Concord

September 10, 2007 48928 8:38

We have rain again today and it is predicted for tomorrow also. I think our summer has left us. It if comes back it will be Indian Summer. Even more trees have changed just since yesterday, there is still a lot of green but the yellows, oranges, and red are becoming more vivid.

We are currently driving on the Mohawk Trail, the trail that the Mohawk Indians used in the westward travels

At times the fog is real heavy and at other times it lifts and you the sun tries to come out.

Here are some of the dates of the towns we are passing through; Wendell 1781, Orange 1810, Athol 1762, Concord 1635. Be also are on the Johnny Appleseed Trail of North Central Massachusetts

We arrive at the Minute Man Campground just outside of Littleton, Mass at 10:30. We will stay here for two nights while we explore the Concord-Lexington Battle Road and will also run up to Lowell, Mass, to the Lowell National Historical Park.

Our campsite is in the trees, it is a beautiful park, large put plenty of room in the sites. We have water and power for $30.00 a night with our Good Sam discount.

We grab a map and head into Concord. Our first stop is the Visitor Center where we gather up maps, ideas on things to do and instructions on how to get to the Minute Man NHP area here in Concord.

At the park Visitor Center, we harass the ranger; actually he is glad to see someone it has been a very slow day. He points out the cannon on display here. It is one of the actual brass cannons stolen from the British in 1774. It is here on loan from the Bunker Hill Historical Society.

Next we watch a movie on how the cannon was authenticated, produced by PBS for the History Channel. Then it is on to the famous North Bridge.

The poem The Ride of Paul Revere, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow says a little about this bridge.

It was two by the village clock,

When he came to the bridge in Concord town.

He heard the bleating of the flock,

And the twitter of birds among the trees,

And felt the breath of the morning breeze

Blowing over the meadow brown.

And one was safe and asleep in his bed

Who at the bridge would be first to fall,

Who that day would be lying dead,

Pierced by a British musket ball.

You know the rest. In the books you have read

How the British Regulars fired and fled,---

How the farmers gave them ball for ball,

From behind each fence and farmyard wall,

Chasing the redcoats down the lane,

Then crossing the fields to emerge again

Under the trees at the turn of the road,

And only pausing to fire and load.

We walk over the bridge and meet D. Michael Ryan a National Park Ranger. It will be our interpreter for this area.

He tells us the story of the happenings of April 19, 1775 most of what we have read in history books. Three Regulars were killed, two were buried at the site, two Patriots were killed and they were buried at their homes.

He also enlightens us on other aspects of the battle. How unusual circumstances led to the Patriots winning the battle over the British.

For instance, one of the platoon of Regulars was in a bar drinking. Another that the Patriots came down the hill to rush into town to investigate the smoke from fires not to attack the Regulars. When they were fired upon the Patriots fired back, routed the Regulars and then continued on their way to town.

After listening to his stories we learned that he had written a book aimed at bringing out the truth about how things happened at Concord.

We continued on up to the Old Manse, the house where Longfellow lived in the 1840's. Ralph Waldo Emerson's grandfather lived here in 1770 and Ralph also lived here for a while. We found the book, bought a copy and brought it back for Ryan to autograph for us.

From here we drove to the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and I was able to find the graves of Emerson, Longfellow, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Louisa May Walcott.

Tomorrow is the rest of the story on the battle.

Sep 10, 2007

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