Battle Road 2000 - The 225th

April 14 - 17, 2000

Our Heritage Through Living History

Battle Road
Committee

Lexington Minute Men

2nd Massachusetts Regiment

4th Middlesex Regiment/85ème Régiment de Saintonge

1st Foot Guards

5th Regiment of Foot

10th Regiment of Foot

 

Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here. -Captain Parker

Whoever looks upon them as an irregular mob will find himself much mistaken, they have men amongst them who know very well what they are about. -Lord Percy

 

Xxx Xxxxx, Chairman
xx Xxxx Xx
Xxxx, XX xxxxx
(xxx) xxx-xxxx
xxxxx@xxx.xxx

Information for Reenactors

This is the Web site for participants in the Battle Road 2000 event, a reenactment and celebration of the 225th anniversary of the Battle Road, the fight between Provincial militia and British Regulars as the Regulars marched out to Concord and retreated, on the 19th of April, 1775, in the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. (If you are a member of the general public interested in attending Battle Road 2000, please visit the Lexington 2000 Commission Web site.)

Battle Road 2000 is being run by the Battle Road Committee in cooperation with the Lexington 2000 Commission.

What's Hot

  • Aug 21, 2000: This Web site will be left in place indefinitely, but it has been edited to remove unnecessary information. I never did get any AARs up; if you're interested, check the RevList archives on eGroups for the Battle Road weekend and following days. If people send me more pictures, I'll put 'em up, but rather I suspect that what's there now is all there'll ever be.
  • Apr 13, 2000: Thank you, everyone, for all your hard work in getting ready for this year's Battle Road reenactment, which is going to be the best ever!!! Have a wonderful time!!!!!
  • Apr 6, 2000: Last minute check list for Saturday.

Contents

Participants

See the Participants page, or jump directly to a subsection:

Schedule

See the Schedule page.

Mailings

Mailout #1: 24 September 1999
Request for invitation to participate

Mailout #2: 31 January 2000
Main mailing

Crown mailing
The mailing is on the 10th Foot site.

Mailout #3: 30 March 2000
Main mailing
Starting schedule for Saturday, April 15th

Guidelines

Resources To Help You Prepare

Clothing and Accoutrements

Information for reenactors for assembling appropriate clothing and accoutrements for Battle Road can be found at the Battle Road Clothing and Accoutrements Web site.

Time's a-wastin', and if you're in a desperate hurry to pull your kit together for Battle Road, maybe you can find some help at I'm a Little Short on....

As promised at the Buckman muster day: How to make a cap.

If you're feeling ambitious, and want to do more than you have to, to follow the guidelines, see I'm Long On... at the Battle Road Clothing and Accoutrements site. For answers to frequently asked questions about clothing, see the FAQ.

Interpreters

The current version of the Battle Road 2000 Interpreters Materials are available in Adobe Acrobat format. Instructions for installing Adobe Acrobat Reader are given on the interpreters' page. These materials will be revised and updated from time to time, so you should check this site occasionally. If you are a registered interpreter, you will receive email notices when the interpreters materials are updated.

Weather

See the current Concord weather report. As of Thursday morning the report was Fri: highs in the 50s or 60s; Sat: highs in the 60s; Sun: ditto, possible showers; near or below freezing each night. But this is New England so you never know.

About the weather in April in New England: Although the Old Farmer's Almanac predicts warm and dry weather, the weather in New England can change very quickly. During the same four days in 1998 the low was about 40 degrees and the high was 65 degrees. The weather can vary. See also The Weather; April 19th, 1775 by Alex Cain of the Lexington Minutemen. For information on how to keep warm, see Clothing Guidelines: Keeping Warm and Battle Road Clothing and Accoutrements.

History

See the History page.

Encampment

The encampment will be on Lincoln Fields, a group of athletic fields in Lexington. This location has easy access off the Route 95/128 highway, and is within walking distance of some of the battle sites, a supermarket, and Lexington Green.

Amenities: The BRC will provide ice in camp and access to showers on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. You will have to check at the registration tent for details. Sutlers will be located within the encampment. On Saturday morning starting at 4 am and on Sunday morning starting at 7 am, canteen trucks in the encampment will sell hot coffee and some breakfast items to participants departing for the days' actions. Some sutlers will be open on Saturday morning before the buses depart, selling smocks, farmer's boots, and perhaps shortgowns and caps to help people meet the clothing guidelines.

Map: See this area map showing locations of encampment, highway exit, MM Voc Tech, etc.

Camp guidelines: See the Quartermaster's Rules.

Area Information

Transportation

To/from the event
See the driving directions:
Saturday ("the Battle Road")
See the starting schedule for Saturday. Once you have joined the event according to the starting schedule, you will be bused or will march from site to site. Interpreters, by prior arrangement with Xxx Xxxxx or Xxx Xxxxx, can join the event at lunchtime. Campfollowers who stay in the encampment for the morning can walk to afternoon events in Lexington Center (Hastings Park, Mass. Ave., and Tower Park).
Parking: Participants staying at the encampment should park at the participant parking at the Bridge School. Participants arriving Saturday morning should park at the Minuteman Vocational Technical High School ("the Vo Tech").
Are you, or your local friends, thinking of driving along the route and following the events? Think again. Park at the public parking at Hartwell Ave., Lexington, and take the public buses. See the spectator map of the Battle Road, which includes the public bus schedule.
Other days
Except for Saturday, you should be able to walk and drive around the area pretty easily, and parking should be, well, not plentiful, but generally available.

Hotels

For those who are interested (and it can be cold) there is a special rate at the following hotels. I suggest calling between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to get the local reservations people; the national reservations folks do not necessarily know anything. Mention it is for the Battle Road event.

  1. Xxxx Xxxx
    xx Xxxx Xx
    Xxxx, XX xxxxx
    Tel: (xxx) xxx-xxxx

    There is supposedly limited availablity on the rooms at this location.

  2. Xxxx Xxxx
    xx Xxxx Xx
    Xxxx, XX xxxxx
    (xxx) xxx-xxxx

Maps

Local Attractions

See Local attractions: other things to do and see while in the Boston area for Battle Road.

Shopping

There will be 27 sutlers at the encampment purveying a wonderful variety of authentic reenacting gear (along with the usual tourist tchotchkies, so shop wisely). If you want modern shopping, the encampment is within walking distance of Lexington Center and a supermarket.

Publicity

Battle Road in the news:

The Boston Globe

Special Town Online spread on Patriot's Day
Patriot's Day: A guide to Patriot Massachusetts

Boston Herald
Patriots Day 2000: Reenactments on grand scale celebrate dawn of American independence, Sunday, April 9, 2000

Lexington Minuteman articles from Lexington Town Online

FAQ

See the FAQ page.

Pictures

See the Pictures page.

Other Events

The Lexington 2000 Commission is sponsoring A Time Trip to the Eighteenth Century on Friday which the BRC encourages you to participate in. For details and to participate, contact the event sponsor.

Lexington 2000 is also sponsoring assorted ceremonies such as rededications and non-18th century reenactments; see their Web site for details.

Other Sites

Lost and Found

The Lost and Found has expired.

Last updated: 1 May 2000

Webmaster: Sue Felshin