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The Bedford Colonial Militia - April 19,
1775
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19 April 1775
Long before the firing started in Lexington,
Bedford's Minutemen had been warned by Lexington's Captain Parker, who had
sent two young men, Benjamin Tidd and Nathaniel Monroe into Bedford as
couriers.
The men rode up to the door of Cornet Page's
house, and striking the door shouted "Get up, Nat Page; the Redcoats
are out."
The oldest structure in the center of Bedford is
the historically significant Fitch Tavern. It was here, while Jeremiah
Fitch, a sergeant of the Bedford Militia company, was operating it as a
tavern, that twenty-six Bedford Minutemen gathered on the morning of April
19, 1775, following the alarm that the British were on the march from
Boston.
It was in the tap room that Mr. Fitch called the
Minutemen to gather about the warmth of the fireplace while young Lydia
Fitch served up cold cornmeal mush and hot buttered rum. Captain Jonathan
Wilson looked into the eyes of his men and spoke the famous words,
"It is a cold breakfast, boys, but we'll give the British a hot
dinner; we'll have every dog of them before night." The Minutemen
then marched on foot to Concord, joining the fifty men of the Bedford
Militia en route.
Bedford Minutemen had no losses at Concord Bridge as Nathaniel Page
proudly carried the Bedford Flag becoming the first flag to be taken into
an American battle. Wearily the British retreated toward Boston
confronting the Bedford Minutemen that were among the first to engage them
in the most severe fighting of the day. It was at Merriam's Corner in
Concord that the Bedford companies had their first casualties. Job Lane
was severely wounded and Captain of the Bedford Minuteman Company Jonathan
Wilson was mortally wounded. Captain Wilson was carried into the Merriam's
house, where he later died. It was with sad hearts that the Bedford men
carried back the body of their brave Captain.
Grief that day could not keep the Bedford
Minutemen from their sworn duty to their fellow Minutemen; before the day
was over they would again assemble for the long march to Cambridge and the
continuing battles.
Source of Above:
Bedford Minuteman Company
http://www.bedfordminutemancompany.org
THE BEDFORD FLAG
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