and ammunition in the raid. The engagement at the north bridge was brief, with very few casualties. The myth of great battles in Lexington and Concord has grown over time, actively encouraged by the indoctrination…um, education, process in schools. So, the next time you hear about the "great" victory at Lexington and Concord, take it with a grain of salt.

Webmaster's Note: Marilyn had already asked that she not be "scolded about 'working' too hard on this," so I'm going to honor her request and stick with offering her kudos for sharing her talent and knowledge with us!!!   You go Marilyn :-)