The American Revolutionary War kicked off nearly 250 years ago with the "shot heard 'round the world," the first peals of musket fire that began an seven-year-long war and ended with the establishment of the United States. Archaeologists working in the area just uncovered what could be that very ammunition.
The National Park Service shared in a statement that NPS archaeologists recently found five musket balls they've linked to the consequential Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. They were found at the North Bridge site in Minute Man National Historical Park and the team determined through their analysis that the musket balls "were fired by colonial militia members at British forces during the North Bridge fight."
"The North Bridge battle site in Concord, Massachusetts is a key location within Minute Man [National Historical Park] and marks the moment when provincial militia leaders ordered members to fire upon their own government’s soldiers for the first time," the agency explained. That three-minute skirmish was eventually dubbed "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his 1837 poem "Concord Hymn" about the famous fight.
The location of the discovery played a key part in confirming these small pieces of ammo were fired on that fateful day. "The musket balls were found in an area where, according to contemporary accounts, British soldiers formed up to resist the river crossing," the NPS said. "Further analysis of the musket balls indicates that each one was fired from the opposite side of the river and not dropped during the process of reloading."
"It’s incredible that we can stand here and hold what amounts to just a few seconds of history that changed the world almost 250 years ago,” Minute Man National Historical Park ranger Jarrad Fuoss said of the find. "These musket balls can be considered collectively as 'The Shot Heard 'Round the World,' and it is incredible that they have survived this long."
If you're in the area and would like to see them for yourself, the five musket balls will be on display at Minute Man National Historical Park on July 13.
