Minute Man National Historical Park recently announced the discovery of five musket balls that are believed to have been fired by provincial militia soldiers on April 19, 1775, in what was later coined as “The Shot Heard Round the World.” The musket balls were discovered in an area of the park where British soldiers gathered to resist a river crossing. According to analysis of the musket balls, they were fired from the opposite side of the river, not dropped while reloading. The fighting at North Bridge in Concord, though brief, was a pivotal moment in the battles of Lexington and Concord. Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his 1837 “Concord Hymn,” deemed the battle “The Shot Heard Round the World” because of how it escalated the conflict. The archaeologists who uncovered the musket balls were surveying an area along the Concord River for a future Great American Outdoors Act project. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/eNs_egpW Image 1: One of the five musket balls archaeologists discovered in Concord’s Minute Man National Historical Park. Image 2: Archeologist holding musket ball. #america #massachusetts #minuteman #nationalparks #america250 #archeology #discovery #musketball
I was there today! The event was great and getting to see the actual musket balls was very cool. The team there answered all of our questions with such detail. Appreciate all of their effort!
Is there a paper on the method and explanation to determine fired vs unfired musket ball at this site? Modern projectiles are typically easy to determine fired vs unfired from just visual inspection. I don't see what I would think of as impacted and deformed projectile fired on a ballistic trajectory. Not questioning the importance of the find, genuinely curious and interested in the analysis.
That’s pretty cool!!!
Cool. Been there, so I have a mental image of the location.
"I'm just like my country I'm young, scrappy and hungry and I'm not throwin' away my shot!"
It looks like metal detectors were used. Another great application of the technology!
National Park Service This is so interesting. I have always been interested in archaeological sites.
Now you are in my neighborhood! More musket than moose 🫎, and just as awesome! Everybody read Bunker Hill by Nathaniel Philbrick! You're welcome! And Happy Saturday from the Cape Cod National Seashore! 😁🇺🇸
Learn more about careers in archeology at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/archeology/index.htm