The Unique Lexington Minute Men
L E A R N A B O U T L E X I N G T O N
M y husband joined the Minute Men for the social aspects in 1964. Many Armed Forces veterans signed up at that time, and they ate, drank, and marched happily. Their wives and children were often outfitted in period clothing and joined in many activities.
History was not the focal point at that time, which is a major change from today. What is unique about today’s Lexington Minute Men is that upon joining the Company, they are assigned to portray one of the 77 Minute Men in Captain John Parker’s company.
PATRIOTS’ DAY The Lexington Minute Men first reenacted this momentous skirmish on the Battle Green in 1875, when President Ulysses S. Grant came to town. That was the year the Lexington Minute Men adopted their buff and blue uniforms – similar to what they wear today. In 1971, anticipating the battle’s bicentennial, the Lexington Minute Men held a reenactment during the day. Since then, the annual battle reenactments start at dawn — as the actual events did in 1775 – and we can all feel that fear as the Redcoats toward the Green.
THE MINUTE MEN Seventy-seven members of the Lexington militia stood together on April 19, 1775. Many were third- or fourth-generation Americans. Most were over 30, and twenty were veterans of earlier wars, where they learned the guerrilla tactics they would use later that day. Their forty-five-year-old captain, John Parker, was one of those veterans, a farmer and father of seven.
Although we call them the Minute Men today, Lexington never officially had Minute Men. The town maintained a militia, which could be deployed “in a minute’s notice.” These men fought in their everyday clothes and used their own weapons.
The company was re-chartered in 1874 before the Centennial and President Ulysses S. Grant’s visit. In May 5, 1910, Massachusetts Governor Eben S. Draper established the Minute Men as an independent, unattached military command in Massachusetts and they were permanently reactivated in 1910 as one of the Historic Military Commands in the Centennial Legions.
UNIQUE INDIVIDUALIZED PORTRAYALS
When someone is elected to be the Captain of the Lexington Minute Men, he takes on the role of Captain John Parker for his term in office. James Lee says, “A real moment of understanding of what the men of Parker’s Company faced is when the smoke clears, and eight men lie dead on Lexington Common. That is followed by a feeling of pride when later that day Parker rallied his men, some who were wounded that morning, to march to the Lexington town line and engage the retreating British troops at Parker’s Revenge.”
Jim Robert, the current archivist, says, “As far as I know, we are the only unit where each member who attends the re-enactment has an actual character they can research and identify with. When we speak with the public, we not only have in-depth knowledge of our character’s background but what may have motivated him to do what he did!
“An eerie silence prevails the morning of Patriots’ Day as we listen for the ‘Regulars’ fifes & drums as they come up Massachusetts Ave. Not only is the Company silent and waiting, but the thousands of spectators are also silent with the only noise coming from the birds. This for me is when I know I am in the ancient moment that I have experienced 37 times before!”
Every Patriots’ Day, Charlie Price becomes Prince Estabrook, a slave in the Estabrook family, and a foot soldier in the Lexington militia. Although the law of the time may have prevented him from training with the militia, Prince Estabrook was among those who stood on the green on April 19, 1775, and was one of the nine soldiers wounded in the battle; he was shot in the left shoulder. Back in action about two months later, he guarded the headquarters of the newly formed Continental Army in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After the war, Prince Estabrook returned to Lexington a free man.
Prince Estabrook was actually one of several black men in the company although he was the only slave on the Green that day. Price said he is proud to play Estabrook and hopes it brings awareness to history.” Most people don’t know there was slavery here in Massachusetts,” he said.
Incoming Captain Steve Cole comments, “As a member of the Lexington Minute Men, we have the privilege of honoring and portraying the first veterans of the United States of America. When we muster on the Common on the dawn of Patriots’ Day and hear the drums of the Regulars getting closer, it is impossible not to have a sense of how the men of Captain Parker’s Company felt that morning. Our hope is that we can educate everyone that comes to watch any of our living history events and give them a sense of what it felt like during that time.”
Steve’s father carried him to his first reenactment when he was eight months old. They continued that tradition over the years. Steve started playing the drum at age 11 with the hope that someday he would join the Lexington Minute Men and be able to portray William Diamond. In 1996, at the age of 18, he joined the Lexington Minute Men, and his dream came true.
When Parker ordered Diamond to sound the “assembly,” summoning the Lexington militia onto the Common that morning, Diamond was working as an apprentice wheelwright to Thomas Fessenden, one of the wealthiest men in Lexington. Diamond was also present with his drum at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Cole comments, “Fifty years from my death, no one may remember me, but we want the memory of these patriots to remain alive forever.”
Dr. Barry Cunha, a lifelong Lexingtonian, is Lieutenant Tidd, whose military career began on the Lexington Green when he was 38. Cunha says, “One of our main goals is to promote patriotism, and so we love speaking to school children and adults alike about the significance of April 19, 1775, and how we need to remember the importance of that event. I feel a need to make people realize how fragile our democracy is, and only through constant remembering and reflection can we hope to keep it alive.”
MEMBERSHIP
To become a Minute Man, you must be at least 18 and physically fit. The Lexington Minute Men reenacted the battle that morning and then marched the 2-mile parade route. You must enjoy history, like to appear in uniform, and enjoy marching and reenacting major moments in American history.
Their stated mission says, “From those who first fell on Lexington Green, to the heroes of today, we hope to continue telling the story of American Independence. “Through school visits, reenactments, and speaking engagements, the Lexington Minute Men keep alive the memory of our country’s founding. They have marched in the inaugural parades of Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. They have also served as honor guard during the Bicentennial visits of President Gerald Ford and Queen Elizabeth, as well as numerous Massachusetts governors.
They attend many local events in New England and travel to various historical sites yearly, including Fort Ticonderoga, Quebec City, and Yorktown. Each February, the members vote on what events to attend for the year. For more information, visit. https://www.lexingtonminutemen.com