Battle Road Pilgrimage - May 2023

[Mrs. Smith]

Hear ye, hear ye!

Let it be known to one and all that on May 19, 2023, 248 years and one month from the historic Battle of Lexington Green, TEN intrepid Appleseeders (and two very special guests ) did converge upon that Green for the Telling of the First Strike of the Match.

Lupis42 did a wonderful job guiding us through the pivotal locations where the events of April 19, 1775 took place.  He absolutely made it a fantastic, memorable day. My deepest appreciation to you, sir, for stepping up and showing what the Northeast Region stands for.  It is so incredibly humbling to have tread the same ground as those Patriots, and I will never forget it.

There are LOTS of photos forthcoming, between myself (soon as I get them out of my phone  ), 300berg (whom I'm quite sure is just waiting on me), and all the others in attendance.

Northeast Region, you guys rock, seriously   



LET THE PHOTO DUMP BEGIN!

[Mrs. Smith]

Here is a link to some of the photos that were taken, in no particular order: Mrs. Smith's Battle Road Pics

300Berg has the group photos, but in attendance that day were:

Lupis42
Luigi
Round Trip
Jake1918
300berg
Lesky
Seangn42
HamGun
Rifle Rabbit
Mrs. Smith

Special Guests:

Arwyn (daughter of 300berg)
Joanne (sister of Mrs. Smith)

Special thanks to my big sister Joanne, who isn't IN any of the coming group photos, because she was taking them 

[T. WOLF]

This is awesome - wish I could have joined you.

Huzzah!




PS - hopefully 'berg retrieved some water from the North Bridge... we might need to replenish our 210-baptismal water supply for NY this season 

[Mrs. Smith]

It would have been great to have you there, Travis, but Michigan isn't exactly down the street 

I did see HamGun running around with a suspiciously murky bottle of water 

[VietVet]

AWESOME!! by all involved. 

On behalf of the entire Northeast Region a very special THANK YOU to Traci (Mrs Smith) who made "Her Pilgrimage" from NM to SB our IBC that followed this Battle Road Tour.

The NE always works as a TEAM. We are TEAM NORTHEAST and are extremely honored to add Traci as a member of our team.

Thanks again Mrs Smith and welcome to Team Northeast.   

[lupis42]

I only got one good picture, Round Trip telling 3rd Strike at Merriam's Corner

[T. WOLF]

I see I'm not the only IIT who awkwardly affixed a giant Rifleman patch to the side of their orange hat. 

Who is that volunteer on the left in that photo, Lupis?  We are kindred spirits:

[Mrs. Smith]

Travis, that's Lesky. He has the Pistoleer™ patch on the other side    Covers all the bases

[T. WOLF]

Travis, that's Lesky. He has the Pistoleer™ patch on the other side    Covers all the bases

go get 'em, Lesky    I am still chasing that Pistoleer™ patch.

[300berg]

I did see HamGun running around with a suspiciously murky bottle of water 

There is a bottle of refrigerated North Bridge water available if anyone wants it.

Our fridge space will be reclaimed at some point....

[300berg]

Here come the Regulars!

[300berg]

Lupis42 with 1st Strike.

[300berg]

[300berg]

The doorstep at which Jonathon Harrington died.  Standing on the green was standing in his front yard.

[300berg]

Buckman's Tavern




Site of Revere's capture.




HamGun looks like he is late for muster at the North Bridge.

[300berg]

Luigi with 2nd strike.

[300berg]

RoundTrip with 3rd strike at the bridge at Meriam's corner.

[300berg]

The Meriam house still at Meriam's Corner.



The Bloody Angle.

[lupis42]

We started the morning on Lexington green, standing where Parker's militia stood, and thinking about what it would be like, watching that stream of regulars marching in on the road, bayonets shining in the sun, realizing the line was still coming, outnumbering us more than 10 to one. 

The Lexington green has several monuments dedicated to those who faced bayonet and musket, and the fallen are interred beneath the green.  From the spot, you can see, not far away, the Harrington house (it remains a private home, with a plaque on the front commemorating Jonathan Harrington).




Rather than go in chronological order, we proceeded down the road to Paul Revere's capture site, and backwards in time to the night before, when Revere, Dawes, and Prescott were captured the night before, and only his thorough knowledge of the location allowed Prescott to escape through a gap in that housing development hedge.



Returning to the morning's timeline, we drove through Concord, and gathered again at the visitor center above the old North Bridge.  Appleseeders at the North Bridge are like kids in a candy store, so we took our time looking around. 

After we had taken in the artifacts, having not a one who was afraid to go, we proceeded down to the bridge with The White Cockade being provided as best as the poor phone speaker could deliver. 
Standing where Isaac Davis stood is a powerful experience, and not diminished for being the second or third time doing it.


We chose to have our second strike over the river, where the Redcoats stood, out of the way of the many other groups there that day. 




And we took in the reminder that, after all the cost to raise, train, and equip these men, bring them around the world to Boston, and march them out across the countryside, when the time came, they MISSED.  Hits count.


After lunch overlooking the bridge, we proceeded to Merriam's corner for the third strike,



And then, trying to match the pace of the retreating redcoats, we hiked in to the Bloody angle, to get a sense of what the colonists facing that column were working with.
 

It was a spectacular day, and as good a prelude to an Appleseed as anyone could ask for!  Huzzah!  Thank you again Mrs Smith for coming up to New England!

[Dangerous Oldman]

Looking forward to checking off this Bucket List item in September!  Looks like you all had a great time and good visit!

[Mrs. Smith]

That we did, sir! You're going to have a great time