Democratic Guerrillas Seventy-seven members of the Lexington Training Band stood together on April 19, 1775. Most were over thirty years of age, and twenty were veterans of the French and Indian wars, where they learned the guerrilla tactics that would come into play defending their town. Their captain, John Parker, was one of those veterans, a forty-five-year-old farmer and father of seven. Although others were more experienced in military combat and had held higher ranks in earlier wars, Parker was democratically chosen to lead the company, perhaps for his calm demeanor and sound judgment. Theirs was not a strict military unit. Instead, the Training Band was more of a democratic assembly in which the captain freely asked the advice of older veterans, and everyone stood by the captain's decisions once they were made.

Do you plan to assemble on the green ? Muster the Minute Men ? Any special plans at all for patriots day ?

Almost a year and a half later

July 4th 1776 . And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. The 56 signatures on the Declaration :

My birthday!!

If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget ye were our countrymen. -- Samuel Adams

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. -- John Stuart Mill

I have stood at the exact spot at Lexington Green where the Minutemen and Capt Parker  faced the Redcoats! Quite an awesome feeling. I have stood at Parkers revenge where Capt John Parker waited for the Redcoats to return from Concord. There was a Granite boulder on top of that small hill where a Minuteman must have taken cover and fired at the enemy. If you ever get to Boston take the short trip to the Battle Trail and walk it!!!!!

Quoted: Democratic Guerrillas Seventy-seven members of the Lexington Training Band stood together on April 19, 1775. Most were over thirty years of age, and twenty were veterans of the French and Indian wars, where they learned the guerrilla tactics that would come into play defending their town. Their captain, John Parker, was one of those veterans, a forty-five-year-old farmer and father of seven. Although others were more experienced in military combat and had held higher ranks in earlier wars, Parker was democratically chosen to lead the company, perhaps for his calm demeanor and sound judgment. Theirs was not a strict military unit. Instead, the Training Band was more of a democratic assembly in which the captain freely asked the advice of older veterans, and everyone stood by the captain's decisions once they were made. Do you plan to assemble on the green ? Muster the Minute Men ? Any special plans at all for patriots day ? Almost a year and a half later July 4th 1776 . And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. The 56 signatures on the Declaration :

  Does anyone think any current U.S. politician gives a DAMN about " sacred honor"?  Or are they more interested in selling their vote to the highest bidder? I wonder what the founding fathers would say about politics in 2006?  

God bless our forefathers as well as all patriots.

I have the day off (it's a state holiday in Mass. and being observed on April 17th).

Going to a Sox game and then maybe watch part of the Boston marathon from a bar stool with a glass of Sam Adams

The battle of Alalmance took place in 1771, America was founded by anti-corrupt government people and had nearly two centuries of fighting for freedom before the war for independence, this article gives a little history on the battle of Alamance.

Quoted: Interesting.  However, your cite concerns a fight between the "Regulators", a group of dissatisfied citizens and Colonial Militia of their own Colony, commanded by their own Colonial Officers. The Gaspee was a vessel of the Royal Navy, sent to RI to enforce the edicts of the Crown. Bit of a difference.

Not really, the colonist were forced to take loyalty oaths or die, these same dynamics are in effect today, we are NOT anti-government we are against criminals abusing the powers of states to commit criminal acts of violence against we the people.

People do not really care what the form of government is as long as it works, the problem is there is no rule of law and anarchy & chaos reigns in the courts.

"At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

Quoted: My birthday!!

Me too.

Lest We Forget – April 19, 1775     It’s easy in the hustle and bustle of everyday life to forget things that are important, and one day in American history – you can argue it is THE most important day – should never be forgotten.    It’s the day our fellow Americans took up arms to win liberty for all of us.     April 19, 1775. A Wednesday. Just like it is this year.    It’s hard for us moderns to understand how tough it was, or to understand the magnitude of what they did.     Contrary to the common somewhat vague image of illiterate farmers caught up in the emotions of the moment heading out to take potshots at the redcoats, the reality of it was far different.     In 1774 by order of the English Parliament the port of Boston was closed until damages for the Boston Tea Party were paid.     Closed, can you imagine it? The busiest port in the colonies, everyone out of work, people nearly starving. The city kept alive by donations of food from the other colonies.     And yet, Americans were determined not to pay those damages. So English troops arrived, as the British took over local government to ensure compliance.     By April, tensions were high, and the King and Parliament were pressuring General Gage to take action.     On the night of April 18, 1775 – a Tuesday (just like April 18 is this year) – Gage dispatched ten companies of Light Infantry and Grenadiers on an expedition to Concord to ferret out military stockpiles he suspected were there.     The ‘embattled farmers’ took action. Paul Revere rode, and he did not ride randomly. Every house at which he stopped saw another rider taking off in a different direction to sound the alarm.      By dawn, as the British redcoat column was approaching Lexington (five miles short of Concord), historians have estimated 14,000 Americans were converging on them from miles around.     Not a cell phone among them. Not one on the internet. Not even a single telephone.     Yet in a few hours, 14,000 trained men were marching through the night.     Think you, with your cell phone and email, could do it today?     Even now, it’s a remarkable accomplishment. To get that many people turned out, on short notice, in the middle of the night.     Maybe they cared about freedom, do you think?     It almost makes you wonder: do you think we care as much about freedom, today? Enough to get out of the bed in the middle of the night, and fast-march 15, 18, or 20 miles to face British lead and steel? With a single-shot, muzzle-loading musket?     Maybe you begin to understand the magnitude of the debt we owe the Founders.     It sure looks, from the perspective of the 21st century, like a mighty accomplishment, something we couldn’t do again, today.     But they did it. They did not draw back. They did not shirk. They did not shrink from the call.     And for that, we – each of us - owe them thanks.     By now, we all know the story of Capt. John Parker and his 77 militiamen who stood waiting on Lexington Green. If he indeed said “If they mean to have a war, let them have it here!” he said inspiring words.     But the historical facts are that the British fired a volley, killing 7 Americans and wounding another 7 or 8 ( a twenty-percent casualty rate), whereas the few shots our boys got off in return nicked the leg of a redcoat private and grazed a horse. Considering the American marksmanship displayed later throughout the day, it suggests the British actually surprised them – and indeed some thought the Brits were firing blanks to scare them, until the first musket balls whistled by.     Oddly enough, the encounter at Lexington did not start the War.     Nor did the later encounter at the North Bridge.    The North Bridge at Concord is an example of the ‘fog of war’ – the Americans, uncertain of what happened at Lexington, retreated before the Brits as they approached Concord, eventually winding up north of the river at the militia meeting ground on Punkatasset Hill. This allowed the Brits to occupy and search the town, recovering items that looked ‘military’, which they piled up and set on fire. It was the sight of the column of smoke above the trees that alarmed our guys – as one said – “are we going to stand by idly, while they burn our houses?” – setting the stage for the march to the North Bridge, where they were fired upon by three British companies posted there. To the cry of “Fire, boys – fire as fast as you can!” their training and practice in marksmanship broke the British, who fled to Concord. And the militia crossed the North Bridge.     Even now, the War did not break out. The American militia, having defended itself successfully after being fired upon, and maybe realizing what they had done by firing on the King’s troops – it must be a terrific blow to rise out of bed a citizen and have the sun set on you as a traitor - took up positions behind a nearby wall…     Time was rapidly approaching noon, and the British began a hasty retreat back toward Boston – and Lexington. Just outside Concord, as the end of the column was crossing a bridge at a place called Merriam’s Corner (where the road made a sharp turn), the rear guard turned and fired a volley at Americans following them. At that, militia units concealed on the north side of the road opened fire on the red-clad column to protect and support their brethren. At that point, it became a shooting war, and the 18-mile road back to Boston taken by the redcoats has ever since been known as Battle Road.     Did the boys from Lexington get a second chance? You bet.     Did the British nearly get caught in a trap? You bet.     Was it a ‘close-run’ thing for General Gage’s men? You bet.     If to forget is to show disrespect, let’s not forget what they did that day.     It has truly been said that April 19, 1775 was “the Day – the day Marksmanship met History, and Liberty was born”.     Don’t let the memory of their deeds be forgotten.     Go to the library. There you’ll find books devoted to that first day of the American Revolution. You’ll read how close we came to capturing the entire British column. You’ll read how propaganda was effectively used by American liberty-lovers to advance the cause of Liberty.     You’ll read about a day of contrasts – the elation of victory, the mourning of comrades, the exhaustion of battle, the misery of burning homes and lost relatives, of temporary graves by the roadside, of whole towns in flight.    It all happened. It was real. It was the beginning of the liberty you inherited, which you hardly think about, the liberty you so take for granted.    Those guys who didn’t take it for granted, who fought for liberty, who turned out to the sound of midnight alarm bells – they deserve better than that.    Take a minute, and think about them on Wednesday, April 19.     Wednesday, the same day of the week when in 1775the Founders took on the world’s mightiest army - with muzzle-loading firearms;  for you.

Quoted: Quoted: My birthday!! Me too.

Me three.

-Scott

Spartacus, thank you for your post.
I will send it through the rounds of e-mail on April, 19.
Thanks Again!

Quoted: Spartacus, thank you for your post. I will send it through the rounds of e-mail on April, 19. Thanks Again!

Not original from me; courtesy of Revolutionary War Veteran's Association

Of course they call "Patriots Day" Sept 11th now.  When President Bush did that it really pissed me off. I have wanted to write this for a long time.  Patriots Day has always been and should always be April 19th.  The morning Paul Revere rode and we really began the fight for Independance.

Nothing taken away from those who were killed September 11th 200, but we already had a "Patriots Day".  They could call it something else and that would be fine with me.  Because people started smoking as much marijuana as they could on that day.  Because it is around Hitler's birthday.  Because the Oklahoma City bombing occurred around on that date, people began associating that date with radical white nut jobs.

I say, "Fuck that!" Patriots day should be April 19th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another thing that has been bothering me for 4 1/2 years is this.  Every time someone says, "nine eleven" in reference to the terrorist attacks on our Nation September 11th, 2001 it makes me angry.  Are Americans so lazy thet they have to just say 9-11?  To me that cheapens the entire incident and makes me think people do not really care.

I hear President Bush say 9-11 and it drives me fucking nuts!  Even if you say "September 11th" that is not good enough for me.  We have had four other September 11ths since 2001.

Please if you are talking about the day our Nation was attacked say "September 11th, 2001",
not 9 11 and certainly not 9 1 1.  Does anyone else feal it cheapens the entire incident?

I know there are are many on this board and in this Country like me who were very patriotic long before the hijackers crashed planes into our Pentagon, World Trade Centers and the field in Pennsylvania.  I truly think it is disrespectful to those who died to cut it so short as to say 9 11.
It was September 11th, 2001.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: My birthday!! Me too. Me three. -Scott

And me!

Quoted: I've never been forced to take a "loyalty oath".  Have you?  Has anyone else?

Since you asked, I once worked for a State University which required all employees to sign a loyalty oath.  We weren't forced... unless you consider being terminated from your job force

There wasn't anything in the oath I objected to so I didn't have any problem signing it.

An excellent book on Lexington and Concord is Paul Revere's Ride: by David Hackett Fischer

I'm sure there are lots of other books but this one was suggested a few years ago on Arf and it is definately an excellent book.

Quoted: Democratic Guerrillas Seventy-seven members of the Lexington Training Band stood together on April 19, 1775. Most were over thirty years of age, and twenty were veterans of the French and Indian wars, where they learned the guerrilla tactics that would come into play defending their town. Their captain, John Parker, was one of those veterans, a forty-five-year-old farmer and father of seven. Although others were more experienced in military combat and had held higher ranks in earlier wars, Parker was democratically chosen to lead the company, perhaps for his calm demeanor and sound judgment. Theirs was not a strict military unit. Instead, the Training Band was more of a democratic assembly in which the captain freely asked the advice of older veterans, and everyone stood by the captain's decisions once they were made. Do you plan to assemble on the green ? Muster the Minute Men ? Any special plans at all for patriots day ? Almost a year and a half later July 4th 1776 . And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. The 56 signatures on the Declaration :

Nice to hear from you brother.  

In honor of the 19th Paul Revere's Ride Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light,-- One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country folk to be up and to arm." Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore, Just as the moon rose over the bay, Where swinging wide at her moorings lay The Somerset, British man-of-war; A phantom ship, with each mast and spar Across the moon like a prison bar, And a huge black hulk, that was magnified By its own reflection in the tide. Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street Wanders and watches, with eager ears, Till in the silence around him he hears The muster of men at the barrack door, The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet, And the measured tread of the grenadiers, Marching down to their boats on the shore. Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church, By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread, To the belfry chamber overhead, And startled the pigeons from their perch On the sombre rafters, that round him made Masses and moving shapes of shade,-- By the trembling ladder, steep and tall, To the highest window in the wall, Where he paused to listen and look down A moment on the roofs of the town And the moonlight flowing over all. Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead, In their night encampment on the hill, Wrapped in silence so deep and still That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread, The watchful night-wind, as it went Creeping along from tent to tent, And seeming to whisper, "All is well!" A moment only he feels the spell Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread Of the lonely belfry and the dead; For suddenly all his thoughts are bent On a shadowy something far away, Where the river widens to meet the bay,-- A line of black that bends and floats On the rising tide like a bridge of boats. Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride, Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere. Now he patted his horse's side, Now he gazed at the landscape far and near, Then, impetuous, stamped the earth, And turned and tightened his saddle girth; But mostly he watched with eager search The belfry tower of the Old North Church, As it rose above the graves on the hill, Lonely and spectral and sombre and still. And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height A glimmer, and then a gleam of light! He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns, But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight A second lamp in the belfry burns. A hurry of hoofs in a village street, A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark, And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet; That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light, The fate of a nation was riding that night; And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight, Kindled the land into flame with its heat. He has left the village and mounted the steep, And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep, Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides; And under the alders that skirt its edge, Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge, Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides. It was twelve by the village clock When he crossed the bridge into Medford town. He heard the crowing of the cock, And the barking of the farmer's dog, And felt the damp of the river fog, That rises after the sun goes down. It was one by the village clock, When he galloped into Lexington. He saw the gilded weathercock Swim in the moonlight as he passed, And the meeting-house windows, black and bare, Gaze at him with a spectral glare, As if they already stood aghast At the bloody work they would look upon. It was two by the village clock, When he came to the bridge in Concord town. He heard the bleating of the flock, And the twitter of birds among the trees, And felt the breath of the morning breeze Blowing over the meadow brown. And one was safe and asleep in his bed Who at the bridge would be first to fall, Who that day would be lying dead, Pierced by a British musket ball. You know the rest. In the books you have read How the British Regulars fired and fled,--- How the farmers gave them ball for ball, >From behind each fence and farmyard wall, Chasing the redcoats down the lane, Then crossing the fields to emerge again Under the trees at the turn of the road, And only pausing to fire and load. So through the night rode Paul Revere; And so through the night went his cry of alarm To every Middlesex village and farm,--- A cry of defiance, and not of fear, A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door, And a word that shall echo for evermore! For, borne on the night-wind of the Past, Through all our history, to the last, In the hour of darkness and peril and need, The people will waken and listen to hear The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed, And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

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The Gadsden Flag, 1776



The uniquely American rattlesnake became a popular symbol in the American colonies and later for the young republic. In the first American cartoon, published in 1754 by Benjamin Franklin, the original 13 colonies were depicted as a snake divided into nine pieces, the head representing all of New England, over motto: "Join or Die." The image was a popular one used in many newspapers and journals.

When fighting broke out, the rattlesnake, with and without the defiant slogan, appeared on money, uniforms and a variety of military and naval flags, reflecting the change among the American people from an era of disunity to one of resolve. As part of a committee of the Continental Congress, Christopher Gadsden was directing the preparation of ships for the American defense.

To provide a striking standard for the flagship of the first Commodore of the American Navy, Gadsden chose the rattlesnake for his design. Later he presented the design to South Carolina's Provincial Congress, who ordered the elegant standard hung in their meeting hall.

tagged for reading later

Never forget the hsot heard round the world