The Minute Man statue in Concord, Mass. (Photo courtesy of Bill Truran)
Listen, my children, and you shall hear ...
On the 18th of April in ’75.
“One if by land, two if by sea.”
“The shot heard round the world.”
To many, April 19, 1775, marks the start of the American Revolutionary War. (Paul Revere and others rode out from Boston to warn nearby towns about British troop movements the night before.)
Early that morning occurred one of the first deadly clashes that would cascade down in history to a point when the Americans created the Declaration of Independence the next year, then bring on a war that engulfed the whole of the known North American continent and became part of the broader fight of European powers around the world.
These activities changed the world. The United States of America became a rising power during ensuing centuries.
The importance of the American War for Independence was not lost on the people of the new country. As a general rule, the literature of a nation reflects the pulse of the people in the years after the conclusion of the war.
The statements above are part of a famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written in 1860, depicting the warning of how the British would move out of Boston as revealed by lanterns in the Old North Church belfry.
This was a celebrated poem and blended history with poetic imagination. It described the ride to the towns some 15 miles away, a ride that allowed time for the Patriots to prepare.
The ”shot heard round the world” symbolized the moment that the colonists blunted the British advance with their armed resistance. The phrase originated in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1837 poem. He lived in Concord, Mass., where this battle took place.
I happened to be there a few years ago. A photo I took shows the monument to the Patriot Minute Men who responded to the call to arms and blocked the British on the Old North Bridge in Concord. It has a beautiful landscape, with a small arched bridge spanning a narrow lazy river in a lowland location.
On this historic occasion, let’s keep in mind the courage and quick response of these patriots. Let this inspire us today with the same vigor and strength that our forebears courageously bore.
At this time, I would like to announce (Paul Revere-style) that we are beginning Sussex County’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. This is, of course, the buildup to the July 4, 2026, anniversary of the signing of that document.
It was 250 years ago that the feelings of residents of the colonies built up and reached a fever pitch. During this time, we can understand more deeply what brought us to the grave decision to go to war and the dedication that was required to pull through.
Information about the county’s commemoration is online at hardystonhistorical.com/rev-250/
Soon it should be on the Sussex County Historian’s page on the county website at sussex.nj.us
Some items I’d like to bring to your attention on the page:
• the county historians who are members of our illustrious Sussex County committee.
• the markers for patriots that will be placed in local cemeteries.
• the proclamations or resolutions of Sussex County towns to recognize the event.
• a timeline of historic events.
• opportunities for community participation by schools, Scouts and others as well as for research.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo forevermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com