Musket Balls Fired in Early Revolutionary War Battle Unearthed in Concord

Five musket balls fired by colonial militiamen during one of the first battles of the American Revolution have been unearthed in Concord, Massachusetts. Based on their sizes and markings, archaeologists have determined that they come from the battle associated with the famous “shot heard ’round the world.”

“As soon as they pulled one of them out of the ground, there was kind of a ‘look what I have,’” Jarrad Fuoss, a park ranger and historic weapons specialist, tells Michael Casey of the Associated Press (AP). “The excitement continued to grow because it wasn’t just one,” he adds. “The fact that we found five of them … is incredible all these years later.”

The small lead balls were found in Minute Man National Historical Park near the North Bridge, where American militiamen and British soldiers exchanged fire on April 19, 1775, according to a statement from the National Park Service (NPS).

The night before, hundreds of British soldiers began a march from Boston to Concord, where they hoped to destroy equipment the colonists had assembled for their cause. They reached Lexington first, where they briefly fought a smaller group of colonial militiamen, before continuing to Concord, where British and colonial forces faced off on opposite sides of the North Bridge. The event was later memorialized by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his 1837 poem “Concord Hymn” as “the shot heard ’round the world.”

The events of that day, known as the Battles of Lexington and Concord, spanned 16 miles, killing 96 militiamen and 273 British soldiers. These early clashes marked the beginning of the United States’ fight for independence from Britain.

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“Even if you aren’t into history, this was a moment in time that’s not only a historic moment, but it sets the tone for our new country and this new government and everything that’s happened in the last 249 years,” Nikki Walsh, the museum curator at the park, tells the Washington Post’s Ben Brasch.”

When experts carefully analyzed the five lead balls, they noticed a thick band running around the circumference of each one. These kinds of indentations are formed when a shot is fired from a smooth-bore musket, per the statement. The bands are evidence that the musket balls had been used; they weren’t unused ammo that had been dropped.

Additionally, the musket balls vary in size, which is also evidence that they were made by the colonial militiamen. According to the researchers, the British used musket balls of a standard size. Finally, experts determined that the musket balls—which were discovered intact—had missed their marks.

“That lead is so malleable,” Walsh tells the AP. “If they had been fired and hit something, they would have likely smushed like a pancake.”

These five pieces of ammo aren’t the first Revolutionary War musket balls to be unearthed in Minute Man National Historical Park: About ten years ago, 30 or so were discovered at Parker’s Revenge, where the Lexington militia ambushed the British shortly after the earlier battle, per the AP. In the early 19th century, writer Henry David Thoreau also found a few near the North Bridge battle.

“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,” says Fuoss in another statement from the NPS. “These musket balls can be considered collectively as ‘the shot heard ’round the world,’ and it is incredible that they have survived this long. It is also a poignant reminder that we are all stewards of this battlefield and are here to preserve and protect our shared history.”

Sonja Anderson | READ MORE

Sonja Anderson is a writer and reporter based in New York City.