From Concord to Conquered: Two Revolutions

Commemorating the 1875 centennial of the original 'Shot Heard Round the World,' this Minuteman statue in Lexington, Massachusetts, was cast in bronze from melted-down Civil War cannons. The young sculptor was Daniel Chester French, who in 1920 gave us the great statue of Abraham Lincoln, sitting in the Lincoln Memorial. 

CONCORD, Massachusetts

 April 19, 2025, marked the semiquincentennial of Battle of the Old North Bridge, the dawn of the American Revolution, where about 400 Patriot minutemen routed 100 British Redcoats in 1775. 

 Ralph Waldo Emerson marked the occasion in 1837 by writing the Concord Hymn, which canonized the colonial uprising as "The Shot Heart Round the World." Emerson could see the old bridge from his "manse" along the Concord River.

 The Concord Hymn became a template for the Conquered Banner, written in 1865 by Confederate chaplain Father Abram Joseph Ryan to honor those who served under the Stars and Bars. (In a Boston accent, Concord rhymes with Conquered.) The Conquered Banner is quoted on Confederate monuments in Greenville, Anderson, and Abbeville—towns which were landmarks for Stoneman's Raid during the pursuit of Confederate president Jefferson Davis.

 Emerson's line about the shot heard round the world has also been applied to the bombardment of Fort Sumter, triggering the Civil War. The Georgia soldier who claimed to have loaded that shot wound up as a captive of Stoneman's Raid:  "You Are the Man Who Caused All This Trouble?" 

 When Confederates tried to justify their rebellion, they often draped their grievances in their forefathers' patriotism.

 Several events in Stoneman's Raid crossed paths with the American Revolution: 

 Remember When N.C. Voted to Save the Union?  As we deal with a polarizing presidency and a fractured society, here's a refreshing history lesson about true patriotism and the rule of law.

 Hunting Jefferson Davis to the Ends of the Earth: The pursuit of the Confederate president intersected several Revolutionary War sites, including Cowpens, S.C. 

 Reasons for the War? How Quickly They Forget: Confederate leaders left no doubt that slavery was the reason for secession, while side-stepping the Jeffersonian ideal that "all men are created equal."

 Tear it Down? Or Can We Reconcile With It? A case study from Anderson, S.C.,  reveals how we might deal with Confederate monuments.

 Greenville Mule Gets Yankee's Goat: The daughter of a Revolutionary hero, Capt. Billy Young, saw one of Stoneman's Raiders humiliated. 

 Abraham Lincoln and the Horn of Freedom: Speaking of anniversaries, this summer will mark the 74th season of Horn in the West, an outdoor drama in Boone, N.C., that interprets the American Revolution through the legend of Daniel Boone. Horn will be on a limited schedule in 2025, while the theater undergoes renovations.