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

Last Minute Check List for Saturday

  • Water - Water will be stashed along the route, but bring a canteen (or water bottle to hide in a bag and drink from out of sight of spectators) to start the day and to refill along the route.
  • Bag lunch and snacks - You will need to pack lunch along on Saturday unless you are scheduled to eat at the encampment, and you may prefer to eat lunch earlier if you get the chance. It will be a long time between breakfast and lunch, so bring snacks. Bring anything that will keep you going, but if you're looking for packable period food authentic to the season and area, may we suggest dried apples, nuts, sausage, bread (of corn or rye flour), and baked or boiled root vegetables.
  • Money (optional) - 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, caps and other items to help people meet the clothing guidelines. And don't forget there will be 27 sutlers at the encampment all weekend long!
  • Something to carry stuff in: wallet, snapsack, things wrapped in a large handkerchief, "bag" (we don't know what the ubiquitous woman's "bag" looked like, so any plain cloth bag will do), or if you can't manage anything else, a haversack.
  • Men-at-arms: Working musket which will pass safety inspection. Also cartridges, paper only, plain or newspaper, no tape, no staples, no glue.
  • Interpreters: Do you know what battalion you're assigned to?
  • Your name must be on your unit's return, submitted by April 1st.
  • Appropriate clothing and accoutrements:

    (The following guidelines apply on Saturday during the "Battle Road" proper to people who take the field (men-at-arms, field music and officers), massed music, massed music chaperones, and interpreters. They do not apply to campfollowers or to anyone who stays in camp. They do not apply before Saturday morning or after the Saturday events conclude at Tower Park.)

    Everyone must wear clothing appropriate to the Massachusetts Bay area in 1775. Specifically:

    • Everyone must have a sleeved outer garment (smock, coat, sleeved waistcoat, shortgown, bedgown, gown, etc.) No one may be in shirtsleeves.
    • Anyone with inappropriate shoes must have farmer's boots or spatterdashes, or reasonably long petticoats. (Children may wear any inconspicuous footgear with or without farmer's boots, etc.)
    • No fringed and/or open front rifle shirts, no uniforms.
    • No mobcaps.
    • Inappropriate badges and pins must removed from hats and other clothing and gear.
    • No blatant anachronisms such as wristwatches, coonskin caps, crochet shawls, etc.
    • Any outer accoutrements (esp. cartridge boxes/hunting bag) must be period-appropriate.
  • Read the whole military guidelines. There's no shortcut for this, sorry. (Campfollowers don't need to, but we encourage you to, for safety's sake.)
  • Be where you need to be on time. If you miss your bus, you're out of luck. Buses leave when scheduled, so get there a few minutes early. The bus schedule is in the starting schedule for Saturday. You must know whether you are in the First, Second or Third Battalion. To a large degree, all you need to do is show up in the right starting place at the right time and we will take care of you for the rest of the day!
  • Parking - at the designated encampment parking if you're camping; otherwise at Minuteman Voc Tech. If your friends are coming to view the events, tell them to park at Hartwell Avenue and take the public buses - most roads will be no parking, many lots will be closed to the public, and finding a parking place will be like finding a needle in a haystack. Details on the public buses and more info for the public is available at Lexington 2000.
  • Remember, you will need to carry anything that you arrive with throughout the day. Because you will be on several different buses and trucks during the day, you will not be able to leave anything on the bus or truck. You might be able to drop things in the encampment at lunch ... or you might not; it depends on how the day goes. Although it may be chilly first thing in the morning, you may wish to do without (for example) a cloak (for women) or a greatcoat (for men), since it is likely to be warm when the sun comes up. Because the weather in New England in April can be anything from almost Summer-like to nearly Winter-like, you will have to consult the sky, your bones and maybe the radio forecast Friday night or Saturday morning!
  • 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.

Back to BRY2K: Information for Reenactors

Last updated: 13 April 2000

Webmaster: Sue Felshin