Josiah Austin Saves Ammunition - 19 April

[CarrollMS]

The URL below gives the account of Josiah Austin of Charlestown and his actions on 19 April to save a wagonload of ammunition that he had evacuated from Col James Barret's Concord farm. On the road to Lexington Barret's son, who drove the wagon, saw the approaching column of Regulars and high-tailed it on a horse to Concord. Austin got a passing farmer to assist him and moved the wagon off the road. After the column passed, Austin sent the farmer to report his situation and location to Major Butterick, who sent some of his militia to load up saddle bags with ammunition.

https://sparedcreative21.art.blog/2020/02/08/battle-of-concord-bridge-josiah-austin-saves-ammunition/

[Yates]

Great story - thanks for sharing.

[scuzzy]

Thanks.

One thing on the story that threw me though. I've always considered the first shot at Lexington Green to be the 'Shot Heard Around the World.'

The footnotes on the article stated '¹ Major John Buttrick of the Concord Militia is the man who ordered "the shot heard around the world" at Concord's North Bridge. [See John Buttrick]'

I then did some searches and some said that both Lexington and the North Bridge together were considered 'The Shot'. Hmm - I found numerous articles which stated the same. Others said the incident at the North Bridge was the 'Shot'.

So I've been mistaken all these years?

[CarrollMS]

Yes, Concord-not Lexington.  
  The North Bridge was the "first forcible resistance" where the colonia militia fired a volley at the Regulars under orders from their leaders.
 Here is a quote from the 9th edition 2022 of the instructor's manual pg 158  Concord's men gathered at Wright's Tavern to decide their course of action. The young minutemen wanted to confront the Regulars outside of town. Chief among them was the town's preacher, William Emerson. He lost his life later in the war. His grandson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, would later write of the "shot heard round the world", and of the battle at the "rude bridge". 

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

− Emerson, "Concord Hymn"