10/9 Minuteman National Park

We went to Minute Men National Park, Massachusetts. The Minute Men were a group of young soldiers who said that they could be summoned in a minute. There are Minute Men all over Massachusetts.

The British were told that the colonists were storing munitions at Concord. The British also knew that these munitions could support a army of 15,000, but the Americans also knew that the British were coming to Concord Paul Revere told the people of Concord 5 days earlier than the British came to Concord. That set up a alarm around the Massachusetts. When the British came two riders were sent out to warn the others of the coming British army. These riders were Paul Revere and William Dawes. They took separate route but both arrived in Lexington to warn Adams and Hancock. Then they continued on. They met up with Samuel Prescott and they all rode together to Concord but they were stopped and only Prescott made it to Concord and warned the colonists to hide the guns.

In Lexington 80 Minute Men stood up to the General Gages British army but were unable to hold them. They retreated to Concord right in front of the British and waited across the North Bridge on to the nearby hill. The American forces grew to 400 over the time of the battle. The British searched the whole town of Concord for munitions but most of them were not found some of the British went to search Barrett’s Farm and had to cross the North Bridge where the Americans were waiting. The British split their troops in to two half went to search Barrett’s Farm. The others guarded the North Bridge. From the hill the Americans saw smoke rising above the town. Then one of the officers said to there men “Your not going let them burn down the town”. The soldiers all ready for battle so they went to the North Bridge and stood there in front of the British and someone fired this was the place the “shot heard round the world“. No one knows who fired the shot, but this was the first time the Americans fired at the British army, killing two. The British retreated from Concord to Boston on the way home the Americans numbers grew to 4,000 while they harassed the British a lot and by the end of the Battle Road. Within a week the Americans had 20,000 men. General Gage was replaced by Howe. The Siege of Boston started.

North Bridge