On the morning of April 19, 1775, the American nation was born right in our backyard. Ordinary farmers and tradesmen from the District of Carlisle, as well as many surrounding towns, rallied against British tyranny, igniting the American Revolution. Given the significance of the day, it is no surprise that it has taken on a certain mystical aura within our national epic. Many stories and legends of Carlisle’s role in the Concord fight, not all of them entirely true, have come to be part of the common lore. In honor of the 250th Anniversary next year, local historian John Troast, a Member of the Society’s Board and the Curator of the Society’s holdings, casts a critical eye on some of these historical anecdotes. Readers can judge for themselves what lore to believe.
The Alarm
Everyone knows the story of Paul Revere’s midnight ride, made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem. However, Revere made it only as far as Lexington before he was captured by the British Regulars. Fellow rider William Dawes, who had ridden ahead, fled back to Lexington, and only Samuel Prescott managed to make his way to Concord with news of the advancing British army. Upon arriving in town, his warnings were met with skepticism by Concord’s militia leaders. Major John Buttrick, Commander of Concord’s Minutemen asked Reuben Brown to ride to Lexington to verify Prescott’s report. Bronw arrived shortly after dawn and witnessed the first shots fired at the Lexington green. He returned to Concord, telling Buttrick to prepare for a bloody confrontation. He was then dispatched to warn the neighboring communities, starting with Concord’s northern district of Carlisle. Samuel Heald of the Carlisle Militia, told his grandson, Carlisle historian Benjamin F. Heald, that “Reuben Brown and Deacon Parkman, well mounted, were sent to alarm the adjacent towns... [and that] the people of the neighborhood were [then] summoned by Timothy Wilkins with his drum and James Kemp with his horn.”
Everyone knows the story of Paul Revere’s midnight ride, made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem. However, Revere made it only as far as Lexington before he was captured by the British Regulars. Fellow rider William Dawes, who had ridden ahead, fled back to Lexington, and only Samuel Prescott managed to make his way to Concord with news of the advancing British army. Upon arriving in town, his warnings were met with skepticism by Concord’s militia leaders. Major John Buttrick, Commander of Concord’s Minutemen asked Reuben Brown to ride to Lexington to verify Prescott’s report. Bronw arrived shortly after dawn and witnessed the first shots fired at the Lexington green. He returned to Concord, telling Buttrick to prepare for a bloody confrontation. He was then dispatched to warn the neighboring communities, starting with Concord’s northern district of Carlisle. Samuel Heald of the Carlisle Militia, told his grandson, Carlisle historian Benjamin F. Heald, that “Reuben Brown and Deacon Parkman, well mounted, were sent to alarm the adjacent towns... [and that] the people of the neighborhood were [then] summoned by Timothy Wilkins with his drum and James Kemp with his horn.”
18th century silhouette depicting Reuben Brown of Concord, attributed to Charles Willson Peale. On loan to the Carlisle Historical Society.
The Carlisle Minutemen & Their March to the Old North Bridge
Around 6:30 am, Carlisle’s Minutemen gathered at the meetinghouse (the current site of the First Religious Society), having been summoned by Wilkins and Kemp. The exact identities and number of those who marched from Carlisle is subject to debate. Benjamin F. Heald writes that those marching from the church numbered 21 strong, and were under the command of the “old Indian fighter” James Russell. George Tolman of the Concord Antiquarian Society claimed it was 16 men who marched from Carlisle center. However, archival research by Carlisle Bicentennial Committeeman Robert Thompson in 1975 could only verify 13 men. It is the names of these men who are immortalized on a bronze tablet next to the church, who are as follows:
Sgt. James Nickles, Pvt. John Nickles, Pvt. Joseph Nickles, Pvt. John Nickles Jr., Pvt. Ebenezer Hardy, Pvt. William Kemp, Pvt. Nathan Munroe, Pvt. Aaron Monroe, Pvt. Jonas Monroe, Pvt. Josiah Heald, Pvt. Jonas Robbins, Pvt. Nathanial Parker, Pvt. Asa Spalding Jr.
A further point of disagreement is the route by which these Minutemen marched. Benjamin F. Heald’s research suggested that the company proceeded down Concord Street to Hildreth’s Corner where they met up with the Acton Minutemen. However, Thompson’s research suggests that the men likely took the more direct route down Concord Street, cutting across Clark Farm, and then marched through the Estabrook Woods meeting the Acton regiment at the foot of Punkatasset Hill. Unfortunately, we will likely never know for certain which route those departing from the meetinghouse traveled.
In addition to the men who marched from the church, we know that several Minutemen, having learned of the alarm, joined the march at different points or set out for the bridge on their own to meet up with their respective companies. David Hartwell, Lieutenant John Heald, and Private Simeon Barrett met up mid- march with the rest of the Minutemen who had departed from the meetinghouse. Thaddeus Blood, who resided on Prospect Street near the Concord border, set out down the old Two Rod Road. Another Minuteman, Issachar Andrews of Maple Street, likely took that route as well.
What is known for certain is that all the men from Carlisle arrived at the North Bridge well before 9:30 am, when the British regulars arrived. The Minutemen from Concord, Acton, and the District of Carlisle were the first on the scene to confront the adversary.
Map drawn by Nick Chase in 1975 showing the location of the homes of Carlisle's Minutemen and other important landmarks. The purported line of march down Estabrook Road is represented by the dotted line.
Joseph Spalding’s Shot Heard Round the World
The “shot heard round the world” has always been the subject of debate. Historians still disagree about which side fired the first round or whether this iconic shot that ignited the battle was merely someone’s gun that misfired. However, one Carlisle resident claimed for years that it was he who deliberately disobeyed orders and took aim at the British Regulars.
This man was Joseph Spalding, who had a farm in what is today Great Brook Park. Spalding maintained that he also fired the first shot at Bunker Hill and killed Major Pitcairn as revenge for sending the British Regulars to Concord. Apparently General Putnam was not pleased by this trigger-happy soldier. After his famous shot at Bunker hill, Spalding said, “Putnam rushed up and struck at me for violating orders. I suppose I deserved it, but I was anxious to get another good shot at Gage’s men ever since our affair at Concord.” The blow from “Old Put” hit me on the head, made a hole in my hat, and left [a] scar.” For years after the war, Spalding would show off the scar on his head to anyone who would entertain the old man’s ramblings.
While it seems implausible that Spalding fired the Shot Heard Round the World in Concord, the first shot at Bunker Hill, and killed General Pitcairn, this did not stop Carlisle residents from celebrating their heroic forefather. In 1875, Carlisle residents unanimously approved a resolution at Town Meeting declaring,” The Town of Carlisle claims upon reliable data that the man who fired the first gun upon the American side at Concord and killed the first British Soldier was born and had his home within its limits.” In an effort to reinforce this claim, Carlisle townsfolk carried a large painted silk banner in the Concord Centennial parade in 1875, depicting Spalding’s likeness, that read, “Joseph Spalding of Carlisle -- the man who fired the first shot at Concord, April 19th, 1775.” This banner survives in the collection of the Carlisle Historical Society.
The “shot heard round the world” has always been the subject of debate. Historians still disagree about which side fired the first round or whether this iconic shot that ignited the battle was merely someone’s gun that misfired. However, one Carlisle resident claimed for years that it was he who deliberately disobeyed orders and took aim at the British Regulars.
This man was Joseph Spalding, who had a farm in what is today Great Brook Park. Spalding maintained that he also fired the first shot at Bunker Hill and killed Major Pitcairn as revenge for sending the British Regulars to Concord. Apparently General Putnam was not pleased by this trigger-happy soldier. After his famous shot at Bunker hill, Spalding said, “Putnam rushed up and struck at me for violating orders. I suppose I deserved it, but I was anxious to get another good shot at Gage’s men ever since our affair at Concord.” The blow from “Old Put” hit me on the head, made a hole in my hat, and left [a] scar.” For years after the war, Spalding would show off the scar on his head to anyone who would entertain the old man’s ramblings.
While it seems implausible that Spalding fired the Shot Heard Round the World in Concord, the first shot at Bunker Hill, and killed General Pitcairn, this did not stop Carlisle residents from celebrating their heroic forefather. In 1875, Carlisle residents unanimously approved a resolution at Town Meeting declaring,” The Town of Carlisle claims upon reliable data that the man who fired the first gun upon the American side at Concord and killed the first British Soldier was born and had his home within its limits.” In an effort to reinforce this claim, Carlisle townsfolk carried a large painted silk banner in the Concord Centennial parade in 1875, depicting Spalding’s likeness, that read, “Joseph Spalding of Carlisle -- the man who fired the first shot at Concord, April 19th, 1775.” This banner survives in the collection of the Carlisle Historical Society.
Close-up of the hand painted banner carried by Carlisle residents in the Concord Fight Centennial Parade, April 19th, 1875. The banner depicts Joseph Spalding who was said to have fired the “shot heard round the world.”
Corporal Joe’s Brave Stand
Another sensational tale about one of Carlisle’s Minutemen is the story of Joseph Munroe, who is said to have accompanied his kids and grandkids into battle, playing a drum. Joe would have been over 80 years old at the time. As the story goes, British shots on the bridge caused the militia’s drummers to falter. When one commander called for assistance, Corporal Joe stepped forward and exclaimed, “I am so old it will not matter if I am killed,” and he struck up a lively rhythm. Although this story is questionable, Corporal Joe did live to be over 100 years old, and our town’s vital records confirm this.
Corporal Joe’s descendants claimed that this local tale influenced artist Archibald Willard when he created the now iconic painting “The Spirit of 76.” They claimed that Munroe is the man depicted carrying the drum. Munroe’s house once stood near the present-day Munroe Hill Road which is named in his honor.
Another sensational tale about one of Carlisle’s Minutemen is the story of Joseph Munroe, who is said to have accompanied his kids and grandkids into battle, playing a drum. Joe would have been over 80 years old at the time. As the story goes, British shots on the bridge caused the militia’s drummers to falter. When one commander called for assistance, Corporal Joe stepped forward and exclaimed, “I am so old it will not matter if I am killed,” and he struck up a lively rhythm. Although this story is questionable, Corporal Joe did live to be over 100 years old, and our town’s vital records confirm this.
Corporal Joe’s descendants claimed that this local tale influenced artist Archibald Willard when he created the now iconic painting “The Spirit of 76.” They claimed that Munroe is the man depicted carrying the drum. Munroe’s house once stood near the present-day Munroe Hill Road which is named in his honor.
Carlisle’s Munroe family long claimed that Corporal Joe Munroe was the elderly drummer depicted in Archibald Willard’s famous painting The Spirit of ’76
Enslaved Patriot
Few people realize that slavery existed in Carlisle during colonial times, a practice that was not abolished in Massachusetts until 1781. Wilkins family tradition has long held that an enslaved black man named Toby accompanied his master Issac Wilkins in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Little is known about Toby’s life or whether he willfully chose to fight for freedom that he would never live to experience for himself. He was supposedly killed in the course of the day’s fighting, somewhere along Battle Road.
The Last Minuteman
By the year 1844, only one man who participated in the Concord fight -- Thaddeus Blood of Carlisle -- was still alive. Blood lived on a small farm on what is today Prospect Street. In 1835 in an effort to preserve for posterity the story of the famous battle, Ralph Waldo Emerson interviewed Blood, carefully transcribing his oral history of the fight. This interview would later inspire Emerson’s famous poem, The Concord Hymn.
In their discussion, Blood sought to push back against narratives that sensationalized the battle and its participants. He argued that those who fought were ordinary people, many of whom, having no way to foresee the outcome of the battle or of the ensuing war, were scared deep down by the prospect of fighting the British Regulars. In his interview, Emerson pressed Blood for key details about the battle, but the elderly Minuteman responded wearily that even he couldn’t fully separate the truth of what happened that day from the myth and legend that had emerged over the years. “The truth will never be known,” concluded Blood.
Few people realize that slavery existed in Carlisle during colonial times, a practice that was not abolished in Massachusetts until 1781. Wilkins family tradition has long held that an enslaved black man named Toby accompanied his master Issac Wilkins in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Little is known about Toby’s life or whether he willfully chose to fight for freedom that he would never live to experience for himself. He was supposedly killed in the course of the day’s fighting, somewhere along Battle Road.
The Last Minuteman
By the year 1844, only one man who participated in the Concord fight -- Thaddeus Blood of Carlisle -- was still alive. Blood lived on a small farm on what is today Prospect Street. In 1835 in an effort to preserve for posterity the story of the famous battle, Ralph Waldo Emerson interviewed Blood, carefully transcribing his oral history of the fight. This interview would later inspire Emerson’s famous poem, The Concord Hymn.
In their discussion, Blood sought to push back against narratives that sensationalized the battle and its participants. He argued that those who fought were ordinary people, many of whom, having no way to foresee the outcome of the battle or of the ensuing war, were scared deep down by the prospect of fighting the British Regulars. In his interview, Emerson pressed Blood for key details about the battle, but the elderly Minuteman responded wearily that even he couldn’t fully separate the truth of what happened that day from the myth and legend that had emerged over the years. “The truth will never be known,” concluded Blood.
Blood’s blunt observation still resonates to this day. People tend to think of history as the unbiased and true story of the past, when in reality it is often an amalgamation of facts, half-truths, conjecture, exaggerations, and myths. The legends and tales of Carlisle’s role in the famous first battle of the American Revolution are proof of this historical tapestry. J.T.
