Northern Lights
"Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here" Those words were spoken by Captain John Parker, the militia captain of what is commonly thought of to be Minutemen, but actually were a small detachment from the main body of the Massachusetts Militia. They numbered only seventy seven men and met with an advance guard ahead of the British army who marched towards Lexington on route to Concord. Outnumbering the militia ten to one, Major John Pitcairn in charge of the seven hundred British light infantry was surprised to meet the small opposition from the colonists. He is recalled at ordering them to throw down their arms and disperse back to their homes. While some did just that, most of the seventy seven held true while each side repeated the command to their men to hold fire. It isn't clear who fired first, but a shot rang out and the British responded by firing several volleys into the militia. When the smoke clea...