In the Concord Hymn, Emerson wrote a moving and effective memorial for the citizen militia who a generation or so before had defended the North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts and repulsed multiple assaults by larger British forces to delay those soldiers so that their efforts to seize colonial armories could be thwarted. Emerson isn't my favorite poet, but his connection to that place and time gave him a special perspective on the events at Concord and the first verse of the hymn is particularly good at summing up the commitment and accomplishment of those few, brave men.
| The Concord Hymn
By the rude bridge that arched the flood, The foe long since in silence slept; On this green bank, by this soft stream, Spirit, that made those heroes dare |
Those 'embattled farmers' were just the common men of the time, willing to take up arms and defend their homes and their rights against an oppressive enemy with superior forces, superior training and superior firepower. Outgunned and outmanned, they could not be outfought. The very land they stood on gave them strength because they fought to defend their homes and for no gain or glory or king's coin.
The 'shot heard round the world' which was fired by their rifles in defiance of the British government was truly remarkable, because armies around the world had fallen before those supremely disciplined troops in their red uniforms and yet driven primarily by issues of principle, these simple men were willing to stand up to the lead wall of the volleys of trained British muskets and offer their lives if necessary 'to die, and leave their children free'.
Others in America and around the world heard that shot and answered its call and came to offer themselves to the cause of freedom. Some came great distances to fight for principle on behalf of people they had never met, like Casimir Pulaski and Wilhelm von Steuben — enemies in the continental wars of Frederick the Great who fought on the same side for America. Others came to share their ideas and leadership, like Thomas Paine who served best with his pen rather than his sword.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Lumpy
Hell, instead of fireworks let's all take our guns out and fire them in the air like they do in the middle east. We can still have guns, right?
2 - Dave Nalle
You might want to make sure they're loaded with blanks. I sometimes fire off black powder pistols without balls on the 4th. Much fun.
Dave
3 - Clavos
Hell, instead of fireworks let's all take our guns out and fire them in the air like they do in the middle east.
They do that here in Miami every holiday, and not with blanks, either.
People get killed by falling rounds fairly often.
Scares the crap out of me.
4 - Clavos
Dave,
Your article beautifully expresses the real significance of the day.
Thank you.
"Freedom is not free."
Indeed.
5 - JP
I'm not a fan of the "freedom is not free" cliche, but you have a good overall point--and if even one or two readers were moved to be more conscious of oil consumption or to pay closer attention to politics by virtue of your writing, that'd be a good result.
6 - RJ Elliott
Good article, Dave. Happy 4th!
7 - Dave Nalle
Yes, I know the article is loaded with cliches. That's the nature of the beast. I've got another 4th of July article, but I'm on the road and probably won't be able to post it until tomorrow.
Rather cool stuff. We went and saw a CAF B-17 bomber and I got some cool photos.
Dave
8 - Clavos
We went and saw a CAF B-17 bomber and I got some cool photos.
Dave, A CAF B17 used to be parked at SAT airport back in the early 90s, when I worked there--is that the one you saw?
9 - Dave Nalle
There are supposedly 6 of them, but this one is called 'Sentimental Journey" and has a picture of Betty Grable on the side as well. Let me tell you, getting my 6'2" 250lb self through the various parts of the plane on our tour was no picnic.
BTW, did you know the CAF is now the 'commemorative' AF instead of the 'confederate' AF? News to me.
Dave
10 - Clavos
Nope, I didn't--when did that happen? I guess Confederate isn't PC enough these days.
Can't remember the name on the one in SAT, but don't think that was it. I DO remember thinking as I crawled through that it was no place for claustrophobics.
Fun stuff, tho.
11 - Dave Nalle
The UnPC issue was how they explained it when I asked today. Not sure how long the change has been in place for. Another example of our society blanding down.
Dave
12 - Bliffle
"Hell, instead of fireworks let's all take our guns out and fire them in the air like they do in the middle east.
They do that here in Miami every holiday, and not with blanks, either.
People get killed by falling rounds fairly often."
Redwood City, with a large mexican community, mostly illegal, used to have that problem, but the police installed an acoustic triangulation system that pinpoints discharged guns. Stopped it dead. Year 'round.
13 - The Right Stiff
I don't see the problem so long as you aim your gun so the parabola ends on the house of a democrat.
14 - Michael J. West
I liked this very much. You hear a lot about remembering the true meaning of the holiday, but it was nifty to read one about the true meaning of 4th-of-July fireworks. "The rocket's red glare" indeed.
15 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Well written piece, Dave. I might have appreciated it more if I were still selling whoppers in St. Paul instead of my writing here...
16 - Dave Nalle
You were a candy salesman, Ruvy?
dave
17 - troll
save your love for the dancing shadows on the cave's walls...the abstract is a cold mistress
further - I reject the author's premiss: *we're never done spilling that blood and paying that price.*
'freedom' based on murder isn't freedom - it's solipsism
and change is possible...it's a matter of individual free choice
troll
18 - Dave Nalle
Troll, who said anything about murder?
There are plenty of other circumstances under which blood can be spilled in the defense of liberty, and I was referring more to the blood of martyrs to the cause of liberty than anything else.
Dave
19 - gonzo marx
i've been slightly Wondering who the "we" is?
certainly those who think "patriotism" is putting yellow ribbon magnets on their cars don't count as "minutemen"?
but i digress
Excelsior?
20 - Dave Nalle
I'm not sure the yellow ribbon magnets have anything to do with patriotism. That's a different agenda alltogether, I suspect.
As for who 'we' is, it's all of us who care enough to keep this Republic free. You can be part of that group or not as you choose.
Dave
21 - troll
Dave - I understood what you were saying about those bloody martyrs and was indicating the (inseparable) 'other side of the coin'
and my use of 'murder' was drama - the rejection of hairsplitting
troll
22 - MCH
"As for who 'we' is, it's all of us who care enough to keep this Republic free. You can be part of that group or not as you choose."
- Dave Nalle
Oh, you mean the group who believes wars are won and the Republics freedom is preserved by typing hundreds of thousands of rhetorical words on a blogroll from the safety of their keyboard?
I'll choose to avoid that group.
No doubt we'd all be speaking with heavy British accents if the original minutemen were anything like the author, ie, choosing to avoid action by hiding out in their fenced compounds .
23 - gonzo marx
now now MCH...i give credit to those who follow the Paine example...
each does what they can
but i do tend to give more credence to those willing to Sacrifice...
that olde "my Life, my Fortune and my sacred Honor" bit holds more weight for me
but i'll not denigrate any who are willing to do more than just stick a magnet on their car and then bitch
your mileage may vary
Excelsior?
24 - Dave Nalle
I'll choose to avoid that group.
Strange how you show up here again and again anyway, with nothing positive to contribute. Just providing a pointless distraction seems even more useless than trying to sway a few hearts and minds with 'hundreds of thousands of rhetorical words'.
dave
25 - gonzo marx
well, there does need to be some counterpoint to a few of the ideological opposites who do the same, but without the core message that MCH hammers on
and i know you know the ones i mean
Excelsior?