The Rifleman  

I was lucky recently to be an instructor at the Project April 19th, 1775 Appleseed in Harvard, MA.

Lucky not only for the usual reasons (which are many) but because it put me a few miles from where it all begin - Lexington and Concord.

Coming into town Friday PM, I had just enough time to revisit the National Minuteman Center, and stop at the North Bridge.

Sat was Appleseed instructing, so I missed the renactments set for that day, but Sunday morning, April 19th, before dawn, some of us Appleseeders met at Lexington Green, to be there to mark the occasion, and to fill our minds with the “murky half-light” of pre-dawn described as Capt John Parker assembled his men that long-ago morning.

We were the only ones there.

If only Elton John had been there, or some other music star…

But it was only us.

To be honest, I can see how it would have been a very scary morning - drums beating, the alarm bell pealing, people running to and fro, papable tension humming in the air. Clearly, the immediate future, if the redcoats showed, could be fraught with grave consequences for everyone there.

After the sun was well up, we partook of another growing Appleseed tradition - to stop at the North Bridge and collect a sample of river water - AFTER it flowed under the bridge - it’s heavier, and more sparkly-like, then.

Yep, we’ll take that water all over the US, and sprinkle some of the magic everywhere there’s an Appleseed.

Then it was back to teaching Appleseeders for the rest of the day.

Monday, before dawn, I was back at Lex Green for the reenactment - and what a difference! Could hardly get next to the Green, as maybe a thousand people jammed to watch the redcoats arrive, Parker’s men forming up and answering the roll-call, and then the first shots of what turned out to be a fateful day in world history.

As interesting was to hang around afterwards, and listen to the redcoat reenactors answer questions. Seems if you want to be a Rev War reenactor, being a redcoat has it’s advantages. The guy who was talking was in real life a lawyer, but as a redcoat he’d been to England, paraded before the Queen, and traveled to Bermuda and other places, just to do his stuff.

He mentioned that when the redcoats formed on Lexington Green to do their “fix bayonets” advance, the script called for someone to fire a shot from Buckman Tavern on their third step of the advance as a cue to start firing. One year, no one fired the shot - so on the fifth step, he fired his musket and, as he said, “I started the War, that day - I fired the first shot!”

From there it was steps to the graveyard where Capt John Parker is buried under a modest headstone, and I was able to witness a wreath-laying ceremony at his grave, followed by a musket volley - and a subsequent wreath-laying at the grave of an unknown British soldier. A representative of the British consulate in Boston was the ceremonial wreath-layer.

From there, quickly over to the North Bridge, for a ceremony by a redcoat unit rendering honors to both the American memorial, and the British graves on the near side of the bridge. They have an impressive ceremony called “Mourn Arms” where, lined up at attention facing the memorial, they slowly reverse their muskets until the muzzle in on their toe, then slowly bow their heads.

Just prior to that, they marched down the road to the bridge, and I have to give credit to the “British officer” leading the unit, as he had the swagger down so well you kinda wanted to throw something at him - in fact, someone watching yelled, “You’ll get yours!” - prob another Appleseeder…

One amusing aspect: When the British unit marched down and crossed the North Bridge, fifes and drums going, there was a group of uniformed navy people clustered on the far side of the American monument. When it looked like the British were going to march into them, they scattered like chickens - or school kids. Of course, the British at the last second turned to march around the monument, but still…I doubt John Paul Jones would have approved.

Later came the Concord parade, heavy with reactment units marching with fife and drum, some very professional, others more home-spun. All of it colorful and entertaining.

Of interest was the number of females dressed as men in the units - maybe there’s not enough Mass men to fill out the units? T’wouldn’t be much of a surprise…

One women spectator had a UN flag - maybe she wanted to show where her real loyalties lie?

On a prior visit to Lexington, a banner was draped across the front of a house only steps off the Green: “UN Save US!”

Guess someone really needs to come to an Appleseed, bad, and find out how we save ourselves?

Lunch at the Colonial Inn, existent on 4/19/75, just across the street from the hasty grave of a British soldier shot at the North Bridge - prob a member of the 4th, 10th, or 43rd Light Infantry - now and forever lying between the curb and the sidewalk in Concord town.

From there to Harwell Tavern on the restored Battle Road, a place that will make you think you’ve gone back in time two hundred years. Shots were fired at the Redcoats by at least one militiaman from behind the Hartwell barn - exciting times, indeed!

There we ran into a ranger who was 100% Appleseed - maybe we’ll have a special “rangers” Appleseed in nearby Harvard, some time!

A trip to where it all began is a trip every American should make at least once in his life. It would be hard to see everything in one weekend; plan on a week if you can - and read up on April 19th before you go, so it has more meaning to you, to actually be there.

I doubt there’s any place in this country with more concentrated history - heck, just touring the sites relating to one day - April 19th - trying to understand and picture what it was like - seeing muskets which were present - and fired - on Lexington Green at sunrise on April 19th - it’s more than you can deal with, if you care about your history and your heritage.