George Washington Born

George Washington at Princeton
Charles Wilson Peale (1779)

On this date in 1732 George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Often referred to as the "Father of our country" Washington was the Commanding General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and was instrumental in winning our independence from Great Britain. He was called upon yet again by his countrymen when he was unanimously elected as our first President in 1789. Washington served two four-year terms in office before retiring a final time to his Mt. Vernon, Va. estate. He died on 14 December 1799 after a brief illness.

"The Patriot"

The Patriot
Great Road
Bedford, Mass.

This statue, titled The Patriot, represents a Bedford Militia Man carrying the famous Bedford Flag into battle, presumably on 19 April 1775. (The Bedford flag was a battle flag made for the Bedford Militia in the early 18th century). According to popular tradition, the flag was carried by Minute Man Nathaniel Page to the Concord North Bridge where the Bedford Minute Men saw action against British Regulars on that date.

The statue, made by sculptor Bruce Papitto, was commissioned by the Bedford Cultural Council and was erected in the year 2000. It can be found in a park diagonally across from the Bedford Post Office located at 158 Great Road Bedford, Mass.

Battle Reenactment Canceled Due To Protests

The Death of General Wolfe
Benjamin West (1770)

It was announced yesterday by the Canadian National Battlefields Commission that the 250th anniversary re-enactment of the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham planned to take place this summer in the city of Quebec, Canada has been canceled due to safety concerns. Radical French-separatists in the city and province had vehemently opposed the commemoration of this important battle that led to the defeat of French forces and gave Great Britain final control over Canada. The threat of protests and even violence against anyone taking part in the re-enactment led the Commission to their decision. The story is more fully told here.

As this is a non-political blog, I won't comment on what I think about this situation in Quebec.

Abraham Lincolns Birthday

Today is the 200th anniversary of the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. Upon his election to office in 1860 the long simmering differences between the north and the south over the issue of slavery quickly turned into an open conflict. Even before Lincoln was sworn into office, state legislatures in the south began to pass legislation calling for secession from the Union.

On April 12, 1861 with the firing on Ft. Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina President Lincoln issued an executive order to the states to call out their volunteer militias t0 put down this rebellion. This caused the last holdovers in the south to choose sides and many chose to defend their home states against this "aggression" from the North.

Most famously U.S. Army Col. Robert E. Lee of Virginia, who had been offered command of the Federal forces, assumed command of the Northern Army of Virginia in 1862 and fought for the Confederate States of America. His divided loyalties was just one example of many and a bloody civil war of brother against brother ensued. The American Civil War, or the War between the States, lasted for four years and the fighting cost the lives of over 600,000 Americans on the battlefield.

Medford Militia respond to the Alarm

Memorial dedicated to the
Medford Minute Men
Hillside Ave. and High St.
Medford, Mass. 02155

This memorial plaque on the corner of Hillside Ave. and High St. in Medford - in front of the Medford Library - has the following inscriptions and gives the muster roll of the Medford Minute Men who fought on April 19, 1775:

(The plaque lists the names in alphabetical order with last name first. I have taken the liberty of listing the names in the more familar style with the christian (given) name first, followed by the family name).

Roster of the first Company Of Minute Men Who Assembled in Medford at the call of Paul Revere and Engaged in the Battle of April 19, 1775

Jacob Bredin, William Binford, Andrew Blanchard Jr. , Aaron Blanchard Jr. , Andrew Bradshaw, Thomas Bradshaw, Lieut. Caleb Brooks, James Bucknam Jr. , John Bucknam, Abel Butterfield, John Callender, John Clark, Joseph Clefton, Richard Cole, Daniel Conery, Peter Conery, Isaac Cooch, Jonathon Davis, Paul Dexter, William Piper Farrington, Andrew Floyd, John Francis Jr. , Corp. Jonathan Greenleaf, David Hadley, Moses Hadley, Samuel Hadley Jr. , Francis Hall, Captain Isaac Hall, Sergeant Moses Hall, Ensign Stephen Hall 4th, Drummer Timothy Hall Jr. , John Kemp, Jonathan Lawrence, William Polly, Sergeant Thomas Pritchard, Eleazer Putnam, Abel Richardson, Benjamin Savels, Thomas Savels, John Smith, Corporal Gersham Teel, Jonathan Teel, Daniel Tufts, Ebenezer Tufts, James Tufts Jr. , Corporal John Tufts, Jonathan Tufts, Sergeant Isaac Tufts, Peter Tufts Jr. , Samuel Tufts, Samuel Tufts 3rd. , David Vinton, Thomas Wakefield, Isaac Watson

Henry Putnam - Aged 62 - Killed in Action

ERECTED BY THE CITY OF MEDFORD ON THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY TO COMMEMORATE THEIR VALIANT SERVICE IN THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY

There are a number of things of interest in this muster roll. First of all, many members of this Minute Man Company were related to one another, which must have made it a tight knit group.

Secondly, the Minute Man Companies had been established to answer the call to arms on a "minutes notice", making them a kind of elite force (with known "revolutionary" leanings) within the Massachusetts militia. So it is interesting to notice how many members of this company were drawn from some of Medford's most prominent families, such as the Brooks and Tufts family's.