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Concerning the Battle of Setauket: a tale of two churches, a minor battle in the American Revolution and the village green today

American Revolution, Historic Towns and Villages, Long Island, Tales from Stony Brook, The History Trekker

The 19th century artist William Sydney Mount came from Setauket, and would return back frequently to paint there, claiming it had the best light anywhere. The light is still there on Setauket Village Green, one of the best preserved greens to be found in New York.

The Setaukets refer to the villages of Setauket and East Setauket, the boundary of which is said to be instinctive rather than based on any actual formal delineation. Both villages are part of the township of Brookhaven, which really only makes things more confusing. And the Setaukets are also part of the Three Villages, along with neighboring Stony Brook and Old Field. Others include parts of Port Jefferson and Head of the Harbor in there as well.

But for our purposes today, Setauket refers to the village of Setauket, and in particular, the Setauket village green.

The First Presbyterian Church of Brookhaven on Setauket Village Green, c. 1812. The first church to be built in the township of Brookhaven, the building was used to house men and horses alike during the American Revolution. Heavily fortified at the time, it was the objective of Colonial troops during the Battle of Setauket.

It’s only natural that the Setaukets would be a center for loyalist activity in the American Revolution. When Setauket was first settled, the pilgrims and early settlers which came with them had only been in this country for about 20 years, and were already starting to branch out towards the south. The Dutch, who actually had representatives on Manhattan island for close to a decade before the pilgrims landed, were pushing east across Long Island. With the Dutch entrenched in Manhattan, the English moved onto Long Island from the east and settled to the west. So the early inhabitants of the Setaukets would be firmly British.

The first white settlers arrived in Setauket in the middle of the seventeenth century. They came from New England which meant a strong religious life, and indeed, one of the first mentions of the town comes from a journal in 1647, noting that the writer had attended a Quaker meeting there.

By the early 1700s, an Anglican mission was underway in Setauket. The Anglican Church was the Church of England, and many from New England were fleeing England and in particular, the Church of England. But as more and more settlers were coming directly from England, and New Amsterdam now New York and British, the Anglican Church began to grow.

The Caroline Church of Brookhaven, c. 1730. British soldiers and officers in Setauket would attend the Caroline church, and used it as a field hospital in the Battle of Setauket. It was a center of Loyalist activity in revolutionary Long Island.

As many of us know, the American Revolution began on Lexington green in Massachusetts with the shot heard round the world. The Battle of Lexington and Concord turned a rout by the British into a rout by the colonists, and within a short time the British were forced to abandon Boston which was surrounded by the continentals under the command of General Washington.

The subsequent battles of the American Revolution are somewhat less known. Following the victory at Boston, Washington marched his army to Long Island, expecting the first British offensive to attempt to take New York City. Washington was correct, but was perhaps mistaken in how much support to expect from the colonists on Long Island. Washington was clobbered at the Battle of Long Island, managed to escape to Manhattan, then chased the length of the island and through Westchester county, finally finding a reprieve from the British onslaught in Pennsylvania. Washington managed to drive the British from New Jersey, and by 1777, the colonists essentially had a land blockade around New York City and Long Island by holding New Jersey, southern New York and southwest Connecticut, directly across Long Island Sound from Setauket and the north shore.

The British held Long Island for the next seven years, and though no major conflicts took place, by all accounts the occupation was brutal. British officers were housed in private homes, often against the will of the homeowner and without compensation. Horses and livestock were confiscated for the troops, as well as crops. Various forms of abuse were directed towards the colonists who supported the revolution, including rape and murder.

Colonial era tombstone in the Presbyterian Church Burial Ground, Setauket, New York

Additionally, the colonists themselves were split between loyalty to the crown and support for the cause. In the more urban areas, the tendency was to support the crown, while rural areas had a greater support for the revolution, and offered safe harbors for underground tactics and spy networks. This division in Long Island society led to brutal actions by both sides, but particularly by the loyalists towards those advocating freedom from British rule.

Setauket was no exception. Loyalists tended to attend the newer Caroline church, and as elsewhere, the British occupied the church which they didn’t use, in this case the First Presbyterian Church of Brookhaven. The militarization of the church was done under the command of Colonel Richard Hewlett, a notable loyalist from a loyalist family from Hempstead, Long Island. He had about 150 men under his command, mainly other loyalists from around Long Island. And they set about fortifying the Presbyterian Church.

Flush with that success, about 500 troops crossed Long Island Sound in whaleboats from Connecticut and landed at Old Field, west of Setauket on the night of August 21. They brought with them a handful of small cannon, and upon landing in the early morning, marched on the British holed up in the Brookhaven church in Setauket. The leader of the expedition was General Samuel Holden Parsons, who had the support of the regiment of Colonel Samuel Blachley Webb.

Under a flag of truce, General Parsons instructed the loyalists to surrender, which was refused. The Colonials set up a line at Patriot’s Rock, now located just off of Setauket VIllage Green, and began firing on the church. The British returned fire, and for the next few hours both sides exchanged volleys, with neither side bringing an advantage to the action. Parsons, worried that the sound of battle would attract the British stationed along the shore to the conflict, made the decision to abandon the mission, taking with him a dozen horses and some blankets, captured from the British. Reports of casualties vary, though it’s certain they were quite low. Parsons reported one injured militia member, but others have claimed that four were killed and several wounded. British figures aren’t available, but the injured were taken to the Caroline Church on the other side of the green to be treated.

Thus ended the Battle of Setauket. In December, a second attempt was made on Setauket, but rough seas and the capture of some of the colonists by a British ship stopped it before it had a chance to begin. Several months later, the British abandoned the First Presbyterian Church of Brookhaven, leaving it a devastated shell. Smaller raids were carried out on the loyalists in Setauket, and the Benjamin Tallmadge spy ring was based in Setauket, but otherwise Long Island had little influence on the rest of the American Revolution.

Sunken Meadow County Park, Smithtown, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York — Toward Long Island Sound at Sunken Meadow County Park

The Presbyterian Church was repaired and services held once more. The building remained in use until it was struck by lightening and burned. A new church was built in 1812 which still stands.

The Caroline Church perhaps suffered more. The building itself suffered damage in the Battle of Setauket, and additional damage was created by colonist who targeted the church for its loyalist tendencies. Most damaging at all, was the loss of a great number of its congregation, who were forced to flee when the British surrendered in Yorktown, as those who had supported the crown were at best, faced with a loss of income and property, and quite possibly their lives as well. There are penalties for backing the wrong side.

Over time the Caroline Church was remodeled until it bore little resemblance to the original colonial building. In 1936, Ward Melville, shoe baron and CEO of Thom McAn shoes, who seems to have been trying to recreate his own colonial haven on Long Island paid to have the church restored to its former colonial appearance. The steeple is now fifteen feet lower than it was originally, and distorted by the effects of weather over nearly three centuries, but it’s otherwise a faithful restoration of the original building. It’s also the second oldest Episcopal church building in continuous use in America.

Today, Setauket Village Green is a quiet spot in the bustle of Long Island. Setauket itself seems in some ways little changed over the centuries, the light William Sydney Mount spoke of still filters through the trees, people still take advantage of the green on sunny afternoons, and the two churches still face each other, though the congregations are now at peace. The green is smaller now, with roads passing through it, and the trees have swallowed up Patriot’s Rock. But it still retains its charm and its history, and is one of the more tranquil battlefield’s of the Revolutionary War that you’re likely to find.

Find Setauket Village Green on Google Maps

Deconstructing myths of the American Revolution: Paul Revere’s ride in the words of Paul Revere himself and a travelogue

American Revolution, Lexington and Concord, New England, People of History, The History Trekker

Representing Captain John Parker, Henry Hudson Kitson, Sculptor, 1900

In the fall of 1774 and the winter of 1775, I was one of upwards of thirty, chiefly mechanics, who formed ourselves into a committee for the purpose of watching the movements of the British soldiers, and gaining every intelligence of the movements of the Tories. We held our meetings at the Green Dragon tavern. We were so careful that our meetings be kept secret that every time we met, every person swore upon the Bible that they would not discover any of our transactions but to Messrs. Hancock, Adams, Doctors Warren, Church and one or two more.

In the winter, towards the spring, we frequently took turns, two and two, to watch the soldiers by patrolling the streets all night. The Saturday night preceding the 19th of April, about 12 o’clock at night, the boats belonging to the transports were all launched and carried under the sterns of the men-of-war. We likewise found that the grenadiers and light infantry were all taken off duty.

Paul Revere, Letter to Dr. Jeremy Belknap, April 19, 1775

In the spring of 1775, the group of men gathered in the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston, were particularly troubled by the presence of the man-of-war, Somerset, floating in Boston Harbor. The group was anticipating action, as were most of the residents of the Boston area. A good deal of powder and weaponry was stored in Concord, and it was assumed this would be one of the targets of a British raid. Two other targets were Samuel Adams and John Hancock, well-known to be leaders of the movement which has taken hold in the area, originally expressed by resistance to British policies of taxation, and eventually, outright defiance. As many of the residents of Massachusetts were firm supporters of the crown, the British army had as many sources as those fermenting rebellion.

The men gathered around the table that night were known as the Mechanics, an offshoot of the Sons of Liberty, who were known by the British to have organized resistance to the Stamp Act and likely the culprits behind the Boston Tea Party. One of the organizers was Paul Revere, the son of a Greek immigrant, a silversmith by trade, who also made a bit of money on the side as a self-taught dentist, as well as an engraver. His work as an engraver was particularly vexing to the British, as prints were finding their way through the colonies and inciting an air of revolution. Revere’s engraving of the Boston Massacre is still one of the archetypes of the American Revolution, though it was based by a drawing done by Bostonian artist Henry Pelham, engraved by a second man, and printed by a third. Revere’s genius lay in recognizing the value of propaganda – as the engraving plays quite loose with the facts – and getting the work turned out and in people’s hands.

The Sunday before, by desire of Dr. Warren, I had been to Lexington, to Mess. Hancock and Adams, who were at the Rev. Mr. Clark’s. I returned at Night thro Charlestown; there I agreed with a Col. Conant, & some other Gentlemen, in Charleston, that if the British went out by Water, we would shew two Lanthorns in the North Church Steeple; & if by Land, one, as a Signal; for we were aprehensive it would be dificult to Cross the Charles River, or git over Boston neck … P.R.

The dry run for the ride of April 18 was two days earlier. It was becoming obvious that the British ships were preparing to disembark a large group of soldiers, with Lexington and Concord as their likely destination. Dr. Joseph Warren, one of the top two members of the Committee of Correspondence, sent Revere to warn the townspeople, and in particular Hancock and Madison, that a British raid was imminent.

On his return trip, once again under orders from Dr. Warren, Revere arranged for a signal to be placed in the Old North Church in the north end of Boston – one if by land, two if by sea, referring to the number of lanterns which would be hung in the bell tower.
Contrary to popular belief, the signal wasn’t to warn Revere or the group in Boston, but instead it was to alert the patriots in Charlestown, which lie on a thin neck of land, separated from Boston by the Charles River. As the contraband at Concord was hidden away, the priority was to warn Adams and Hancock.
Revere had been a rider for the Massachusetts Provincial Congress for some time, and was under suspicion by the British. To be caught with the correspondences he frequently carried would mean arrest. That he was known to be privy to the secrets of what was then becoming an increasingly dangerous movement, meant that not only was he in danger whenever he mounted a horse and took off into the night, his family was as well. The British troops under the command of General Thomas Gage had been instructed to shut down defiance of the laws of the crown, and make an example of Boston. They had likely crossed the line from being tossed into a cell to dangling at the end of a rope, and everyone involved knew it.

About 10 o’clock, Dr. Warren sent in great haste for me and begged that I immediately set off for Lexington, where Messrs. Hancock and Adams were, and acquaint them of the movement, and that it was thought they were the objects. When I got to Dr. Warren’s house, I found he had sent an express by land to Lexington–a Mr. William Daws … P.R.

William Dawes is one of the great, unsung heroes of American history. In order to ensure that word reached Lexington and Concord, Dr. Warren had already sent Dawes off by the time Revere arrived. Dawes took the longer land route. Unlike Revere, who had a shorter route and a faster horse, Dawes didn’t stop to warn people along the way of the British troop movement.

The sexton of the Old North Church was Robert Newman, who lived with his mother, who had also rented some of her rooms to British officers. That night Newman faked going to bed and slipped out into the night, were he met Thomas Bernard and vestryman John Pulling. The men climbed into the bell tower, with Bernard keeping an eye out for British patrols. When they saw that the British were loading into boats to cross by water, Newman and Pulling hung two lanterns in the belfry.

I then went home, took my boots and surtout, went to the north part of the town, where I had kept a boat; two friends rode me across the Charles River, a little to the eastward where the Somerset man-of-war lay. It was then young flood, the ship was winding, and the moon was rising. They landed me in the Charlestown side. When I got into town, I met Colonel Conant and several others; they said they had seen our signals. I told them what was acting, and went to get me a horse; I got a horse off Deacon Larkin … P.R.

Living in Boston, Paul Revere likely wouldn’t have owned a horse. Even if he had, it would have done him little good as he couldn’t have transported it across the river. Deacon John Larkin, a merchant in Charlestown provided a fast horse named Brown Beauty. The horse was confiscated from Revere and no doubt became a part of the British calvary.

13 Miles to Boston Harbor. Battle Road, Minute Man National Park

I set off upon a very good horse; it was then about eleven o’clock and very pleasant. After I had passed Charlestown Neck, I saw two men on horse back under a tree. When I got near them, I discovered they were British Officers. One tried to get ahead of me, and the other to take me. I turned my horse very quick and galloped towards Charlestown Neck, and then pushed for the Medford road. The one who chased me, endeavoring to cut me off, got into a clay pond where Mr. Russell’s Tavern in now built. I got clear of him, and went through Medford, over the bridge and up to Menotomy. In Medford, I awaked the Captain of the minute men; and after that, I alarmed almost every house, till I got to Lexington. … P.R.

It’s often assumed, wrongly, that Revere rode through the countryside, ringing a bell and shouting “The British are coming!” In reality, the countryside was swarming with British patrols, so Revere was quite a bit more quiet in his warnings. His actual phrase, as he wrote later, was “the regulars are coming out.” Besides, since Revere as well as every citizen in Massachusetts were British, it would make no sense to say that the British were coming.

Another misconception is that Revere – and Dawes even for that matter, were the only ones spreading the word. In reality, as Revere continued towards Lexington, those whom he warned carried the warning in different directions. The result was that by the time Revere left Lexington for Concord, British soldiers along the road has already encountered other riders.

I found Messrs. Hancock and Adams at the Reverend Mr. Clarks; I told them my errand and enquired for Mr. Daws; they said he had not been there; I related the story of the two officers, and supposed that he must have been stopped, as he ought to have been there before me. After I had been there about a half an hour, Mr. Daws came; we refreshed ourselves, and set off for Concord. … P.R.

The Reverend John Hancock, who was the grandfather of the signer of the Declaration of Independence of the same name, had built what is now known as the Hancock-Clarke House in 1737. When his son, Quincy died, the seven year old John Hancock came to live with him for six years. In 1775 it was occupied by the Reverend Jonas Clarke, himself a determined ally of the colonial cause. Hancock and John Addams has been attending the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in Concord, and were too tired to make it back to Boston, and so took hospitality with the Rev. Clark.

Destination of Paul Revere and William Dawes on their midnight ride, Hancock-Clarke Parsonage-Side View, c. 1737. Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Upon receiving the news from Revere of the advancing British troops, the two decided that due to the size of the large force on the move, the ultimate destination must be Concord and the stores of powder and weapons there. So Dawes and Revere resumed their ride around midnight.
We were overtaken by a Dr. Prescott, whom we found to be a high Son of Liberty. I told of the ten officers that Mr. Devens met, and that it was probable we might be stopped before we got to Concord; for I suppose that after night they divided themselves, and that two of them fixed themselves in such passages as were most likely to stop any intelligence going to Concord. I likewise mentioned that had better alarm all the inhabitants till we got to Concord. The young doctor much approved of it and said he would stop with either of us, for the people between that and Concord knew him and would give the more credit to what we said.

Dr. Samuel Prescott was a young man, not quite twenty five years of age when he encountered Revere and Dawes on the road to Concord. He was returning from Lexington, where he had given a report on the hiding of the munitions, including two cannon to Groton. He also had stopped for a visit with his fiancee, and it’s sometimes said that the lateness of the hour was due to his amorous exertions.

We had got nearly half way. Mr. Daws and the doctor stopped to alarm the people of a house. I was about one hundred rods ahead when I saw two men in nearly the same situation as those officers were near Charlestown. I called for the doctor and Mr.Daws to come up. In an instant I was surrounded by four. They had placed themselves in a straight road that inclined each way; they had taken down a pair of bars on the north side of the road, and two of them were under a tree in the pasture. The doctor being foremost, he came up and we tried to get past them; but they being armed with pistols and swords, they forced us into the pasture. The doctor jumped his horse over a low stone wall and got to Concord … P.R.

Colonial era gentlement standing outside Hartwell Tavern c. 1732-1733. Battle Road, Minute Man National Park, Lexington and Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

According to a mix of fact and legend, Prescott cleared a nearby fence and headed into a nearby pasture, then through a swamp, emerging at Hartwell’s Tavern. According to one of their children, Mary, speaking years later, Prescott had roused the family and given the warning of the British advance. Old Ephraim Harwell then sent Viola, his slave down the road to awaken the even older Hartwell, Samuel. Mary took to the road and got word the the commander of the Minute Men in nearby Lincoln, who roused his troops and fatefully met the British later that morning at the North Bridge in Concord.

I observed a wood at a small distance and made for that. When I got there, out started six officers on horseback and ordered me to dismount. One of them, who appeared to have the command, examined me, where I came from and what my name was. I told him. He asked me if I was an express. I answered in the affirmative. He demanded what time I left Boston. I told him, and added that their troops had catched aground in passing the river, and that there would be five hundred Americans there in a short time, for I had alarmed the country all the way up. He immediately rode towards those who stopped us, when all five of them came down upon a full gallop. One of them, whom I afterwards found to be a Major Mitchel, of the 5th Regiment, clapped his pistol to my head, called me by name and told me he was going to ask me some questions, and if I did not give him true answers, he would blow my brains out. He then asked me similar questions to those above. He then ordered me to mount my horse, after searching me for arms. He then ordered them to advance and to lead me in front. When we had got about one mile, the major rode up to the officer that was leading me, and told him to give me to the sergeant. As soon as he took me, the major ordered him, if I attempted to run, or anybody insulted them, to blow my brains out.

We rode till we got near Lexington meeting-house, when the militia fired a volley of guns, which appeared to alarm them very much. The major inquired of me how far it was to Cambridge, and if there were any other road. After some consultation, the major rode up to the sergeant and asked if his horse was tired. He answered him he was- he was a sergeant of grenadiers and had a small horse. “Then,” said he, “take that man’s horse.” I dismounted, and the sergeant mounted my horse, when they all rode towards Lexington meeting-house … P.R.

Memorial of the Capture of Paul Revere. Battle Road, Minute Man National Park, Lexington and Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Revere never says why he didn’t continue on his mission to Concord on foot. Perhaps he assumed that either Dawes or Prescott had made it through. Perhaps, knowing that the munitions were hidden and safe, he didn’t see the priority, particularly with British soldiers likely to be around the next turn.
Instead he returned to the Hancock-Clarke parsonage, where he helped Hancock and Adams make their escape.

In our way we passed through the militia. There were about fifty. When we had got about one hundred yards from the meeting-house, the British troops appeared on both sides of the meeting-house. In their front was an officer on horseback. They made a short halt; when I saw, and heard, a gun fired, which appeared to be a pistol. Then I could distinguish two guns, and then a continual roar of musketry; when we made off with the trunk … P.R.

The gun that Revere heard fired at sunrise, was the shot heard round the world, and the Battle of Lexington. More of a rout than a battle actually, as the British drove the militia from Lexington Common, leaving eight dead colonists and ten wounded.

Minute Man by David Chester French, 1875. Old North Bridge, Minute Man National Park, Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

The militia, as they weren’t members of the better trained Minutemen, had no intention of opposing the British. They were instead, hoping to simply make their presence known to the British, and then withdraw. In fact, the leader of the militia, Captain John Parker, had already given the order for the militia to disperse when the first shot was fired.

The militia had begun to gather long before Revere showed up in Lexington. A large patrol of twenty mounted redcoats has aroused the suspicion of the locals, and as a result, the Lexington militia had already begun to gather next to Lexington Common at Buckman’s Tavern.

Following the whipping delivered upon the militia at Lexington, the British then continued their march toward Concord, and according to all reports were rather well behaved, despite finding little of the munition that they had come for. Their search was cut short however, when faced with armed colonists at the Old North Bridge over the Concord River, who attacked and drove the British back to Concord.

By this time the fruits of the labors of Revere, Dawes and Prescott, as well as countless other riders who took to the roads to spread the word, was manifesting itself with a steady stream of armed patriots. Blood had been shed on both sides, and for the moment, the heat of battle was upon them. By the time the British began their march back to Boston, about 2,000 militia men were gathered and picking them off one by one along what is now known as Battle Road.

The 700 British soldiers had been up all night on cramped boats crossing the Charles River, dumped in waist high water to wade ashore, marched through the night to Lexington, fought one battle there, marched to Lexington and fought another battle there. Now exhausted, they were being picked off like fish in a barrel all along the nearly twenty mile march back to Boston.

Approach to the Bloody Angle. Battle Road, Minute Man National Park, Lexington and Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

One of the leaders of the colonials was Dr. Warren, who had left Boston behind Revere. His wig was nicked by a British musket ball, and upon seeing him, his mother begged him to never again get so close to the action. Warren’s reply was “Where danger is, dear mother,” he answered, “there must your son be. Now is no time for any of American’s children to shrink from any hazard. I will set her free or die.”

By the time the British reached safety, they were being pursued by more than 15,000 armed colonists, who surrounded Boston. Their ranks continued to swell over the following days, and the British never managed to break out by land again. The colonial force eventually became the beginning of the Continental Army, and despite losing their first battle just outside Boston at the Battle of Bunker Hill, they eventually drove the British back into the sea.

Prior to the Battle of Bunker Hill, Warren was offered the position of officer, which would have kept him for the most part out of harm’s way. Instead he chose to enlist as a private, and specifically asked to go where the fighting was likely to be. Near the end of the Battle, after holding off the British who came up the hill in successive waves, only to be continually driven back, the redcoats finally managed to breach the Colonial lines. Warren had remarked that “By Heaven, I hope I shall die up to my knees in blood!” When the British finally overran his position, he was out of ammunition but continued to stand his ground until a musket ball crashed through his skull. It’s believe that a British officer recognized him and shot him intentionally. At any rate, the British certainly knew his corpse, as he was bayonetted until he could no longer be recognized, then according to British Captain Walter Laurie, who had been defeated at Old North Bridge, he “stuffed the scoundrel with another rebel into one hole, and there he and his seditious principles may remain.”

Ironically enough, the first case of identifying a body by the use of forensics came some months later, when Paul Revere identified Warren based on a tooth which he had installed in his jaw.

Robert Newman, the sexton of Old North was arrested and claimed the church keys were in the possession of Pulling, who by then was safe on Nantucket Island, where he waited till the coast was once again clear. Since the British couldn’t build a case against Newman, they were forced to release him.

Dr. Prescott left Concord and went on with his mission, warning the residents of Acton, and sending his Abel Prescott, his brother to warn Sudbury and Framingham. Thanks to the efforts of Prescott, Dawes and Revere, cannons were fired and bells rang out in the Massachusetts morning, calling what would eventually become the first American army to arms.

Barroom, Wayside Inn, c. 1716, Sudbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. This was the tavern where the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow holed up and wrote Tales From a Wayside Inn, which included the poem Paul Revere's Ride in 1860 — Barroom, Wayside Inn, c. 1716, Sudbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. This was the tavern where the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow holed up and wrote Tales From a Wayside Inn, which included the poem Paul Revere’s Ride in 1860

Ironically enough, the midnight ride was forgotten except for those who were privy to the details, until American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned “Paul Revere’s Ride,” in 1861. The poem, part fact and part fancy made no mention of Dawes, Prescott or any other riders, and as a result, it wasn’t till the twentieth century that the facts became known. Longfellow was in possession of many of the facts, but instead chose to disregard them, as his purpose wasn’t to report on history, but to create American legends – colorful, dramatic and easy to remember.

Revere’s obituary in fact, made no mention of his now-famous ride. Had an unknown person not taken that first, fateful shot on Lexington Green, in all probability, almost no one would have even heard of Paul Revere. History as often as not, is made by accident.

To read the entire text of Paul Revere’s letter to Dr. Jeremy Belknap, click here

Revolutionary War Battlefields: Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts

American Revolution, historic sites, Lexington and Concord, New England, The History Trekker

Old North Bridge over the Concord River at Sunset

The Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, was the site of the first real skirmish of the American Revolution. Earlier on the morning of April 19, 1775, British soldiers opened fire on a company of militia down the road in Lexington, but that hardly qualifies as a skirmish. The colonial militia at Lexington didn’t intend on fighting the redcoats, who outnumbered them about 700 to 80, and were better equipped and better trained. The famous “shot heard round the world,” is still a bit of a mystery, as to who fired on whom. Tensions were so high however, that upon hearing the shot, the British fired into the colonists, a few returned fire, the British charged and wisely, the colonists ran, leaving eight of their own dead and ten wounded on the field.

The column of British regulars then continued their march toward Concord, with the intent of relieving the militia of their stores of weapons and powder. Just outside of Concord, they encountered a group of militia, who seeing that they were hopelessly outnumbered, retreated through town and assembled on the on the heights outside of town, surrendering Concord.

Once in Concord, the British split up to find the provisions. Very little was found, though the Meetinghouse was accidently set ablaze. British soldiers actually joined the bucket brigade to put out the fire, and in fact, were rather courteous to the inhabitants of Concord, even paying for food and drink at the local taverns.

Meanwhile, troops under Captain Parson were sent over Old North Bridge to search the farm belonging to the Barrett family. The colonial militia, seeing only a few troops in the area, moved down from the heights onto a small hill overlooking Old North Bridge. British regulars sent to hold the bridge gave up the hill, retreating back to towards the river. While the British had been searching for weapons in Concord, militia and minutemen from neighboring town had been streaming in, so that the colonial force now numbered about 400, and the British regulars guarding the bridge had only about 100.

The British retreated across the bridge, and with customary British politeness, even ordered an officer trying to pull up planks to keep the colonist from crossing to cease harming the bridge. The British assumed a poorly planned defensive position as the colonists advanced. A British regular fired what was believed to be a warning shot at the militia, who returned a couple shots, then the British opened fire, killing two minutemen immediately.

Still the colonists marched forward, until Major Buttrick gave the order “fire, for god’s sakes fellow soldiers fire!”

New England Landscapes: Concord River and Old North Bridge in Fall, Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

And fire they did, killing three and wounding four officers. The British, outmanned and maneuvered fled to safety back towards Concord, leaving the group searching the Barrett’s farm isolated. These retreated back to Concord, and reinforcements arrived at Old North Bridge. They surveyed the situation, seeing the colonists who had retreated back to the small hill from whence they came. For a time, both sides stood staring at each other, while a man believed to be mentally ill, but was certainly on his game this day, by the name of Elias Brown wandered through the ranks of soldiers on both sides, selling hard cider.

The British, seeing the colonists had no intention to force the battle, marched back to Concord, had lunch and set off back to Boston. Where they would be picked off like rabbits in a garden along the way.

The Old North Bridge was taken down in 1793, as it was no longer functional for the town’s needs, and a new one built nearby. Since then, Old North has been rebuilt several times, beginning in 1875, using drawings made in 1760 as a source.
The memorial obelisk was built by the town of Concord in 1836, to commerate the day. Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, who lived nearby wrote for the occasion “Concord Hymn,” whose stanzas include, and are now incscribed on the base of the state of the minuteman on the other side of the 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.

Getting There: 21 Monument Street, Concord, MA 01742. (888) 530-0007

How about a haunted hotel room while you visit? Concord’s Colonial Inn

Yorktown Battlefield Historic Site: Vive la Yorktown!

American Revolution, historic sites, Southern Seaboard, The History Trekker

In the woods around Surrender Field at Yorktown Battlefield, the ghost of George Washington's stepson is said to roam — In the woods around Surrender Field at Yorktown Battlefield, the ghost of George Washington’s stepson is said to roam

It’s a cliche of course, but no less true, the statement by George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

I’m reminded of this for two reasons. First was a quote by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in last week’s Republican debate, “Our troops should not go off and fight a war of independence for another country.”

The second reason, is I just got back from a trip that included a visit to Yorktown Battlefield, part of the Colonial National Historical Park. Most Americans have heard of Yorktown, the place where the British surrendered to Washington and ended the American Revolution.

The past which Americans too often frequently forget in this case, is that the French were instrumental in the victory at Yorktown. In fact, there likely would never have been a battle at Yorktown, had not a French admiral made the decision to make his stand there.

France didn’t simply offer support to our cause. Rather they were partners, the first country to recognize the colonies as separate from England, a move which caused England to declare war on France. The French recognized in our cause and in our resolve, ideals worth fighting for, and were the first to recognize the distinct possiblility that we might actually win. I would also suppose that they knew it would get England’s goat was a bonus.

View from Yorktown towards the mouth of the York River, Colonial National Historic Park, Yorktown Battlefield, Yorktown, York County, Virginia

In 1780, 5,500 French soldiers landed in Rhode Island to assist their American allies in operations against British-controlled New York City. Following the arrival of dispatches from France that included the possibility of support from the French West Indies fleet of the Comte de Grasse, Washington and Rochambeau decided to ask de Grasse for assistance either in besieging New York, or in military operations against a British army operating in Virginia, under the command of Lord Cornwallis. DeGrasse chose the Chesapeake Bay, where Cornwallis had taken command of the army. Cornwallis, at first given confusing orders by his superior officer, Henry Clinton, was eventually ordered to make a defensible deep-water port, which he began to do at Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis’s movements in Virginia were shadowed by a Continental Army force led by the Marquis de Lafayette, another French man, sent south by Washington to harass the British and Loyalist forces there.

The additonal 6,000 French troops now in Rhode Island was a welcome addition for Washington, who had been playing a game of cat and mouse, (mainly mouse), with the British since the beginning of the war. Washington was of a mind to recapture New York City, but the French wanted to move the theatre of operations south. Due to recent success on the part of the colonials in South Carolina against both British and Loyalist troops, Cornwallis was stretched a bit thin. As a result, he was counting on reinforcements which were to come by sea, from a fleet direct by Sir Thomas Graves.

The Hornwork, British Inner Line, Colonial National Historic Park, Yorktown Battlefield, Yorktown, York County, Virginia

The American and French armies met in White Plains, north of New York City in the summer to debate where to strike. Washington kept pushing for New York City, even though Rochambeau and Washington’s own advisors were against it. Rochambeau refused to overrule Washington, insisting that he had come to serve, not to command. Then the missive from DeGrasse arrived, inviting Washington south for joint festivities against the British.

DeGrasse, the comander of the French fleet made the decision to take the action to Cornwallis in Virgina, and arrived in the Chesapeake Bay at the end of August, 1781, with additional troops, ships and 500,000 silver pesos offered by Spain from Havana, Cuba, to pay the troops and for the expenses of the operations. Spain also provided support for the French merchant ships in the Atlantic, which allowed DeGrasse to bring up his entire fleet, which he positioned for a blockade of Yorktown.

Now convinced that heading south south was the right plan of action, before leaving New York, Washington threw up earthworks, complete with large bread ovens, within site of New York City, to convince the British he was settling in for a long campaign. The ruse worked, and Washington and Rochambeau ducked south.

DeGrasse unloaded his 3,000 soldiers to join up with the Marquis de Lafayette at Williamsburg, Virgina, recently arrived with his 1,200 men, then went back to pick up Washington and Rochambeau’s troops, now heading south. Once in place, the allies had about 17,600 soldiers to pit against Cornwallis and his 8,300 British regulars and German Hessians. Fortunately, the British had been taken in by Washington’s fake lines around New York, and weren’t planning to head south till a desparate plea came from Cornwallis. In New York, General Clinton, Cornwallis’ superior replied that he would send 5,000 men from New York on October 5. When Cornwallis received the message, he knew his goose was cooked, as holding out that long would prove impossible.

The Visitor’s Center at Yorktown Battlefield, part of Colonial National Historical Park is located inside what was the British inner line. It was to this line, which skirts the Visitor’s Center that Cornwallis pulled his troops back upon the arrival of the allies. Washington and Rochambeau immediately took over the abandoned outer British defenses, and used them as a staging area to build their first row of trenches, which were then heavily fortified with Colonial and French guns. On October 9 they opened fire, bombarding the line and the town continuously and by October 11, the British guns had been more or less silenced.

Cannon, British Inner Defense Line, Colonial National Historic Park, Yorktown Battlefield, Yorktown, York County, Virginia

This allowed the allies to build a second line, only 400 yards from the British, and when the sun rose on October 12, the British saw that they could now be fired upon by artillery from almost point blank range. Hampering the completion of this second line however, were two British forts, Redoubts 9 and 10. These two forts were captured on the night of October 14, with the French paying more in blood for control of Redoubts 10, than the Colonials did for Redoubts 9. With the forts captured, the line was completed and Cornwallis saw that to stay meant devastation. On the morning of the 16th, Cornwallis directed an attack on the French center of the allied line, which was easily repulsed, though it did give Cornwallis a reprieve from the bombardment for a few hours. That evening, he attempted to escape from Yorktown by ferrying his troops across the York River in small boats. But after the first wave of troops reached the opposite shore, a violent windstorm erupted and the operation had to be called off.

Cornwallis and the British were now well and truly screwed, and he knew it. And so on October 17, a drummer and a British officer with a white flag appeared at the top of the trenches, to pass notes intended to open the way for a discussion about terms of surrender. On the 18th, the terms were hammered out at the Moore House, now restored and open to the public at Yorktown Battlefield. Then on October 19, the British marched down what is now known as Surrender Road, between rows of Colonial and French soldiers, and laid down their arms, effectively ending the American Revolution, and gaining independence for the 13 colonies.

The area encompassing Yorktown Battlefield is pretty extensive, and to walk to all the sites would easily require a full day. And so for those with a limited amount of time to visit, the driving tour is perhaps the best bet. Covering most of the high points of Yorktown Battlefield, the entire route can be visited in a couple of hours or so. For those with short attention spans or those incapable of looking over a landscape and imagining what took place, the visit is likely to be a disappointment. Yorktown wasn’t a battle filled with heroic charges and massed conflict. There was no colonial equivalent of Pickett’s Charge, and so the number of memorials present at Yorktown pale in comparison to a battlefield such as Gettysburg. There are a number of cannons still in place, in particular the Grand French Battery, and Surrender Field, where the British laid down their arms is unique among American Battlefields, in that the centerpiece of the park is a place of peace, not of war.

Grand French Battery, First Colonial Siege Line, Colonial National Historic Park, Yorktown Battlefield, Yorktown, York County, Virginia

The village of Yorktown itself is well worth a walk, at least down its main street, still sporting several colonial-era buildings, some of which were instrumental in the history of the siege of Yorktown. Over 80% of the town’s buildings were destroyed in the occupation and siege, but enough remains to make Yorktown one of the more quaint colonial village in this country. You won’t find souvenir shops lining the street, and in fact, Yorktown is one of the best places I’ve been to wander freely and feel the ability to lose track of the present.

Which isn’t the case unfortunately with the rest of Yorktown Battlefield. Several busy roads cut across the park, and traffic, while not overly busy, is enough to make scurrying from location to location on the driving route a bit hair-raising at times. For those not interested in the driving tour, a stop at the Yorktown Visitor Center will likely do the trick. There’s an informative 15 minute film orientating you and bringing you up to date with the siege of Yorktown, a fairly interesting museum with several items directly related to the battle, and pretty decent shop with books on the southern campaigns, the Revolution in general, and other colonial related merchandise. To enter the historical buildings requires a pass, $10 per adult, good for seven days at both Yorktown and nearby Jamestown, home of the first permanent English settlement in North America.

Cole Diggs House, c. 1720, Colonial National Historic Park, Yorktown Battlefield, Yorktown, York County, Virginia

In the end, the Colonials lost about 125 men, the French 253 and the British 552, killed, wounded and missing. About 8,000 were taken prisoner. Cornwallis reported to General Clinton in New York, “I have the mortification to inform your Excellency that I have been forced to give up the posts of York and Gloucester, and to surrender the troops under my command, by capitulation on the 19th instant, as prisoners of war to the combined forces of America and France.”

And so ended the last major engagement of the American Revolution. By then, after victories at Saratoga, Cowpens, Yorktown and others, the British realized that the Colonials were a force to be reckoned with. And perhaps most importantly, when combined with the French, and the stirrings of support from other European powers, the battle for control of the American colonies couldn’t be won.

Perhaps without French help, the Colonies might have been able to pull out a victory, but I doubt it. The colonies were broke, the army in tatters much of the time, and Britain was simply too strong. And anyway, it doesn’t matter. It’s fun to speculate when it comes to history, but the truth was, the French were there, and were instrumental in securing our independence. That’s something to keep in mind when participating in the curiously American pasttime of slagging the French. In fact, now that a large majority of Americans believe that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was, as the French tried to warn us, a mistake, it might be possible to once and for all put to rest the term Freedom Fries, and return the American chip to its former name – which after all is Thomas Jefferson’s work.

To learn more:

Official Site

Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous 2011 & memories from the gutter

American Revolution, Historic Events and Celebrations, Ohio River Valley, The History Trekker

Musicoligists disagree on what was the first musical device. They generally agree that the first musical instrument was the voice. So it’s a simple leap to believe our ancient ancestors figured out whistling, and from there, the flute. The whistle imitated birds, the flute imitated the whistle and thus, music was born.

But it’s always been my theory, without any scientific evidence mind you, that the first musical device was the drum. Consider this …

Our paleolithic ancestors are sitting around the fire, and one of them discovers that he or she can make a sound with their mouth, which will later come to be called melodic. And now this is way before anyone figures out whistling, keep in mind. So they’re humming away, and before long, another ancestor, most certainly a guy, starts making rhythmic noises with his mouth. Kind of like a prehistoric beat box. Which in turn leads another (again a male of the species) to begin drumming rhythmically on his legs. And we all know how irritating that is, unless the primitives in question had some form of libation, in which all of them would soon be beating on their legs. Next thing you know someone picks up a couple of sticks and musical instruments are born.

Woman tended to the wounded on a Revolutionary War battlefield at the Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous — Woman tending to the wounded on a Revolutionary War battlefield at the Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous

What does all this have to do with the 2011 Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous, in Vincennes, IN?

Like most historical reenactments, the participants fall into two camps. The first is those demanding authenticity, most notably in dress. And in this The Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous does pretty darned well, at least among the reenactors. The merchants are a different story, but that’s neither here nor there.

The other camp doesn’t really give a fig for authenticity, as long as it looks right. Or in the case of music, sounds like what people expect period music to sound like. And reenactments aren’t the only victim of this. No less notable a personage than Ken Burns, with his award-winning PBS specials blows it when it comes to musical authenticity.

So at the Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous, let’s face it, the music isn’t authentic (discounting Common Stock, a wonderful pair who I have to believe are as authentic as you’re likely to find). Ironically enough, the guitar might not have been entirely unknown in colonial Vincennes, as the French quite possibly brought it when Vincennes was still trading in furs. But the whole ensemble playing would likely never have happened. And perhaps most inconceivable to many people, the bodhran, or Irish frame drum would never have been played in an ensemble setting. We all would love to believe that the instrument has been accompanying early music for centuries, but it likely dates from no earlier than the 1960s.

Common Stock (Jack Mulgrew and Maddie Bliss), performing at the Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous

Now cast your mind back in time to the Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous, 2001 or therabouts. Your author is playing non-traditional music for non-traditional dancers at the event. It’s hot, and thirsty work. The day’s activities end, and we wander around the encampment and along the river, which is when the site feels most like the 18th century. Darkness falls, and libations are produced. Many libations. At the far end of the encampment, a large fire is drifting sparks up into the sky, in contrast with most of the smaller fires of the reenactors, and we wander to it, where a well-known and unnamed musical act is camping. There are kids being kids, adults being adults, and a ring of people around the fire, which we join. More libations are produced, including a fiery elixer with golden flakes suspended therein, Goldschlager. This bottle and several others are passed around the circle, along with a guitar and songs, and pretty soon, the twentieth century is long gone. I have to believe, based on as much as I can remember, that this was the most authentic experience I’ve had at any reenactment or historic site. Bar none.

I also seem to remember that I slept much of the night in a ditch, which felt pretty authentic as well. A gutter might have been more appropriate but we make do.

‘Twas an evening in October, I’ll confess I wasn’t sober,

I was carting home a load with manly pride,

When my feet began to stutter and I fell into the gutter,

And a pig came up and lay down by my side.

Then I lay there in the gutter and my heart was all a-flutter,

Till a lady, passing by, did chance to say:

“You can tell a man that boozes by the company he chooses,”

Then the pig got up and slowly walked away.”

Clark Van Ness

Of course that was long ago, and certainly not a sanctioned Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous activity. And I’m certain that such a Bacchanalia would no longer be tolerated. The event is wonderful enough without it.

The 2011 Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous was held this past Memorial Day weekend, and I managed to spend most of an afternoon there, before being called back on the road. It’s nice to see a historical reenactment that is so consistently great, especially considering that it’s organized almost entirely with volunteers. So perhaps the music isn’t authentic, it’s still enjoyable. And I still choose to believe that after dark, around some campfire, authenticity still reigns.

Learn more:

Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous main page