By the rude bridge that arched the flood
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world
This was the first verse of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Concord Hymn” which was very popular at the time and was inscribed on many standing monuments such as the Battle of Concord memorial and the Minute Man statue.
The “shot heard round the world” was the first shot fired that started the line of fire at the Battle of Lexington.
The beginning of this battle was tense and apprehensive. The American soldiers were told by the British to leave and both sides were commanded by their officers to hold fire. Eventually the “shot heard round the world” was fired by a nervous unknown soldier which broke the silence and caused the British troops to fire which started the battle. The Americans were all driven away by the British forces, but the British were not winning; they were soon attacked by a militia over the countryside and many soldiers were killed and injured. The battle of Lexington was of the major battles of the revolutionary wars.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882
1803-1882