"We have time for one more..."

[Kaylee]

So while wandering Menotomy Arlington Mass, I came across the site where Cooper's Tavern was.

The tavern's long gone, but the road's still there, and you can still get a drink -



The scary thing is that the Samuel Whittemore marker is *barely* a hundred yards up the road towards Lexington. You couldn't be sitting in that tavern and not hear what was going on up the street.

[V]

Hi Kaylee,

Glad you had time to search out the roots of the history, very moving when you stand there on The Green, close your eyes and listen to the musket shots....

One tidbit about these two....

I think you are mildly criticizing that people could sit in a tavern and drink while people are dying around them...

We had a big debate about this a couple of years ago* when trying to come up with the 13 names to be read out during the April 19th Liberty Volley. I was one of those who initially said the same thing, why celebrate these two laggards...

Well, after much digging around in the dusty PDFsbooks, here's what we found

"A member of one of the oldest families in the town, Jason Winship, 45, a cousin of Mrs. Jason Russell, was spreading the glad tidings of a special family event. Winship's first wife had died in child-bed, four more of his children had died at birth and now, at last, the family had its first son, and he was to be baptized this coming Sabbath. Jason had met with his Brother-in-law, Jabez Wyman of Woburn, to toast the coming event. Tavern keeper Benjamin Cooper had prepared a festive drink, flip, made with egg, sugar, and spices. Wyman, though he had a long ride home with the news of the christening, told Winship: "Let us finish the mug, they won't come yet." But the redcoats were hurrying, and they did come. The tavern keeper and his wife, who managed to escape to the cellar, told how a hundred bullets suddenly tore through the tavern and enraged troops rushed in. The Coopers said: "The two aged (sic) gentlemen were most barbarously and inhumanely murdered by them, being stabbed through in many places, their heads mangled, skulls broke, and their brains out on the floor and walls of the house.

The following Sabbath the christening of the infant Jason Winship was held, and the same day in the same meeting house the bereaved families gathered for a memorial service to all the men who had died as the redcoats swept through Menotomy."

We are not like those people. We can only get a glimmer of how hard their lives were and therefore get a taste of the true enormity of the sacrifices made for us. I for one, will gladly raise a White Mountain Mocha to Jason and Jabez.

Cheers
Phil

*Some of you won't be able to see the link above, its on the Shoot Boss board, but the quote has the meat of it.

[Cooper]

Yeah, where did I put that tavern anyway?  How could I lose something that big? 

[colycat]

V, you amaze me, that you were able to find something from so long ago It was fun to re read that thread.

Also, these two old geezers captured Percy's supply wagon in the morning.  Thanks for finding that out!

[Texas Rifleman]

Thanks for posting a photo of that marker. It is always neat to see these places.

[Kaylee]

V - thank you for the link! (and the correction. )
(edit... hrmm. I can't read it.   "missing or off limits"  )



From what I've seen at least so far, the mild criticism was in the original accounts.

That said...  hindsight.
I don't see as they'd have any reason to consider themselves combatants and thus at risk. Normalcy bias and all that.
... and can't say as I'd do any different.

I'm reminded of I think it was Rev. Emerson talking about Ammi White on North Bridge, saying something to the effect of that killing haunting White especially because of the time - it was not yet open war, and yet not peace.  And so that hatchet blow stayed in his mind as an act of murder, not of war. 

Odd - scary - time.
   

[crak]

Nice find!  Hadn't seen that myself.

Along those same lines as your "barely a hundred yards" observation, Jason Russel's house is just another hundred yards or so from the Whittemore site towards lexington.  A very bloody few blocks easily within earshot of all involved.  Whittemore had to have heard all of that and stood firm.  The men in the tavern must've known they were cutting it awful close.

[slim]

Wow! It's amazing how all these little stories tie together. The events that day touched everyone's lives. Everyone!

Equally as amazing is in the years I've heard (and told) this story I never knew those two men were connected to the fighting earlier in the day. I've always heard (and told) the story as "two old drunks doing nothing more than enjoying a mug of flip."

This story now has a lot more significance.


V, (or anyone else) can you share the 13 names (and their stories) that you guys read aloud during the volley? I never tire of hearing more history. Thanks for posting this thread, Kaylee. Always nice to see pics and hear stories from the retreat back to Boston.

[Josey Wales]

..Good Stuff..

..Strength & Honor..

[asminuteman]

Bezon Kaylee,

wohdoh nah.....as you know

-ken