Meriam's Corner is a historic

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

site associated with the revolution's first battle, the 1775

battles of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concor ...

. It is located, on the former

Battle Road Battle Road, formerly known as the Old Concord Road and the Bay Road, is a historic road in Massachusetts, United States. It was formerly part of the main road connecting Lexington, Lincoln and Concord, three of the main towns involved in ...

, at the junction of today's Lexington Road and Old Bedford Road in

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the confl ...

, and is named for the Meriam family, who lived there. The

Nathan Meriam House The Nathan Meriam House is a historic American Revolutionary War site associated with the revolution's first battle, the 1775 battles of Lexington and Concord. Built around 1705, it stands on Old Bedford Road, near its intersection with Lexingto ...

still stands beside Old Bedford Road and forms part of Meriam's Corner itself. Both the house and Meriam's Corner are part of the

Minute Man National Historic Park Minute Man National Historical Park commemorates the opening battle in the American Revolutionary War. It also includes the Wayside, home in turn to three noted American authors. The National Historical Park is under the jurisdiction of the Nat ...

. Three of the Meriam family's homes stood here in 1775, the other two belonging to Josiah Meriam, brother of Nathan, and their nephew John.''Meriam House''
Minute Man National Historical Park, Concord, Massachusetts, p. 3 In the early afternoon of April 19, 1775, it was the site of the first offensive between the

British regulars {{no footnotes, date=August 2015 Commonly used to describe the Napoleonic era British foot soldiers, the British Regulars were known for their distinct red uniform and well-disciplined combat performance. Known famously in British folklore as the ' ...

, who were retreating from Concord to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

,"The Battle Road Trail"
–

and the

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

militia. The regulars had made the reverse journey that morning, with the first defensive conflict of that journey having being in the dawn hours on

Lexington Common The Lexington Battle Green, also known as Lexington Common, is the historic town common of Lexington, Massachusetts, United States. It was at this site that the opening shots of the Battles of Lexington and Concord were fired on April 19, 1775, s ...

. A stone marking the nearby burial site of at least one of the two British soldiers killed during the skirmish stands on the western side of Old Bedford Road, near to the junction with Lexington Road. Another stone marker, installed in 1885 in the wall at the apex of the corner, reads:

Redcoats' retreat to Boston

Lieutenant Colonel

Francis Smith Francis Smith may refer to: Government and politics *Francis Smith (by 1516-1605), member of parliament (MP) for Truro (UK Parliament constituency), Truro and Stafford (UK Parliament constituency), Stafford *Francis Smith, 2nd Viscount Carringto ...

, concerned about the safety of his men, sent flankers to follow a ridge and protect his forces from the roughly one thousand colonials now in the field as the British marched east out of Concord. This ridge ended near Meriam's Corner, a crossroads about a mile (2 km) outside the village of Concord, where the main road came to a narrow bridge across Elm Brook, a tributary of Mill Brook. To cross the bridge, the British had to pull the flankers back into the main column and close ranks to a mere three soldiers abreast. Colonial militia companies arriving from the north and east had converged at this point and presented a clear numerical advantage over the regulars. The British were now witnessing once again what General

Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army general officer and colonial official best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as British commander-in-chief in the early days of the ...

had hoped to avoid by dispatching the expedition in secrecy and in the dark of night: the ability of the colonial militiamen to rise and converge by the thousands when British forces ventured out of Boston. As the last of the British column marched over the bridge, the British rear guard wheeled and fired a volley at the colonial militiamen, who had been firing irregularly and ineffectively from a distance but now had closed to within musket range.Both the British and the local militias were armed with smooth-bore muskets that had an effective range of aimed fire of only 80-100 yards (75-90 m), although the musket ball could have serious effect at a greater distance, if it happened by chance to hit a person. There is no record that any soldiers on either side were armed with longer-range, more accurate rifles. Dr. Benjamin Church, a member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and the Committee of Safety, informed General Gage in March 1775, that the colonial militiamen "from their adroitness in the habitual use of the firelock suppose themselves sure of their mark at a distance of 200 rods". Even if Church meant yards rather than rods (600 feet versus 3300 feet), it is unclear whether he was profoundly ignorant of the capabilities of a musket, was exaggerating in order to mislead Gage (as Church later claimed when accused of being a spy), or was ridiculing the American militiamen. See

Philbrick Philbrick is a locational surname of British origin. An alternative spelling is Philbrook. The surname spread to America when Thomas Philbrick emigrated to Massachusetts in 1633. Retrieved 25 January 2014. The name may refer to: *Clancy Philbrick ( ...

, p. 92, and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

, p. 57-58. On whether Church was a spy, see

, Chapter V. The colonists returned fire, this time with deadly effect. Two regulars were killed and perhaps six wounded, with no colonial casualties. Smith sent out his flanking troops again after crossing the small bridge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meriam's Corner Minute Man National Historical Park

Meriam's Corner Meriam's Corner is a historic American Revolutionary War site associated with the revolution's first battle, the 1775 battles of Lexington and Concord. It is located, on the former Battle Road, at the junction of today's Lexington Road and Old ...

18th century in Boston Concord, Massachusetts 1775 in the Thirteen Colonies Conflicts in 1775 1775 in Massachusetts Military history of New England American Revolutionary War sites in Massachusetts