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| {{short description|Early battle of the American Revolutionary War}} | {{short description|Early battle of the American Revolutionary War}} | ||
| {{Infobox military conflict | {{Infobox military conflict | ||
| | conflict = Battle of Menotomy | | conflict = Battle of Menotomy | ||
| | partof = the ] | | partof = the ] | ||
| | date = {{Start date and age|1775|4|19}} | | date = {{Start date and age|1775|4|19|p=yes}} | ||
| | place = ], ], ] | | place = ], ], ] | ||
| | result = American victory | | result = American victory | ||
| ⚫ | | combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}} | ||
| * Militia successfully drive British back to ] | |||
| ⚫ | | combatant1 = ] | ||
| ⚫ | | combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}} | ||
| ⚫ | | commander2 = ] | ||
| ⚫ | | combatant1 = ] | ||
| ⚫ | | commander1 = ]<br/> Gideon Foster | ||
| ⚫ | | commander2 = ] | ||
| | strength2 = | |||
| ⚫ | | commander1 = ]<br/> Gideon Foster | ||
| | |
| strength1 = 5,100 | ||
| | |
| casualties2 = 40 killed | ||
| | |
| casualties1 = 25 killed | ||
| ⚫ | | campaignbox = {{Campaignbox American Revolutionary War: Boston}} | ||
| | casualties1 = 25 killed | |||
| ⚫ | | campaignbox = {{Campaignbox American Revolutionary War: Boston}} | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| The '''Battle of Menotomy''' (April 19, 1775) is regarded as a continuation of ]. The original force of 700 British regulars had been met by reinforcements in East Lexington to form a combined force of 1700 men.<ref>] (introduction)</ref> As for the colonial forces, a plaque placed at The Foot of the Rocks in Arlington Heights observes that “British Troops in retreat from bloody first skirmishes at Lexington and Concord were here opposed by colonial forces gathering from four counties and thirty towns. More men fell at the Foot of the Rocks and on the plains of Menotomy than in every other locale through which the adversary forces fought, that long day, April 19, 1775."<ref>{{Cite web |access-date=October 25, 2024 |title=Foot of the Rocks |url=https://freedomsway.org/place/foot-of-the-rocks/ |website=Freedom's Way}}</ref> | |||
| 5,100 men from eastern ] and southern ] gathered in Menotomy to meet the retreating British troops on their way to ] from ].<ref name=HistoryNet/><ref name=ArlingtonHistorical/> 25 rebels and 40 British troops were killed in this battle.<ref name=MenotomyMinutemenTrailGuide/> It was here in Menotomy that the first British soldiers were captured.<ref name=MenotomyMinutemenTrailGuide/>{{Better source needed|reason=Citation is the tourist guide for the MinutemenTrail, which may not be entirely objective.|date=April 2022}} | |||
| ==Prelude== | |||
| The village of Menotomy in present-day ] is located on ] between ] and ]. On April 18, the Revolutionary body, the ], met there at the Black Horse Tavern, in arms over British policies perceived as being oppressive. At 3 A.M. the following day, the British troops marched through town en route to Concord to destroy the military stores collected there, rousing the Committee from its sleep.<ref name=ArlingtonHistorical/> | |||
| ==Battle== | |||
| While the fighting was going on in Lexington and Concord, 5,100 militia men from thirteen towns arrived in Menotomy from ] and ] Counties. These men took up positions in and around houses, stone walls, fields and barns along the road the British troops would take on their retreat to Boston. The British column stretched for an entire mile.<ref name=ArlingtonHistorical/> | |||
| Orders were given by British commanding general Hugh Percy<ref>, Concord Museum</ref> for the British troops to eliminate snipers. Homes were ransacked, plundered, and set ablaze. Finally, the American militiamen were set off.<ref name=ArlingtonHistorical/> | |||
| Wrote author Thomas Fleming, "What followed was a bloody running fight, a kind of serial ambush that surprised and bedeviled the British, hardened the rebellious Americans’ resolve and spawned the legend that the Continentals fought “unfairly” like Indians, hitting and running and sniping from concealed positions."<ref name=HistoryNet/> | |||
| Ultimately, the bloodiest fighting of the first day of the American Revolution took place at a single house as the British cleared a path for their retreat.<ref name=HistoryNet/> Of the 25 militia men killed in Menotomy, 10 were found dead afterward in the ], while a total of 21 were killed in the house or on the grounds, as noted on that page. During the fighting in Menotomy as a whole, 40 British soldiers were killed.<ref name=HistoryNet/> | |||
| "Battle Green was an accident. Concord Bridge, a skirmish. But in the most brutal and deadly warfare of April 19, 1775, nearly 6,000 combatants fought hand to hand and house to house, the length and breadth of Menotomy. At the Foot of the Rocks, the British 'regulars' encountered their worst nightmare: a nascent Continental Army." – historian A. Michael Ruderman.<ref>, ''Freedom's Way National Heritage Area''</ref> | |||
| The three battles at Lexington, Concord and Menotomy are celebrated in six states as ]. | |||
| == See also == | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| <!-- as can be seen, I prefer to the put the body of references into the "References" section, name them, and just put the name in the actual article body. This make it easier to read the material, especially if there are a lot of references, and there's little downside. As article creator, I'd request that other editors follow this format -- Herostratus. --> | |||
| {{reflist|refs= | {{reflist|refs= | ||
| <ref name=MenotomyMinutemenTrailGuide>{{cite web |url=http://www.menotomytrail.com/MenotomyMinutemanTrailGuide2.pdf |title= "Menotomy Minutemen Trail Guide" |accessdate=April 14, 2019}}</ref> | <ref name=MenotomyMinutemenTrailGuide>{{cite web |url=http://www.menotomytrail.com/MenotomyMinutemanTrailGuide2.pdf |title= "Menotomy Minutemen Trail Guide" |accessdate=April 14, 2019}}</ref> | ||
| <ref name=HistoryNet>{{cite web |url=https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-menotomy-first-blood-1775.htm |title=Battle of Menotomy — First Blood, 1775 |author=Thomas Fleming |date=March 6, 2019 |work=HistoryNet |accessdate=April 16, 2019}}</ref> | <ref name=HistoryNet>{{cite web |url=https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-menotomy-first-blood-1775.htm |title=Battle of Menotomy — First Blood, 1775 |author=Thomas Fleming |date=March 6, 2019 |work=HistoryNet |accessdate=April 16, 2019}}</ref> | ||
| <ref name=ArlingtonHistorical>{{cite web |url=https://arlingtonhistorical.org/learn/articles/the-battle-of-menotomy |title="The Battle of Menotomy" |work=Arlington Historical Society |accessdate=April 16, 2019}}</ref> | <ref name=ArlingtonHistorical>{{cite web |url=https://arlingtonhistorical.org/learn/articles/the-battle-of-menotomy |title="The Battle of Menotomy" |work=Arlington Historical Society |accessdate=April 16, 2019}}</ref> | ||
| }} | }} | ||
Latest revision as of 19:09, 8 January 2025
Early battle of the American Revolutionary War| Battle of Menotomy | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Massachusetts Bay |
 Great Britain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
William Heath Gideon Foster | Hugh Percy | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5,100 | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 25 killed | 40 killed | ||||||
The Battle of Menotomy (April 19, 1775) is regarded as a continuation of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The original force of 700 British regulars had been met by reinforcements in East Lexington to form a combined force of 1700 men. As for the colonial forces, a plaque placed at The Foot of the Rocks in Arlington Heights observes that “British Troops in retreat from bloody first skirmishes at Lexington and Concord were here opposed by colonial forces gathering from four counties and thirty towns. More men fell at the Foot of the Rocks and on the plains of Menotomy than in every other locale through which the adversary forces fought, that long day, April 19, 1775." 5,100 men from eastern Middlesex County and southern Essex County gathered in Menotomy to meet the retreating British troops on their way to Boston from Concord. 25 rebels and 40 British troops were killed in this battle. It was here in Menotomy that the first British soldiers were captured.
Prelude
The village of Menotomy in present-day Arlington, Massachusetts is located on Massachusetts Avenue between Boston and Lexington. On April 18, the Revolutionary body, the Committee of Safety, met there at the Black Horse Tavern, in arms over British policies perceived as being oppressive. At 3 A.M. the following day, the British troops marched through town en route to Concord to destroy the military stores collected there, rousing the Committee from its sleep.
Battle
While the fighting was going on in Lexington and Concord, 5,100 militia men from thirteen towns arrived in Menotomy from Middlesex and Essex Counties. These men took up positions in and around houses, stone walls, fields and barns along the road the British troops would take on their retreat to Boston. The British column stretched for an entire mile.
Orders were given by British commanding general Hugh Percy for the British troops to eliminate snipers. Homes were ransacked, plundered, and set ablaze. Finally, the American militiamen were set off.
Wrote author Thomas Fleming, "What followed was a bloody running fight, a kind of serial ambush that surprised and bedeviled the British, hardened the rebellious Americans’ resolve and spawned the legend that the Continentals fought “unfairly” like Indians, hitting and running and sniping from concealed positions."
Ultimately, the bloodiest fighting of the first day of the American Revolution took place at a single house as the British cleared a path for their retreat. Of the 25 militia men killed in Menotomy, 10 were found dead afterward in the Jason Russell House, while a total of 21 were killed in the house or on the grounds, as noted on that page. During the fighting in Menotomy as a whole, 40 British soldiers were killed.
"Battle Green was an accident. Concord Bridge, a skirmish. But in the most brutal and deadly warfare of April 19, 1775, nearly 6,000 combatants fought hand to hand and house to house, the length and breadth of Menotomy. At the Foot of the Rocks, the British 'regulars' encountered their worst nightmare: a nascent Continental Army." – historian A. Michael Ruderman.
The three battles at Lexington, Concord and Menotomy are celebrated in six states as Patriots' Day.
See also
References
- Battles of Lexington and Concord (introduction)
- "Foot of the Rocks". Freedom's Way. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ Thomas Fleming (March 6, 2019). "Battle of Menotomy — First Blood, 1775". HistoryNet. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ ""The Battle of Menotomy"". Arlington Historical Society. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ ""Menotomy Minutemen Trail Guide"" (PDF). Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- "Menotomy, April 19, 3:30 p.m. | 7:00 p.m.", Concord Museum
- "The Battle of Menotomy with A. Michael Ruderman", Freedom's Way National Heritage Area
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