I went to Concord, Massachusetts for the 250th Anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. As you likely know, the first actions of that war took place in Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Concord was where Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that the shot was fired that was “heard round the world.” The monument that people want to photograph is the “Embattle Farmer” at the other end of the “Rude bridge that arched the flood,” the Concord River. However, to get there, you will likely drive past a notable Civil War monument dedicated to the sons of the village who lost their lives in the conflict occurring “four score and seven years” after the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
The first men of Concord marched off to war on April 19, 1861. The most famous resident of the town, Ralph Waldo Emerson, gave the keynote speech on that day. Emerson told the soldiers that “the country was at heart Abolitionist and for the Union was ready to die.”
The obelisk is located in Monument Square where Main and Lexington Streets intersect. When we went in April, there was metered parking within a few blocks of the site.
The monument was unveiled on April 19, 1867, the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and only two years after the war ended. This was one of the earliest large Civil War monuments erected in the North. Hammett Billings was the artist responsible for creating the work.
The granite has carved into it “FAITHFUL UNTIL DEATH,” a tribute to the dedicated men who fought for four long years.
The dedicatory plaque is at eye level on the monument.
As you can see below, it is not just dedicated to those who lived in Concord when the Rebellion started. It is dedicated all those who were born there, or who lived part of their lives there, or who were buried there.
Below is the list of the dead from the War of the Rebellion, the official name of the Civil War. The names are all organized by regiment. Not all of them served in Massachusetts’ regiments. Some served Maine, Michigan, and Ohio. The list of the dead was smaller when it was originally erected. In 1914, the town had enough evidence of further men who had died during the war and a recast bronze plaque was placed with all the known names.
Captain James McCafferty is listed as part of the 9th Massachusetts Infantry. This was an Irish regiment. McCafferty had been in the Massachusetts militia before the war and he distinguished himself by drilling the 9th into one of the best drilled regiments from Massachusetts. He was killed at Gaines Mill in 1862. He lived in Concord as a boy with his Irish immigrant parents, but during most of his adult life he lived in Boston in the South End.
The monument below might look like the Civil War obelisk, but it is just a mile next to the bridge where the Battle of Concord started 250 years ago.
Beyond it is the reconstruction of the wooden bridge where the fight started. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote the famous Concord Hymn about that fight. Emerson lived at The Olde Manse, a mansion next to the battlefield. On July 4, 1837 he recited the poem for Independence Day at the unveiling of the obelisk above. It was widely reprinted in many newspapers and helped make Concord as a symbol of the American spirit. This served Emerson because he lived in the town and many Transcendentalists had moved there.
Beyond the bridge is the famous Minute Man statue designed by Daniel Chester French. French would design the seated Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. It was unveiled in 1875, just ten years after the end of the Civil War. Congress gave French ten Civil War cannons that he could use for the bronze that the statue is made of. French was a Concord native.
The statue was unveiled on April 19. 1875, the 100th Anniversary of the battle. Ulysses S. Grant presided over the ceremony. The president also attended the ceremony at Lexington Green on the same day.
The statue, although it depicts a man from the Revolution also symbolizes the Union victory over the Confederacy by showing the men of the North leaving their plows to take up arms to defend their country.
The statue has been used in painting, movies, television shows, and professional photographs, but it is also in many peoples photo albums from the late 1800s until today. This is the most photographed statue of the Revolution.
Back in town, next to the Civil War monument, is the First Parish of Concord, the town Unitarian Church. The building appears to be colonial, but it was build in the early 20th Century. There were three earlier churches, the last of which that existed at the time of the Civil War, were on the site. The third church burned down in 1900. The church that replaced it was built as close to that wrecked church.
Outside the church is the Steeple Bell from the third church. This hung in the steeple during the Civil War.
The bell had been rung by Henry David Thoreau to announce an 1844 speech by Emerson on slavery.
After we had seen the sites, we went to Helen’s Restaurant at 17 Main St, Concord, MA 01742. It is a favorite place for town residents. They have a full breakfast menu as well as an extensive set of lunch items. I had a nice clam chowder and fresh fish and chips.
All color photos are by Pat Young.
To see more sites Pat visited CLICK HERE
Sources:
Massachusetts Civil War Monuments Project
Battle of Lexington & Concord Centennial Celebrations
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