Minute Man National Historical Park: Ranger-led Talk and Musket Demonstration
From the parking lot at Hartwell Tavern, it’s another reasonable walk to get back to the tavern itself. On the left there’s a short trail leading to bathrooms. The path that runs in front of Hartwell used to be the main road between Boston and Concord, and the two rangers in costume at Hartwell Tavern did a great job of explaining what it would have been like back in the late eighteenth century. There was a good crowd gathered to listen and we learned how the Hartwells started the tavern to provide food, housing, and a place to gather and hear news for those traveling along the road. The area didn’t used to be as forested as it is now, so it was easier to see, but the walls and other impediments were there.
The British decided to march to Concord and confiscate all the weapons and ammunition the colonists had stockpiled there. Paul Revere learned of this and started riding to spread the word. I was surprised to see on the map how quickly he was captured on this famous ride. He didn’t make it anywhere close to the Hartwell Tavern, which is not even the halfway point. Thankfully, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott were also riding to spread the alarm. Revere had been captured by 1am.
On their march from Boston, the British Army encountered 77 minutemen in Lexington at 5am, and 8 colonists died in the ensuing battle.The alarm had been spread and several hundred minutemen, including Mr. Hartwell and three of his sons, gathered in Concord and were there watching from the hills nearby when the British arrived in Concord at 7am to start searching for weapons and to burn what they found. At 9:30am, the British killed two colonists, and their companions returned fire in an act of treason against the British government. That shot is the one that people say was “heard around the world.”
The British regrouped and headed back to Boston around 12:30pm. This march was the focus of the ranger’s talk. The militia men knew the terrain well, but the British had to march back along the road. They were exposed and easily picked off by colonists. However, they did send out scouts, who fanned out to protect the main group marching along the road. Colonists also hid in houses to shoot at the British, and they numbered 4,000 by afternoon. This battle was the beginning of the Revolutionary War and ended around 7pm when the British Army reached safety in Charlestown. There were 73 British soldiers dead and 174 wounded. The Colonists lost 49 men and counted 41 wounded.
After talking about the battle, the events of the day, and the Hartwell Tavern and family, the rangers did a musket firing demonstration. We all walked over to a field and watched as one ranger gave commands and the other carried them out. There were eight steps required to load and fire the musket, and while they were well-practiced, it still took a little time. The musket itself was really loud. One of my kids chose to wait by the tavern and the other agreed to cover his ears when told. One woman had a dog with her that was pretty scared. They went through the steps and fired twice.
The musket shooting was a highlight for the kids in the audience. They also enjoyed hearing the ranger talk about his period clothes, some of which he had made himself. The talk was fun and definitely worth listening to, so if you get a chance, make it a priority.
