Lexington and Concord

polska · January 1, 2021, 08:03 AM

I don't know why everyone keeps saying the British were coming to take our firearms because they were not. They were coming to take ball and powder. Interesting, sound familiar? Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it.

mehavey · January 1, 2021, 09:08 AM

Yup... make ammunition unobtanium... and who needs guns control?

mikejonestkd · January 1, 2021, 09:09 AM

A nice short summary of the event
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/r...on-and-concord

mehavey · January 1, 2021, 10:32 AM

Am I reading the usual description wrong?
>
> "The Massachusetts militias had indeed been gathering
> a stock of weapons, powder, and supplies at Concord"
>
https://www.revolutionary-war.net/th...le-of-concord/

Don P · January 1, 2021, 11:14 AM

Quote:

I don't know why everyone keeps saying the British were coming to take our firearms because they were not. They were coming to take ball and powder. Interesting, sound familiar? Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it

Why did they bury firearms then?

From the above posts link

Quote:

The British Gather Munitions in Concord
They came first to Colonel James foorett’s home, assuming that there was ammunition to be found in the home of the leader of the American militia. What they did not know was that Colonel foorett’s sons had previously plowed crops and buried the weapons there.

dontcatchmany · January 1, 2021, 02:29 PM

It ain't (Southern expression to show emphasis) what they are going to do, it is what we are going to do.

Seems as though the British did not get the ball and powder.

We just need to get some balls and keep Lady Liberty happy!

Kevin Rohrer · January 1, 2021, 05:15 PM

Umm, the British Regulars were also looking for cannons the British Colonials had in their possession.

Shadow9mm · January 1, 2021, 07:41 PM

actually, they did not say the british were coming, as they were British. They said the red coats are coming. Modern day it would be similar to, the militay is coming.

I also understood it to be a cache of powder, bullets, and cannons.

2damnold4this · January 1, 2021, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Seems as though the British did not get the ball and powder.

They did get some of the ball but not the way they wanted.

dontcatchmany · January 1, 2021, 08:53 PM

2damnold4this

I stand correted....lol! Proudly!

SIGSHR · January 1, 2021, 09:10 PM

The one account I read, said Paul Revere banged on the door of one acquaintance-at about 0100-when the man angrily demanded to why Revere was creating such a disturbance he said:
"You'll have your disturbance soon enough ! The Regulars are out !"

TXAZ · January 1, 2021, 10:15 PM

If the colonials only had a dozen Accuracy International AICS bolts in .338 LM and a few thousand rounds each

It would have been interesting to see a rank and file infantry deal with leadership out of the picture....

mehavey · January 1, 2021, 10:30 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guns_of_the_South

roscoe · January 1, 2021, 10:38 PM

Lord.

What if Spartacus had a Piper Cub?

rickyrick · January 2, 2021, 02:50 AM

I just watched a documentary on this.

“The British are coming” is not a phrase that would have been used during that time, because they were all British then.

Most likely it was something like “the Regulars are coming”.

**4V50 Gary** · January 2, 2021, 10:22 AM

Quote:

They did get some of the ball but not the way they wanted.

Worth repeating.

reteach · January 2, 2021, 02:36 PM

Quote:

It would have been interesting to see a rank and file infantry deal with leadership out of the picture....

Many of the American militia were veterans of the French and Indian War. Some of them saw first hand the results in events like the Battle of the Monongahela, aka Braddock's Defeat, where the French and their Indian allies targeted British officers. The British casualties amounted to about 65% of their force, and many of those appear to be the result of the rank and file not having officers to organize and control them.

On the road back to Boston, after the fights at Lexington and Concord, the Americans fought from cover and targeted British officers, causing a lot of confusion among the British. The highest American casualties came at the end of the day when British reinforcements came out from Boston with artillery. The cannon caught Americans clumped together at long range.

The Americans did the same thing at the follow-up Battle of Bunker Hill (which took place on Breed's Hill). They targeted British officers. The British thought this was not at all sporting. The reason the Americans lost that fight was they couldn't move gunpowder up to their fortified position fast enough. They had to retreat, but the casualties were very lopsided, with the British having 55% to the Americans' 32%. Nathanael Greene said "I'd like to sell them another hill at the same price."

mehavey · January 2, 2021, 03:06 PM

The casualty count was the highest suffered by the British in any single encounter during the entire war.
General Clinton, echoing Pyrrhus* of Epirus, remarked in his diary that

"A few more such victories would have shortly put an end to British dominion in America"

*
Ne ego si iterum eodem modo vicero, sine ullo milite Epirum revertar.

shurshot · January 4, 2021, 04:34 AM

"I don't know why everyone keeps saying the British were coming to take our firearms because they were not. They were coming to take ball and powder. Interesting, sound familiar? Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it."(OP)

In the mid 80's, visiting family in Downeast Maine, my uncle showed me one MINT revolutionary war era flintlock rifle that he had. Several had been located beneath the floorboards of the town hall, hidden from the British back in the day. Flash forward to modern day; during reconstruction, the rifles were located, each of the Town selectman kept one, hence my Uncle getting his. It shined as it had been packed in some kind of grease, looked brand new. Powder and ball were located as well.
I'm pretty sure the rifles were hidden for a good reason... fear of confiscation. Don't believe everything you read.

Kevin Rohrer · January 4, 2021, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Most likely it was something like “the Regulars are coming”.

^^This^^

is correct.

buck460XVR · January 4, 2021, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polska

I don't know why everyone keeps saying the British were coming to take our firearms because they were not. They were coming to take ball and powder. Interesting, sound familiar? Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it.

....is this some form of reference to a tin foil hat conspiracy, explaining the lack of availability of ammo and reloading components right now?

Howland · January 4, 2021, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Rohrer

Umm, the British Regulars were also looking for cannons the British Colonials had in their possession.

Correct! The primary objective of the mission was to seize the cannons and cannonballs. The powder and shot were secondary objectives. The militia had cannons. Artillery. Equal in quantity and quality to that of the British Army. And they considered it their right. The purpose was not for deer or duck hunting. The purpose was to provide a counterbalance to any standing army which would be anyone paid to carry a government gun.

I helped someone study for their citizenship naturalization test. The test asked, "What issue sparked the Revolutionary War?" The answer they were looking for was Taxes. Wrong. It was a gun confiscation raid. The test also asked, "What type of government did the Constitution establish?" They were counting Democracy as the correct answer. I don't think Republic was even one of the choices.

**44 AMP** · January 4, 2021, 11:36 PM

Do remember the times. There were "standing armies" in North America, Some 20 years before the Revolution the citizen's militia fought a war serving with British regulars against the French and their Indian allies.

The British army was in North America. The French Army was in North America, there were some Spanish troops in Florida, and there were also hostile and aggressive native peoples all of which could be a threat to the colonial citizens.

The various militias had cannon (as they could afford them) because there was a NEED for them. A real need, not just an imagined one.

as to this,

Quote:

"What issue sparked the Revolutionary War?" The answer they were looking for was Taxes. Wrong.

I believe the issue was taxes. Unfair taxes and other requirements all without colonial representation of any kind when the laws were passed in Parliment.

The incident that set things off was the gun confiscation raid.

buck460XVR · January 5, 2021, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howland

The test asked, "What issue sparked the Revolutionary War?" The answer they were looking for was Taxes. Wrong.

In Grade school, the phrase beat into out head about the Revolutionary war was " No taxation without representation".

mehavey · January 5, 2021, 09:57 AM

Taxes to pay for the French & Indians War, and to pay for troops thereafter to protect the frontier.
Taxes which the mercantile colonies (the Yankees) found to be an impediment
Taxes which lead to the Boston Tea Party
The Tea Party which led to the `74 Intolerable Acts (including taking away Mass self Gov't and closing Boston Harbor)
The Intolerable Acts which led to the 1st Continental Congress (`74)

From that point it spiralled.

So yes... it was Taxes which sparked the Revolution

January 1, 2021, 08:03 AM	#1
polska Member Join Date: February 3, 2010 Posts: 55	Lexington and Concord I don't know why everyone keeps saying the British were coming to take our firearms because they were not. They were coming to take ball and powder. Interesting, sound familiar? Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it.

January 1, 2021, 09:09 AM	#3
mikejonestkd Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 3,717	A nice short summary of the event https://www.battlefields.org/learn/r...on-and-concord __________________ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

January 1, 2021, 05:15 PM	#7
Kevin Rohrer Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2010 Location: Medina, Ohio Posts: 1,049	Umm, the British Regulars were also looking for cannons the British Colonials had in their possession. __________________ Member: Orange Gunsite Family, NRA--Life, ARTCA, and American Legion. Caveat Emptor: Cavery Grips/AmericanGripz/Prestige Grips/Stealth Grips from Clayton, NC. He is a scammer

January 1, 2021, 07:41 PM	#8
Shadow9mm Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 3,976	actually, they did not say the british were coming, as they were British. They said the red coats are coming. Modern day it would be similar to, the militay is coming. I also understood it to be a cache of powder, bullets, and cannons. __________________ I don't believe in "range fodder" that is why I reload.

January 1, 2021, 10:15 PM	#12
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	If the colonials only had a dozen Accuracy International AICS bolts in .338 LM and a few thousand rounds each It would have been interesting to see a rank and file infantry deal with leadership out of the picture.... __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

January 1, 2021, 09:08 AM	#2
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,896	Yup... make ammunition unobtanium... and who needs guns control?

January 1, 2021, 10:32 AM	#4
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,896	Am I reading the usual description wrong? > > "The Massachusetts militias had indeed been gathering > a stock of weapons, powder, and supplies at Concord" > https://www.revolutionary-war.net/th...le-of-concord/

January 1, 2021, 02:29 PM	#6
dontcatchmany Senior Member Join Date: July 19, 2010 Posts: 460	It ain't (Southern expression to show emphasis) what they are going to do, it is what we are going to do. Seems as though the British did not get the ball and powder. We just need to get some balls and keep Lady Liberty happy!

January 1, 2021, 08:53 PM	#10
dontcatchmany Senior Member Join Date: July 19, 2010 Posts: 460	2damnold4this I stand correted....lol! Proudly!

January 1, 2021, 09:10 PM	#11
SIGSHR Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2005 Posts: 4,700	The one account I read, said Paul Revere banged on the door of one acquaintance-at about 0100-when the man angrily demanded to why Revere was creating such a disturbance he said: "You'll have your disturbance soon enough ! The Regulars are out !"

January 1, 2021, 10:30 PM	#13
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,896	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guns_of_the_South

January 1, 2021, 10:38 PM	#14
roscoe Senior Member Join Date: July 16, 2002 Location: AZ Posts: 575	Lord. What if Spartacus had a Piper Cub? Last edited by roscoe; January 1, 2021 at 10:48 PM.

January 2, 2021, 02:50 AM	#15
rickyrick Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2010 Posts: 8,238	I just watched a documentary on this. “The British are coming” is not a phrase that would have been used during that time, because they were all British then. Most likely it was something like “the Regulars are coming”.

January 2, 2021, 03:06 PM	#18
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,896	The casualty count was the highest suffered by the British in any single encounter during the entire war. General Clinton, echoing Pyrrhus* of Epirus, remarked in his diary that "A few more such victories would have shortly put an end to British dominion in America" * Ne ego si iterum eodem modo vicero, sine ullo milite Epirum revertar.

January 4, 2021, 04:34 AM	#19
shurshot Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2006 Posts: 1,819	"I don't know why everyone keeps saying the British were coming to take our firearms because they were not. They were coming to take ball and powder. Interesting, sound familiar? Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it."(OP) In the mid 80's, visiting family in Downeast Maine, my uncle showed me one MINT revolutionary war era flintlock rifle that he had. Several had been located beneath the floorboards of the town hall, hidden from the British back in the day. Flash forward to modern day; during reconstruction, the rifles were located, each of the Town selectman kept one, hence my Uncle getting his. It shined as it had been packed in some kind of grease, looked brand new. Powder and ball were located as well. I'm pretty sure the rifles were hidden for a good reason... fear of confiscation. Don't believe everything you read.

January 5, 2021, 09:57 AM	#25
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,896	Taxes to pay for the French & Indians War, and to pay for troops thereafter to protect the frontier. Taxes which the mercantile colonies (the Yankees) found to be an impediment Taxes which lead to the Boston Tea Party The Tea Party which led to the `74 Intolerable Acts (including taking away Mass self Gov't and closing Boston Harbor) The Intolerable Acts which led to the 1st Continental Congress (`74) From that point it spiralled. So yes... it was Taxes which sparked the Revolution