They came three thousand miles, and died
to keep the past upon its throne:
unheard beyond the ocean tide
their English mother made her moan.
Those words, by James Russell Lowell are hewn into the cold face of a granite block that marks the beginning of the American War for Independence. This solemn monument stands at the true birthplace of American nationhood -- North Bridge, Concord.
First Casualties in the American War of Independence
This tribute to the first two British soldiers killed on the day the revolutionary war started and buried where they fell stands in a quiet corner of this historic, pretty Massachusetts town. Two Union Flags flank the poignant memorial and the sun-ripples over a bed of pink busy-lizzies and red geraniums.
Looking at this peaceful scene the placid waters of Concord River, the green fields all around and the tall shading oak, sycamore, and beech trees that line the riverbank and dapple its waters with refreshing shade it is difficult to imagine that such a significant event took place here.
The Shot Heard Around the World
However, on the 19th of April 1775 that first skirmish lit the powder keg that started the American War of Independence. Concord resident and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson called it "The shot heard 'round the world." But this first clash lasted less than an hour. There is a powerful reminder though of this initial tussle in the Revolutionary War: a statue of a Minute Man, the revolutionary guerrilla.
Minute Man Historical Park
Over the North Bridge and on the ridge of a hill stands the house of Major Buttrick, the officer who ordered that the first shot be fired against the British. Major Buttrick's home is now the North Bridge Visitor Center and headquarters of the Minute Man National Historic Park.
The house stands in acres of well-kept, tidy lawns and flowerbeds, with vistas that includes the Concord River and a large part of the surrounding countryside. It is a short walk up a gentle incline to the Center.
The original North Bridge fell into disuse and was demolished in 1793, and its first replacement again torn down in the late 19th century. But the present bridge is a faithful replica of the original.
Main Street Concord
On a cloudless afternoon the intense sun makes the long walk into Concord town seem long and as the dusty North Bridge footpath merges into the tarmac of Monument Street, the light reflected from the typical white-painted clapperboard colonial-style houses that line this long street intensifies the heat of the New England summer. Only occasionally does deep pink and terracotta paintwork relieve the glare.
The Star Spangled Banner
In the distance the grumble of a lawnmower and the tang of freshly mown grass relieves the dry still air. In front of each house on Main Street, are long well tended lawns most of which are crowned by low white picket fences. Some of the lawns are graced by sycamore trees or rhododendron bushes, but in each lawn is planted a flagpole and hanging limply from nearly all of them are "star spangled banners".
There are not many towns that can claim to have given birth to a nation but Concord is most definitely one that rightully take its place in world history.
John Howe - John Howe is a qualified nurse, lecturer and journalist, he has written extensively on health, travel and lifestyle in Asia and Europe.
