Hidden Corners of History- The War for Independence Begins

The War for Independence Begins

Jarrod E. Stephens

For The Ashland Beacon

The year was 1775 and the British colonies in the new world were coming unraveled. For more than a century the lands along the Atlantic coast had been settled by English settlers and continued encroaching deeper into the western lands. Although some colonists remained loyal to the English crown and intended to remain as such, a growing number were becoming agitated by continual “taxation without representation.”

Does that sound like a lesson from your elementary history class? As for me, I certainly does, and I could never get enough. Names like John Paul Jones, George Washington, Paul Revere and Patrick Henry are synonymous with freedom and the birth of our nation. Just thinking about Revere’s ride to warn the colonists about the British encroachment makes me swell with pride to be part of such a great nation, The United States of America.

Revere and William Dawes were successful in warning the villages of the approaching British and their intentions to disarm them. The Minutemen were awakened and assembled in Lexington, Massachusetts. A clash was inevitable, and so we had the first skirmish which occurred in Lexington where the famous “Shot heard ‘round the world” was fired.

The Revolution was also fought not only by notable names and youngsters but also by lesser-known individuals and some very aged individuals. Whenever the British and the colonists clashed in Lexington and Concord, the British began retreating towards Boston and fell under fire from the colonists. At the ripe age of seventy-eight Samuel Whittemore took up arms and did his part to keep the British moving. This aged colonist carried two pistols, a rifle and a cavalry saber with him.

Whittemore along with his fellow minutemen fired on the British and Whittemore’s shots and accuracy caused them to pinpoint his location. As the British closed in on him, he was shot in the face, whipped, repeatedly stabbed with a bayonet and left for dead. His fourteen wounds nearly took his life but in the face of death he not only recovered but lived another eighteen years.

Can you imagine allowing your fifteen-year-old son to enlist in the Colonial Army? Joseph Plumb Martin did just that in 1776 and fought in several major battles. Martin was promoted to Sergent in 1780. As if that was not young enough, Richard Lord Jones enlisted as a fifer to the Third Connecticut Regiment at the ripe old age of 10! The idea of freedom was strong enough to cross generations and bring the colonists together for a single cause.  

So, why would such young boys and an old man take up arms and fight the most powerful military force on earth? They had a vision, that’s why. The colonists had caused the colonies to prosper through hard work and determination and they did not want to see it eroding. Although Whittmore and other elders of the day had perhaps passed their prime, they were fighting for the future of our would-be nation. Now 250 years later, you and I get to enjoy the freedoms they risked their lives to attain.

This past weekend the cities of Lexington and Boston, Massachusetts commemorated Paul Revere’s ride. Reenactments of the march on Lexington Green and the Old North Bridge gave spectators a glimpse into the British retreat. They followed with a reenactment of the Battle of Menotomy where on April 19, 1775, more than 3,800 Minutemen clashed with the Royal Army. Forty British and twenty-five colonial soldiers were killed that day. There was no turning back. The War of Independence had begun.

We may be separated from these events by two- and one-half centuries but the blessings of the seeds of liberty that were sown are still germinating and growing. The events leading to the Revolutionary War are certainly worth celebrating. For 250 years this great nation has been a beacon of freedom for millions, and may we never forget those who sacrificed everything to create our great United States of America.