A few hours after Paul Revere’s midnight ride on Friday, tens of thousands of spectators formed deep crowds around the Battle Green for the next Lex250 event, the reenactment of the Battle of Lexington.
People squeezed shoulder-to-shoulder against the metal barricades, hoping to find a clear view of the Green where the reenactment would take place just after dawn. Some gathered on First Parish’s front steps and porches of houses overlooking the Green. A few managed to watch from the rooftops of neighboring residences.
The reenactment began with the sounds of a fife and drum and narration over a public announcement system setting the scene of the morning of April 19, 1775.
Women and children dressed in colonial garb descended upon the Green to warn their husbands and brothers that British troops were on their way.
As the sun rose, two shots were fired in earshot of the Green. The militiamen ran into formation.
After a few minutes of anticipation, the Redcoats, well organized and abundant, joined the Lexington soldiers on the Green. Spectators booed the reenactors, played by His Majesty’s Tenth Regiment of Foot In America.
Lexington’s militiamen refused to lay down their arms and the battle ensued. The narrator recounted that “we do not know who fired first” — the British troops or Lexington’s militia.
Both troops fired their muskets (blanks, of course) at one another across the Green. The British killed eight militiamen, who lay still on the ground. Those men are remembered as the first to shed blood in America’s battle for liberty.
The rest of the Lexington soldiers managed to escape the shootout.
The British troops then left the Green, stating they would continue on to Concord, to the tune of “Yankee Doodle” played on fifes and drums. Once again, spectators booed as the Redcoats left the town’s Green.
Finally, the militiamen gathered in formation on the Green once more and marched off as the surrounding crowd cheered.
For the first time, we saw the muster on the Common in the nighttime and the
muster before proceeding to what became known as Parker’s Revenge. We also found out what the women were doing in Lexington when the men left, AND we
heard a stirring speech by Reverend Jonas Clarke. What a great addition to the reenactment. I hope this becomes a tradition as well. Makes it more worthwhile to get up at 3:00 a.m.