The exact origin of the word “Yankee” is obscure, but by the 1770s it referred to the English colonists, particularly New Englanders. A “doodle” was a silly person or country bumpkin. “Yankee Doodle” was a well-known song in the New England colonies before the battles of Lexington and Concord, but only after the skirmishes there was it appropriated by the American militia. Tradition holds that the colonials began to sing the tune as they forced the British back to Boston on April 19, 1775. Troops under the command of Brigadier General Hugh Percy played “Yankee Doodle” as they marched from Boston to reinforce British soldiers already fighting the Americans at Lexington and Concord. Whether sung or played on that occasion, the tune’s martial air was intended to deride the colonials.
There are numerous conflicting accounts of the origin of “Yankee Doodle.” Some credit its melody to an English air; others to Irish, Dutch, Hessian, Hungarian, and Pyrenean tunes; or to a New England jig. Its first American verses are attributed to British military surgeon Dr. Richard Schackburg. Tradition holds that Schackburg penned his lyrics in 1755 while attending a wounded prisoner of the French and Indian War at the home of the Van Rensselaer family.  “Yankee Doodle’s” catchy tune has been adapted and expanded numerous times. It is documented that the Americans sang the following verse at Bunker Hill:
During the time that George Washington received his commission and took command of the nascent Continental Army on Cambridge Common, additional verses evolved and were incorporated. And there was Captain Washington,And gentlefolks about him,They say he’s grown so tarnal proud, By 1777, “Yankee Doodle” had become an unofficial American anthem. Following General John Burgoyne‘s surrender of British troops to the Continental Army on October 17, 1777, British officer Thomas Anburey wrote of the Yankees. “Yankee Doodle” is also said to have been played at Yorktown, along with “The World Turned Upside Down,” when Lord Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington at the end of the war. After the Revolutionary War, “Yankee Doodle” surfaced in stage plays, classical music, and opera. The writer, producer, and composer George M. Cohan adapted “Yankee Doodle” for his Broadway play Little Johnny Jones, the story of an American jockey who goes to England to win a derby. A portion of Cohan’s 1904 play was incorporated into the biographical 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy staring James Cagney as Cohan, and again into the 1955 movie The Seven Little Foys starring Bob Hope and Cagney. [Eddie Foy (1854-1928) was a vaudevillian who performed with his seven children.] “Yankee Doodle. “U.S. Navy Band, Great Lakes, IL (performer). Patriotic Melodies. Music Division
Battle on Lexington Green: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War: picture by William Barnes Wollen The previous battle in the British Battles sequence is the Battle of Quebec 1759 The next battle of the American Revolutionary War is the Battle of Bunker Hill Return to the American Revolutionary War index Battle: Lexington and Concord War: American Revolution Date of the Battle of Lexington and Concord: 19th April 1775 Battle on Lexington Green: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War: picture by John Fawkes Place of the Battle of Lexington and Concord: Boston, Massachusetts Combatants at the Battle of Lexington and Concord: British Troops and the Militia of Massachusetts Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith, British commander at the Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War: picture by Francis Cotes Generals at the Battle of Lexington and Concord: Colonel Smith, Major Pitcairn and Lord Percy commanded the British Troops. Paul Revere and William Dawes rode to warn the villages on the route to Concord and the Congress. Militia were commanded by Barrett, Buttrick, Robinson and many others. Size of the armies at the Battle of Lexington and Concord: 1,800 British. American numbers are unknown. Uniforms, arms and equipment at the Battle of Lexington and Concord: The British were armed with muskets and bayonets. Some light guns were used. The American militia were armed with muskets, blunderbusses and any weapons they could find. Winner of the Battle of Lexington and Concord: The British suffered extensive loss. The Americans considered the contest an encouraging start to the war. British Regiments at the Battle of Lexington and Concord: Map of the British route to Concord: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War: map by John Fawkes Account of the Battle of Lexington and Concord: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War: picture by by Charles Henry Granger British Marines: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War Acting on orders from the British Government in London, General Gage decided to send a force to seize the weapons and ammunition held by the Congress in the armoury at Concord, some 15 miles from Boston. Lieutenant-Colonel Smith was dispatched with the grenadier and light infantry companies from each of the regiments in the garrison. Boston was sealed overnight to prevent word being passed of the departure of the force, which was rowed across the harbour late on the night of 18th April 1775 to Charles River. The troops landed and began the march, but the sound of bells ringing showed that the countryside had been alerted. Paul Revere’s ride calling ‘The British are coming’: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War Paul Revere and William Dawes escaped from Boston and rode through the villages on the route to Concord warning the inhabitants, shouting as they rode ‘The British are coming.’ Lieutenant-Colonel Smith sent, in advance of his main body, a force of light infantry under Major Pitcairn to secure the bridges at Concord. Pitcairn entered Lexington to find a body of militia drawn up on the village green. Shots were fired in which 18 Americans were hit and the militia dispersed. The troops marched on to Concord where the British destroyed such supplies as had not been removed. In the meantime, American militia attacked a body of light Infantry on one of the bridges in Concord and drove them back. Attack on Concord: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War: picture by Amos Doolittle Battle on Lexington Green: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War: picture by Amos Doolittle Smith’s troops then began the march back to Boston, shot at from hidden positions by American militia along the route, until they met Percy’s relieving force and the whole force withdrew into Boston. On the route British soldiers burned and looted houses of the colonials. In one or two cases colonial militia caught with weapons were summarily executed. Major Pitcairn enters Lexington: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War The British force was extracted through the initiative of Lord Percy, who, on finding the bridge at Cambridge blocked by the American Colonial Militia, took the British force east to Charlestown on Boston Harbour, from where they were conveyed to Boston by Royal Navy boats. Battle on Lexington Green: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War Casualties at the Battle of Lexington and Concord: The British Regiments suffered 19 officers and 250 soldiers killed and wounded. The American losses did not exceed 90 men. Fight on the North Bridge in Concord: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War: picture by Amos Doolittle Follow-up to the Battle of Lexington and Concord: The British force achieved its aim of destroying much of the build-up of arms and ammunition at Concord, but the harrying of the troops along the route of their return march and the way they were bundled back into Boston was considered by both sides to be a reverse for the British. British retreat: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War: picture by Amos Doolittle from eyewitness accounts This success encouraged the spirit of revolt across the American colonies and was the immediate cause of New York being seized for the revolution. A strong force of Americans moved spontaneously to Boston and invested the city, this force being eventually formed into Washington’s Continental Army. Anecdotes and traditions from the Battle of Lexington and Concord:
First shots on Lexington Green: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War References for the Battle of Lexington and Concord: History of the British Army by Sir John Fortescue The War of the Revolution by Christopher Ward Fight for Concord Bridge: Battle of Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 American Revolutionary War: picture by by Alonzo Chapell The previous battle in the British Battles sequence is the Battle of Quebec 1759 The next battle of the American Revolutionary War is the Battle of Bunker Hill Return to the American Revolutionary War index |
When did the battle of lexington and concord end
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