The Concord - Lexington Battle Road 19 April 1775

  In observance of the events of April 19, 1775 I thought I would post a few pictures of sites associated with the fighting that day.

   The North Bridge in Concord.  

North Bridge fight Concord
By Don Troiani.

North Bridge from
The British side.

View of the bridge from the Americans marching
 down the hill

  Merriam's Corner Concord.  This was about a mile east of Concord and here was the start of the local Minute and Militia companies harassing the British on their return to Boston.

Merriam corner from 1890's

Merriam House.  The Reading company of Militia under 
 John Brooks  took cover by the house and fired at the British in the road.

View from the road. The 
British March column was looking
 towards Merriam house

   As the British defended a steep hill east of Concord the road turned sharply to the North before again turning sharply to the east.  Here, at the "Bloody Angle" in Lincoln the British were caught between two large groups of minute and  militia companies.  Due to the unusually heavy woods they could not deploy flankers.  The Road here has been closed to traffic and restored to its 18th century appearance.

"Bloody Angle"

"Bloody Angle"
 British column caught between groups
of militia on both sides of the road.

stone walls lined the road.

Hartwell Tavern area

Illustration of fighting in above area.

Lastly, since almost everyone has hear about the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere here is the area where he was captured by British officers in the way to Concord

Paul Revere capture site
1890's

Site today

  On Lexington green that morning The first shots of the day were fired.  The green today is almost unrecognizable from its 1775 appearance.

Lexington Green 1775

The Green today

Later that day Captain John Parker took his company of Lexington militia to fight The British as they returned to Boston.  He placed his men on a steep hillside looking down along the road where a small bridge crossed a shallow stream.  

View from the British column towards area
Captain Parker deployed his company.

Guernsey-Pitman Studios

 

  From 1930-1955 Samuel Guernsey and Theodore Pitman constructed a number of  historically incredible diorama's. Both men had been professors at Harvard university.  They had a office in Harvard square. 

   The Guernsey-Pitman Studios are perhaps best known for their 23 large dioramas located at the Harvard Forest Museum in Petersham, Massachusetts. These amazing diorama's depict the same  portion of land in Massachusett and how it changed over three centuries.

   Guernsey and Pitman also constructed a number of dioramas which I have tried and find over the years.  Here are the hand full I have found or seen references to.  

 There were three depicting the Harvard University campus and surrounding area as it would have looked in the years 1677, 1775 and 1936.  These where located in  Widner Library  in Cambridge Massachusetts but sadly were removed and are now in storage.  At the Science Museum in Boston is a diorama of the Samuel McKay shipyard in East Boston. There is a diorama of the Alamo but I have only seen pictures of it.   At the Concord Museum in Concord Massachusetts is a dioramas of the Battle at Concord Bridge.  

Clipped ship Flying Cloud being built at McKay shipyard Boston Massachusetts

The Alamo

North Bridge Fight

  Lastly four dioramas depicting major events in American history are at the town Hall in Newton Massachusetts.  These include von Stueban drilling the troops at Valley Forge; the USS Constitution's battle with HMS Guerriere; Pickets charge on the third day's fight at Gettysburg; and the 26th Infantry Division at the World War I Battle of Seicheprey.

Three Battle of Bunker's Hill dioramas

  Back in the 1980's and 1990's there were three dioramas at the Bunker Hill monument in Charlestown Massachusetts.  These were very important to the Park Rangers who used them for interpretation of the battle.  While there are still some landmarks of the grounds the entire battlefield has disappeared under contract and tenement houses.  Presently I have been told these dioramas have been moved across the street to a new and improved museum.

  Two of the dioramas were built by the Pittman studios in Cambridge Massachusetts during the 1930's.  The first was a diorama of the Charlestown peninsula as it looked at the time of the battle.

  Next was a large shadow box of the redoubt atop Breed's Hill.

Lastly, a massive diorama of the battle.  This was constructed by a number Massachusetts military miniatures painters for the Museum of Fine Art,  Boston as part of a bicentennial project in 1975.  The figures were made by Jack Scruby and as still available today as his 9mm American Revolution line.

Due to the Stay at Home orders I have been I unable to take any pictures.  I have used pictures from the internet that came from the blogs Legatus' war game Armies and History in 1/72nd.  Their pictures are far better then anything I could have done.  Thank you!

Concord Bridge Diorama

Diorama of the North Bridge Fight at the Concord Museum. Picture from the book "Lexington Concord  Battle Road. "

   This great diorama is at the Concord Museum in Concord Massachusetts.  It was commissioned by the historian Allen French and built by  Guernsey and Pittman in Cambridge Massachusetts.  Allen French provided the historical research for the builders.  If you are not familiar with him,  his books, "Day of Lexington and Concord" and "General Gage's Informers" are the foundation of any study of the battles.  While working at Minute Man National Historical Park I took some time going through the Allen French papers.  Included was his  correspondence about the diorama and notes to the builders. 

  Guernsey and Pittman are famous for their quality of dioramas.  They had a office in Harvard square In Cambridge Massachusetts.  Both men had been professors at Harvard University.    I plan on doing a blog posting about the in the future in which I will showcase some of their work.

British Light companies in street fighting position.  

    As I have mentioned earlier I love dioramas and they have instilled in me my love of model soldiers.  While the Lexington Green one will always be my sentimental favorite this one of the North Bridge fight is up there with it.  Because it was local whenever I was in Concord I would try and stop by to visit it.

Nice detail of the fight.

The front rank of British soldiers are retiring to the rear to reload after firing.  Note the soldier leaning on his file mate and standing in his tip toes to get a better view!

Although the miniatures are very crude by today's standards they are still works of art.

There are neat little details in the diorama that reward multiple viewings.  Note the planks pulled up on the bridge.  In the picture here Lt. William Sutherland calls for volunteers to join in him to flank the Americans.

Thank to my good friend Scott Leach for permission to use the pictures from his blog.

Lexington Green Diorama

   Ever since I can remember I have loved toy soldiers. As a very young boy I was thrilled to discover an exciting diorama of the Battle of Lexington Green in my public library.  My parents would drop me off at the library and after getting a arm full of books I would stand in wonder in front of it.

  This diorama is still in existence and is in the town of Lexington visitor center.  It was made by John Scheid.  His technique for making the British Grenadier caps look like fur still amazes me.  There is a very nice write up about him and better pictures of the diorama in Peter Blum's book "Military Miniatures" The Odyssey Press, New York, 1964.

    Due to the state "stay at home" I was unable to take any pictures of it today.  So the ones here were ones I found on the internet.  I hope the owners do not mind.  Also I would like to thank my friend Scott Lesch of Gloucester Massachusetts for his help with his and the Concord bridge diorama.

     This will be the first in a series of posts about great dioramas in my area.  

Captain Souter Marine Light Company

  I found this account in the Allen French papers, donated to Minute Man NHP.  There are a number of letters from Souter  including notes and transcriptions from French.  He obtained these from a Rev. Hint of Cornwall England. These were not used in either of his books "Day of Lexington and Concord" or "General Gage's Informers." Possibly they were obtained after they were published.  The letter posted here has very good information which adds a lot to our understanding of the days events.  

  "On Tuesday ye 18th instance about ten in the evening the light infantry and Grenadiers of the army had orders to push to Concord, a village about twenty miles from this place, in order to destroy a magazine of powder, cannon, carriages and other military stores which had been laid up, (for a supposed campaign) by the Americans.  We marched all night without molestation and about daylight in marching through a village called Lexington, the van company of the light troops was staggered by seeing a flash of a pan from a man in arms, and soon after a report and whistling of two balls fired on it...

...in which the light company pushed forward and saw a dozen or eighteen men drawn up with arms, the light companies in hearing a shout from the leading company, immediately formed and a fire was given in their running off which killed most of them;  for my part I was amazed when I heard the shout, and being the third company that lead in the front, took it for granted we were surprised, not imagining in the least that we should be attacked or evan molested on the march, for we had but that instant loaded and had marched all night without being loaded. 

...the country by this time took ye alarm and were immediately in arms, and had taken their different stations behind walls and etc on our flanks, and thus were we harrassed in our front, flanks and rear from Concord to Charlestown (a place in the other side of the river opposition Boston) by a continual fire for eighteen miles, it not being possible for us to meet a man otherwise than behind a bush, stone hedge, or tree who immediately gave his fire and off he went;  our companies were not able to march more then half of its  front on the open road, or more properly speaking, in two platoons, the second in the rear of the first.  In our leaving Concord we were  immediately surrounded on every quarter, and expected to be cut off every moment, sometimes we took possession of one hill sometimes of another;  at last it was determined to push forward to Lexington, which we did though a plaugy fire...

...When we were joined by Lord Percy with the first brigade with four pieces of cannon, otherwise I do believe not one of us had got into Boston again;  as it was the fire did not cease till we reached Charlestown;  and our battalion lost sixty killed, wounded and missing, it falling heavy on us;  our Light Infantry and Grenadiers having nearly expended all their ammunition, and they were obliged to cover our retreat.  There are many killed and wounded on both sides on ours eight or ten officers and 260 privates.  I imagine on theirs the report four or five hundred - I accidentally was wounded in my leg flanking the Brigade with my company in ye woods, by a villain behind a stone wall who waited till he was sure of me, and then to the right about and off he went, not before I have him my gun, but missed him;  one of my men I think brought him down.  The ball just grazed the bone but has not shattered it in the least, as I was able to walk eight or ten miles after it;  I mention this that your sister may not in the least be worried by imagining there is any danger as I shall be able to walk in a day or two, and I am now as well as ever almost.  I am thus particular that no report may be credited, as many will be that are sent hence to England, and that the return of the killed wounded and missing, and etc. If ye  officers may possibly be badly ascertained, I think it right to be ingenious and hope a day of reckoning will come,when ample satisfaction will be given me, for a sound re urged by a rebel' s hand.  It is a flesh wound only and thankful I am to the great almighty it no worse. "

   There are lots of little snippets here that deserve attention.  I think this is the only mention I have found of a officer in flanking duty.  Also that in the six detached light infantry companies heading towards Lexington green the marines were the third from the van.  So the first three companies were the 10th, 4th and Marines.  Most importantly he describes the march formation for companies.  Two platoons or half companies.  This makes the command form much more understandable.  In Howe's light infantry discipline this was his you got columns or files to form a company front.  Most interesting!

   Should anyone like to use this please credit my post here.  I would appreciate it.