This is historic ground. Here was fought the first battle of the Revolutionary War. You will recall that the British vessels in the spring of 1775 were lying in Boston Harbor. The Colonists were prepared to resist any attempt of the Redcoats to seize their ammunition. This ammunition was stored at Concord, where it was put for the use of the Minutemen. The British soldiers landed on the night of April 18th. It was on that night that Paul Revere rode out to the towns of Lexington and Concord to arouse the Minutemen so they would be prepared to meet the British. About dawn, on April 19th, on this Common, some 70 or 80 militiamen, commanded by Capt. John Parker, Blocked the way. Captain Parker commanded his men in the woods that are engraved upon this stone. Above these words you see the musket and the powder horn such as were used by the Revolutionary soldiers. The British fired on the Colonists, killed 4 and wounded 9 others. The Americans retreated in the direction of Concord. Scores of trained Minutemen here joined them. It was at the Concord Bridge, not many miles away, that the Colonists again confronted the British. The fire was so hot at this point that the British beat a retreat. The Colonists followed, firing from every house and stone, until the British were chased back to Boston. They had lost 273 men as against 88 of the Minutemen. They did not come out again to destroy military stores, or to arrest Samuel Adams or John Hancock, two Revolutionary leaders who were charged with treason to the King. Read Longfellow's "The Ride of Paul Revere"; Emerson's "The Concord Bridge." Keystone ID: 11680 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.