Book Review: The First 24 Hours of the American Revolution, Jack Darrell Crowder

Book Review: The First 24 Hours of the American Revolution, Jack Darrell Crowder, 2018, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD.

 I really enjoyed reading this book about the first hours of the Revolution. Growing up in Lexington, I watched the annual Patriots Day Parade, occasionally getting up early enough to watch the re-enactment. Of course it was something we learned about in school with all that history at our doorstep, including 18^th century homes and taverns to tour. I used to imagine what it would be like to have the men folk in your home rush off in the wee hours prepared for battle, watching from your house as the Red Coats marched by praying they would not stop and enter your home, and hearing or even watching the battle. As an adult, I didn’t think very much about the Revolutionary War until I discovered multiple ancestors who served in the war, which piqued my interest.

Crowder does a nice job in just 126 pages of summarizing what occurred in those vital first hours of the war. The illustrated 8 x 10 softcover book is divided into these chapters:

The British March and the Alarm is Given

Alarms Given to Other Towns in the Area

The Battle of Lexington

The Battle of Concord

Battle Road from Concord to Lexington

Battle Road from Lexington to Boston

Back to Boston

Losses

Propaganda of Lexington and Concord

It’s riveting to read about the bravery of men from young teens to men in their prime to elderly, eager to fight for the freedom of the country. I love the story of one man of about 78 years of age named Samuel Whittemore who, despite his age and physical infirmities, leaves his farm to join the fray. He kills one and wounds two other soldiers before he is shot in the face, beaten and bayonetted multiple times. A doctor feels he will soon die and not worth tending to, but he is encouraged to dress Samuel’s wounds. Not only did Samuel survive that day, he went on to live another 18 years!

This book is available to purchase from Genealogical Publishing Company which provided me with a copy to review.