It’s six o’clock in the morning and you just heard a loud boom pierce the silence as dawn breaks on a crisp spring day in Concord. If you’re new to town you probably just spilled your coffee. But if you’re a longtime resident, you just smile and say to yourself, “the Battery is back.”
The Concord Independent Battery is a symbol of Concord’s rich revolutionary history. Founded in 1804, it is America’s oldest ongoing active horse-drawn artillery unit. Its two six-pound brass cannons are the focal point of the group’s mission; but you may ask where those cannons came from. They trace back to late 1774, when the Massachusetts Committee of Safety ordered several cannons to be secreted out of Boston and hidden from the British in the countryside. In January 1775, the Committee ordered that two brass cannons belonging to the provincial militia be sent to Concord. Several weeks later, Concord’s Town Meeting voted to form an artillery unit. We all know what happened on that fateful day just three months later – April 19, 1775 – when British regulars who had marched to Concord to find the hidden munitions were defeated by minutemen and militias from Concord and surrounding towns at the North Bridge.
The Battery in the 1920s
| Courtesy of the Concord Independent BatteryToday’s Battery got its start in February 1804 as the Concord Artillery when the Massachusetts Senate, in recognition of the tradition of cannons in Concord, resolved to form an artillery unit from citizens of Concord to maintain two brass field pieces. Just eight years later, the Battery was called to active duty in the War of 1812 and sent to guard the entrance to Boston Harbor from British warships. When the war ended, the men of Concord continued to fire the cannons and parade on April 19, starting a tradition that continues today. In 1846 new cannons were commissioned from the Watervliet Arsenal in upstate New York, as the original guns were no longer safe. The new cannons, still used today, bear the same inscription as the originals:
The Legislature of Massachusetts consecrates the names of Major John Buttrick and Captain Isaac Davis, whose valor and example excited their fellow-citizens to a successful resistance of a superior number of British troops at Concord Bridge, the 19th of April, 1775, which was the beginning of a contest in arms that ended in American independence.
Over the years, the State tried several times to retrieve the cannons from Concord. Unwilling to relinquish a key piece of local history and pride, in 1887 the Town Board of Selectmen petitioned the State to give the cannons to the Town. Shortly thereafter, the Legislature granted its request.
The Battery continued to fire salutes at town celebrations and memorials. In 1898, it welcomed home the Concord Company from the Spanish-American War. It has been a regular presence every Memorial Day. Soon after America’s entry into World War II, many Concordians found themselves again serving overseas, which caused the cannons to go silent; but not for long. When the war ended, dedicated veterans reinvigorated the Battery, restoring it to full engagement in Town ceremonies. The Battery admitted women as Active Members in 1993 and incorporated as a nonprofit historical organization in 1999.
Heywood Street, April 18, 2022
| Courtesy of the Concord Independent BatteryActive members of the Battery train regularly every year to ensure that the cannons are fired safely and correctly. It takes five cannoneers to fire each cannon, plus a captain to issue commands, a gunner in charge of each gun crew, a timer, and a range safety officer. If you’ve ever stood outside the Old Manse on Patriots’ Day, you’ve heard the captain barking out orders. The gunners echo those commands, which prompt the cannoneers to action. The movements of the cannoneers are precisely choreographed, each crew member in sync with the others, to prepare the cannons, load, and fire them.
Rain or shine, you will find the volunteers of the Battery responding to the call of the Town’s Public Ceremonies & Celebrations Committee to fire the cannons at Concord’s commemorative observances. At the Patriots’ Day parade – the Battery’s showcase event – the cannons are pulled behind horse-drawn limbers through the streets of Concord, just as they were at the Battery’s inception in 1804. The Battery will also be at the Dawn Salute every April 19, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and at many other patriotic and solemn events.
As its prestige has grown over the years, the Battery has been invited to many tributes outside of Concord. The US Navy asked the Battery to exchange volleys with the USS Constitution – Old Ironsides – at Castle Island, and to fire at the commissioning of the USS Thomas Hudner. The Battery also attended Concord’s 375th anniversary and helped remember the thousands of Americans who perished in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Firing with the USS Constitution at Fort Independence, Boston MA
| Courtesy of the Concord Independent BatteryToday, the Battery’s membership comprises a diverse mix of citizens of Concord and neighboring towns. Many members trace their Battery lineage back to fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and cousins. The pride in being part of the Battery was perhaps best expressed by former Commander Theodore L. Smith who wrote in 1948: “Ever since I can remember the parading and firing of the Battery, the clatter of hoofs, the clanking of chains, the rumble of wheels, the fluttering of the guidon . . . have been for me the most important and thrilling part of Concord celebrations.” That sentiment was true in 1948 and it remains true today.
The Battery cannons still boom regularly through the Concord air to remind us of our ancestors, both in 1775 and in the 248 years since, who gave their lives so that we would be free. As Concord approaches the 250th anniversary of the fight at the North Bridge, the Battery eagerly anticipates joining in the day’s festivities and the chance to again honor those patriotic men and women. We welcome you to join us, both in celebration, and to help perpetuate the existence of the Battery. It is only through the constant renewal of our membership that we are now 219 years old, and as committed as ever. concordbattery.org
