NOTE: Transcripts are reproduced by means of electronic transcription. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Bill Mick
It’s our third hour of the Tuesday morning in this 15th of July 2025. Links to Dave Bowman and all of his work there are on the show page at bill.mcdot.comthatpageentitledaiepsteinandtheautopenwecoveredallofthatinourfirstcoupleofhoursyoucanalwayspickthoseupinthepodcastsectiontheyretopofthepage@billmick.com, right next to those Florida Roundtable podcast. By the way, so always available to you, but Dave Bowman making himself available to us on these Tuesdays and in this 8:00 hour brings us, Dave, does history. We’ve been conducting the series Dave has. Called Liberty 250, the March toward the 250th anniversary of the founding of this country, and today, Dave promises to take us to Lexington and Concord. Dave, you mentioned something in the AI Dave Promo from yesterday, which was well done by the way. I like that promo. That there were decisions that people had to make before any of this all happened and you’re pointing to the folks in Lexington and Concord. I’m interested where we’re going today.
Dave Bowman
Well, by the time. We get to April 18th, 1775 after all the stuff we’ve talked about, all the stamp acts and Sugar acts and all the the Boston massacres and tea parties and all of this decade long more than a decade long. Struggle since since the end of the Seven Years War in 1763. And by now. The air in Massachusetts is just thick. I mean it. It is oppressive. It is. Concern. Britain has inflicted, and I use that term specifically, the coercive acts they have shut down. Boston. They have shut down Massachusetts colonial government, and of course, the entire purpose of these laws that they pass is to punish, not to govern. And as a part of this, they have sent to Boston. General Thomas Gage. Who is 1? Of the more unfortunate people in all of history, although I think. He deserves further study and we don’t have time to do it here, but. Thomas Gage is interesting because he is a veteran of the Seven Years War he has served in America. He has lots of friends in America in Boston. And in fact, Bill, he has a wife.
Bill Mick
Who’s from Boston?
Dave Bowman
She knows everybody. She is “Miss Society” when it comes to Boston. She knows all the loyalists. People she knows all the. Patriot people. She’s friends with everyone. And she’s married to the guy that’s in charge. She said, foreshadowing Lily. For over a decade now, the colonies have argued. They petitioned. They’ve written essays. They’ve dumped tea in the water. And the British Parliament has answered with coercive acts laws that were designed to punish, not God. By now, Boston is closed. Town meetings are restricted, government is back. Done away with. It’s it’s like justice. It’s not justice, it’s the. Back of the hand. And Massachusetts, which was once the heart of Puritan resolve, is now under occupation. Military occupation. It feels the full weight. Of the British royal crown. Gage has thousands of troops and he has a single purpose crushed the rebellion before it catches fire. The problem, of course, is that she’s too late. It’s already caught fire. Gage knows that he cannot. He cannot defeat this idea of liberty with soldiers. But he can try to choke it off a little bit. By seizing weapons. So on the night of April 18th. He gives orders. 700 British regulars will March out of Boston in the. The target is the town of Concord. It’s about 20 miles away. The Colonials there have been stock stockpiling. Arms and munitions, which they’ve been buying, by the way, primarily from the Dutch along the way. And they’re actually looking for two. People Sam Adams and John Hancock. They believe that both of them are in nearby Lexington. The king wants these two people caught and basically hung. Gage is trying to walk a really fine line between orders and catastrophe. Buddy figures it’s it’s time to go get this this stuff now, by the way, they’ve been doing this all summer long. They’ve been seizing arm stores all over the area. But of course the colonials are reacting to that, and by now. This large store of arms in Concord becomes the focal point. But of course the word gets out as you. Know. Doctor Joseph Warren, who is one of the leading patriots. We don’t talk much about him, but we’ll get. Into him a little. Bit later, he’s the guy that. Has ears everywhere. He’s one of the most prominent people in Boston, though he is. Doctor Warren is one of those people.
Dave Bowman
Everybody knows, including, by the way, his good friend. Margaret Gage. Doctor Warren, quote UN quote, finds out. About the plan to seize the the conquered Armory. We don’t know how we found out. Nobody knows for sure. Well, we can guess. He just.
Bill Mick
The Boston Girl married to the guy running the British effort.
Dave Bowman
He turns to two men, Paul Revere. William Dawes. He sends them out on their famous ride. Of course, Revere is a silversmith, but he’s far more than that. He’s a he’s a he’s a Courier. He is the FedEx man. He’s the man, and when you absolutely had to get it there overnight, you. Send Paul Revere. Daws is very similar. There are others involved. We don’t have time to go through this whole thing, but you’ve heard the, you know, the phrase one if by land 2. If by sea, right? The Old North Church, we get 2 lamps. The British are crossing the Charles. River and off they go. Revere crosses the river. He slips into the bridge, slips past the British lines. And he mounts his horse. And the ride is on. There’s something of a myth here. There is no shouting. There’s no sword waving. There’s no midnight movie. This is. It’s an urgent whisper from farm to Farm. And I whisper simply sets. The regulars are out. The regulars are out. The target they all know is conquered.
Bill Mick
Get ready.
Dave Bowman
Because they’re coming.
Bill Mick
So this network of communication, Dave seems to be pretty strong and now they see the blitzer marching and they’re ready to try and take them off.
Dave Bowman
It is a fascinating moment in American history. And it’s important to understand that it’s not just Paul Revere. It’s not just Dawgs. It’s not just these three guys that, that, that, that, that end up there famously telling Hancock and Adams that they need to get the. Heck out of. There there are. Dozens of these riders and as as as the alarm spreads it, it spreads. Why?
And within hours. Every town in eastern Massachusetts, historic doors are opening. Landers are being lit. Men are stepping out into clothes, cold. They they pull on their boots, they pick up muskets that they haven’t. Fired in years. They kiss their wives and children goodbye and out. The door they had. The question becomes. Why? Why does a man stand in the darkness? Understanding that he might not come back. There is a line and for some that line has finally been crossed. The taxes, the soldiers, the insults to their town meetings and their property. And their sense of self. It’s not just about Britain anymore. It’s about being treated as less than a full person. They’re not actually fighting to start a new nation. They have no comprehension of that yet as America, as a new nation, they still see themselves as Englishmen who are being abused. They’re fighting to stop being pushed around and abused by the British. By Parliament and this is important because on the evening of April 18th and the morning. Of April 19th. The Colonials are mad at Parliament. Not King George the third. And that’s a very important distinction to understand. These men will stand on Lexington Green that morning with their neighbors, and they will be there when this whole thing starts. All across Massachusetts, men are making the same choice. They’re quiet men. They’re young men. They’re bombastic men. They’re old men. With their ordinary people. Who have had enough? When the sun rises on April 19th, they’re waiting. They’re not waiting for orders. They’re not waiting for guarantees. They’re waiting for the British regulars, the Redcoats, or as I like to call them, the lobster backs. Liberty has saddled. It’s armed itself and it’s ready to take a stand. The Intelligence War has gone its route. Warren has sent out his messages. We have gotten Adams and and and Hancock to safety. And now we’re standing there at Lexington Green as the sun is coming up. There are 77 or so colonials, 700 British regulars. And the moment of time has changed. It’s time for the Americans to stop kneeling. To the British Crown and the British Parliament. It’s time to stand up. And make yourself known to stand up for what’s right to stand up for. What you believe in? To stand up. For liberty.
Bill Mick
And imagine what it takes to make that decision. Knowing what you’re facing. That’s gotta be tough when we talking with Dave Bowman today with Dave, does history on Bill make live here on WMB? This is Dave. Does history on Bill Mick Live? Nice to have you with us. On the Tuesday where Dave Bowman. Taking us through Liberty 250 April 18th and 19/17/75, where we’re living now as we March toward July 4th of 1776. So Dave, the midnight ride of Paul Revere at all has been accomplished and we’re coming up on the morning of April 19th and it’s about to take place. I’ll let you pick it up there.
Dave Bowman
For me personally. The Battle of Lexington and Concord is. It it it’s very. It has a very deep meaning to me. Standing on that green at conquer or at Lexington? Sorry are two very young men. 1 is just 17 years old, the other’s a little bit older. One is named Isaac, One is named Ebenezer. And their last name, of course, is Bowman. And yes, they are my ancestors. Ebenezer is my. I think it’s 8 generations ago great grandfather. He’s 17 years old. I enlisted in the Navy at 17. And I remember thinking to. Myself. Why am I doing this? What? What is it that’s motivating me? And I have that same question for Ebenezer. If there was a if there was a DeLorean that I could go back in time. And I showed up on the green Lexington Green at about 5:00 in the morning of April. 19th, that’s the first question I’d ask. Is why are you here? What? What do you think you’re going to it? It seems like a strange question to ask. What’s the motivation for all of these people who are sitting here standing here with their guns? Is it adventure? Is it excitement? Is it any of those things, or do they really understand? Because I say this to people all the time. When I raised my hand to enlist in the Navy. I didn’t really understand. I I knew what I was doing. I knew why I was doing it. I really understand anything about the the nation, the Constitution, the oath beyond how the right to free speech, free religion and. To have a gun. Why are they there? Why did they ride through that night? Why are they standing here this morning? Are they defending their community? Their dignity. They’re inherited rights. And their unwillingness to kneel. This idea that kneeling. Is showing fealty to something or someone else other than yourself. And they have come here. To stand here this morning in the face of the most powerful military in the entire world. These 700 regulars that are marching down on them are not rabble. These are highly trained. Very well equipped. Very well, drilled and very well led soldiers. I cannot emphasize this enough. They are the best in the world. They are unbeatable. In their own minds and in the minds of most military people in the world. In England, over in Parliament, the discussion for the past weeks has been about how. Sending our army against this rabble will be a simple thing. It will be easy. It will be like a knife through butter. They’re standing there amongst Ebenezer and Isaac and all these other people. Captain John Parker. And he will say those famous words. Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless they fire at us first. Don’t fire unless fired upon. And then he says those words Bill. But if they mean to have a war. Let it begin here.
Bill Mick
So Dave, your ancestor and others standing there on the lawn, the orders not to fire unless they’re fired upon the first, we’ll be going from here.
Dave Bowman
We’re not going to spend a lot of time on the. Actual battle there are. Literally hundreds, if not thousands of books and articles. And if you’re really all that interested in The Who moved, where or who did what when, you can find all.
Dave Bowman
I want to focus on those. People. People like Isaac Davis. He’s a blacksmith. He’s a father. He’s a militia commander. He’s going to follow this debt. There’s other men, Thaddeus Bowman, who is? Not related but. Is is leading his men as well, Ebenezer Isaac Timothy Pickering Pickering. And of course, a guy by the. Name of Samuel Whitmer, who is? He’s ancient. OK, Whitmore is 78 years. Old this day. He has seen it all, and yet he’s willing to stand up as well. These men have all. Made this decision. To stand and to not kneel before Parliament anymore. No one knows who fired the first shot. No one knows. It’s lost to history. Anybody that tells you that they do know. Is lying to you. They don’t. Know. But what we do know is that within the first minutes of the war, the American Revolutionary War, which as John Adams will say later, is the moment the actual American Revolution ends. The within within minutes of that eight colonials are dead. Eight Americans have now fallen before breakfast. The British have dispersed the troops at Lexington. The militia at Lexington. And these. 800 to 700 regulars continue their March on towards conquer. Having brushed aside. The troops at Lexington. Concorde, though, is going to be different. By now the colonials are.
Bill Mick
Well.
Dave Bowman
Angry. And they are far better organized, and by the time the British reached Concord. They are facing organization, retaliation and resistance at the North Bridge. This is where. Isaac Davis is going to fall, leading his men at the North bridge. These aren’t soldiers. These militia men, they’re farmers. They’re tradesmen. They’re teenagers. They in many cases are veterans of the seven years the French and. Indian war. Two decades earlier, a decade and a half earlier. But they are men. Who are now? Fighting a war that started before breakfast in Lexington and they are not going to. Give up easily. They are not going to surrender. They are not going to back down. And the fight at Concord is much sharper, much deadlier. And it leaves the British. Confused in many ways. They managed to, they think, accomplish their goal. They burn the stores. What’s left of the stores at Concord. And so they think that they’ve accomplished their goal.
And so now it’s time to go back to Boston. And what they don’t realize, of course, is that this trip back to Boston. Is going to be a living hell. They they think they’re just going to walk in and walk out, and that’s not what’s going to happen. Even Samuel Whitmore, the 78 year old guy that I told you about, has had enough 78 years old. He grabs A flintlock musket, a couple of pistols and a cutlass, a sword. They will sword, by the way. And he starts going after. These British these retreating British troops. He kills three or four of them before they attack him. 78 years old. They stab him, they ban at him, they leave him for dead. But he’s not dead. Like America. He rises again, and he will actually go on to live until 1793. The retreat is one of the most terrifying things these British soldiers will have their experience. And at the end of the day. They’re going to be trapped. In Boston.
Bill Mick
And we pick it up when we continue with Dave. Does history on Bill MCLA live that happens in just moments right here on 92.7 FM, WMB. Call Bill now 321-768-1240. Dave Bowman and Dave does History, Liberty 250 taking a look at Lexington and Concord and while the British have accomplished the mission and heading back to Boston, the fight’s not over yet. We get back into that momentarily. Get to your calls from Dave Bowman coming up in moments, but let’s get back to the end of this battle. Dave. The Brits think they’ve accomplished the mission. They took the remaining stores and destroyed those of of weapons. Did the British soldier understand the politics of the battle they’re fighting? Are they just career guys going out and? Doing what they’re told to do, and I mean, they’re living in these communities as well.
Dave Bowman
Well, they’re stationed. In these communities in in many cases. They’re familiar with this doctor. There is a. We’re not dealing with the Hessians yet, so these are still British regulars. These are British citizens. They may have some understanding. Of course, we don’t really. Have a lot of. Individual discussion of this, but they’re they’re in the British Army, so they take orders. They believe in what the British Army is doing. They believe in what General Gage wants done. Keep in mind though, that there is no homogeneous British attitude towards the colonies. There are many people who feel like we are mistreating them. There are many people who feel like they need to. Be brought to heal. I’m sure that those same attitudes happen within the British Army. The difference is, of course, they’re soldiers, so. They follow orders. By the time they get back to Boston, bloodied and exhausted. They had lost a lot that day. They had had 73 men killed in. This this thing. And wounded 174 missing 226, two 173 total casualties. This was. Absolutely unheard of. And it was. This idea that they had suffered these losses, but they were starting to realize the British were starting to realize and certainly gauge, started realizing that the greater loss was not in men and munitions. It was the loss of the illusion. That the colonies were going to continue to obey, that somehow these coercive acts, which by the way General Gage was against. Would force the colonies to obey. The illusion that discipline alone could snuff out a revolution. They had law that the dream had died at that point, for all practical purposes, the British Empire lost the American colonies that day. It would take, you know, six more years of war to settle it all. But but reality is from that moment on, Britain never controlled America. They expected, of course, the British expected, of course, that this would cause the rest of the colonies to rise up against Massachusetts. That was certainly their hope, but that’s not what happened. Boston sent out the hey, we need your. Help. The rest of America answers. New York. You got anti king riots, anti parliamentary riots. Not King, anti parliamentary riots. Pennsylvania. Which is heavily Quaker Bell. The Quakers start having town meetings and forming militia companies because the Quakers have realized that look, we tried. We tried to be peaceful with these people. We tried to be agreement with these people. We tried all of these things. That didn’t work. And the Quakers in. Pennsylvania start, you know, the people who don’t. Believe in violence.
Bill Mick
Or pacifists, right? Don’t want to take up arms?
Dave Bowman
Start taking up arms. All across the colonies all across America. Provincial governments begin to take power. All these other royal governors, these other 12 royal governors. Are essentially frozen. Out of everything. They’re told you don’t matter anymore. We’re electing our own government.
Dave Bowman
We’re letting our own people run things and you can continue to pretend to be the royal governor, but we’re just going to ignore you. And in the meantime. Somewhere on the order of about 20,000, militia have shown up to Boston. They’re 7000 troops in Boston. Somewhere around 20,000 total militia. Show up around Boston and encircle. The Siege of Boston has begun. By April 20th of 1775.
Bill Mick
That that’s a three to one advantage, holy.
Speaker 3
Cow. Yeah, it is.
Dave Bowman
In general numbers but not real numbers, because probably half, yeah, there’s no training. Half these militia don’t even have arms. They certainly don’t. Have you know enough? Bullets, since we’re going to find out soon. Even General Washington will refer to them as. Rabble and dirty and filthy. He doesn’t like them, but they’re there and. Gage is in a tough buy. He’s a man, by the way. Gage loyal to the Crown, but he’s also loyal to liberty. He believes in in liberty. And he tried all he could. To avoid this conflict, he he didn’t want it. He tried to explain. To Parliament, what you’re doing is going to cause problems, he pleaded with Parliament. Don’t do this and if you’re going to do it, I need 20,000 troops, he told them. They said no, you have the best army in the world. You don’t need 20,000 troops. He had pleaded with them for moderation for understand. He had warned them that harsher measures. Were going to backfire. And of course, Parliament, not the king. Parliament completely ignored him. And now we find ourselves in this position. Where we are. By the way, Margaret Gage shortly hereafter. We’ll board a ship back to England. And we will pretty much. Never hear of her again. Gage will never himself make any accusations. He will never whisper anything. He will never. Bring up anything. But he does quietly send. Her away to England and she. Never returns to America. Was she involved? I think the historical evidence is pretty much yes, but. There you go. She’s no longer a part of the story at that point. The end of The thing is really the beginning. This war doesn’t start with a grand Declaration begins with fear, conviction, and a few dozen men on a village green. Begins with Paul Revere.
Davis foam gauge. Each represents the choices that people have to make when liberty. Is on the line. Do we stand for this? Each British soldier has to make their choice. Do they really understand what’s going on here? Do they really understand why we’re doing all this? But on April 19th, everything is still a little, you know, raw. Bloodstains on the green at Lexington Smoke still drifts over the North bridge. Their wives that are weeping in silence, children asking when’s dad coming home? Some never will. From all of that comes purpose, liberty, turns out, is not born all at once. It’s not declared and made real in the same moment. It takes time to build slowly, painfully, one act of courage. At a time. One refusal to kneel. At a time. And that’s where we find ourselves by the evening of April 19th, 1775 is still a year away.
Dave Bowman
From declaring anything. But already. The fight for liberty has begun.
Bill Mick
And we pick it up in one minute with your calls here on Bill McGraw. It’s a good addition that Dave does history as we pursue Liberty 250. Dave, let’s get a quick phone call in while we can line one, you’re up on, Bill. Mack live. Good morning.
Ed in Melbourne
Morning, Bill here to Melbourne.
Bill Mick
Yeah, Ed, what are you thinking here?
Ed in Melbourne
Great, great history lesson. And that is that is known, I believe, as the Boston massacre.
Bill Mick
No different event. Oh, really? Yeah. Boston Massacre happened prior to this actual.
Ed in Melbourne
OK. Yeah.
Bill Mick
Anything else?
Ed in Melbourne
Oh well, it was in the OK. And the Boston that well. Anyway, the British really didn’t understand. Whatever up again.
Bill Mick
Well, they didn’t have any reason to, I don’t think. But thanks, Ed. Dave, how?
Dave Bowman
You seeing it? Yeah. The Boston Massacre is 5. Years earlier. There is a lot of discussion in Parliament and in Buckingham House about. How this is going to go and and there is a very firm belief it’s right to the sense of they don’t really understand what they’re getting into, they should understand. But they don’t. And even in Parliament, there are people there saying, look you, you’re overreacting. And it’s it’s. Kind of interesting is. What if they had gone to? A Commonwealth system in 1775 and. Said OK, You guys win yourselves. And just be part of us. All of this stuff, we’ll talk next week about this idea of a Patriot king. Remember, at this point the Americans aren’t mad at King Georgia. They they still adore King George. Yes, I I said that April. Like even after Lexington, Concord, we still think the king. Is the bees knees.
Bill Mick
Which brings me to a question I had, Dave, which was this is Parliament’s decision all along the king, how limited was his power? Could he have stopped this if he wanted to? Or is it all in?
Dave Bowman
Parliament’s hands at this? Well, that’s the question because as. I said there’s. This concept, known as the Patriot King. The idea here is that the king can override. Parliament. Now up to this point, ostensibly the King has approved of Parliament’s actions his ministers actions. But there is going to come a moment where we’re going to say, look, maybe the king can solve this. Maybe the king can interject some common sense into all this thing. And remember that when we write the Declaration of Independence, we’re not going to complain about Parliament, we’re going to complain about. So a little bit of foreshadowing here. You can kind of see where he’s going to. Go with this. He’s not. He’s not going to go along.
Bill Mick
That is interesting. I wish I had been a little bit older, just like I wish when my parents took us to Gettysburg. Right. I wish I’d been older when I was at Lexington and Concord. I would have appreciated it more. I would have paid more attention. As it was, I was a. 567 year old kid walking around wondering why are we looking at this marble and standing here in the grass. I want to go swimming. Pool. Let’s go.
Dave Bowman
Yeah. And I always go, I find that fascinating to go back to places like that to see them. For me, history is very tactile. I like to go and put my hands on things. I like to see them. For myself, even sure. It’s the 21st century. I can look at. Pictures I can look. At stuff, but there’s just something. About being there. And for me? Going there. When I do get to go there to know that Ebenezer was standing here. You know, I’ve been to the Holy Land and to stand. In those places is there’s a certain? Feeling to it and I, and I would imagine I’m going to have that same feeling again.
Bill Mick
That was and see, that’s a connection to your family history that I’ll never have. We can’t trace ours back that far. We we might get into the late 1800s with my family. Nothing prior to that. So it does make a.
Dave Bowman
Difference, but they still connect to you though because they’re still the people who refuse to kneel anymore. They refused to.
Bill Mick
Absolutely, yeah.
Dave Bowman
They show that building this, this is where America becomes America in in reality and becomes. We are. And it all comes back to making that choice. To stand up, they could have just stayed in bed and. Said no, we’re not going to do. That, but they didn’t. They got up and they stood for what they knew they had to do.
Bill Mick
Now, as you said, next week we look at the idea of a Patriot king. America is still hoping, well, the colonists, even though they’ve become Americans on this April 19th. They’re still hoping for a peaceful resolution here, right? And they will send the petition saying.
Dave Bowman
We’d like peace, yeah.
Bill Mick
Renewal by Anderson brought you the hour Dave Brown Bowman brought you the history, Dave. We’ll see you next. Tuesday. Thanks, man. We’ll see you then.
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