America’s Real Birthday

Considering the current state of affairs with extended Coronavirus shutdowns and social distancing, it’s likely we won’t be celebrating the birth of our nation in our traditional glory this Independence Day. But, July 4th isn’t our country’s real birthday, anyway. The real date this country was born was April 19, 1775 — and it started with a bang.

On that day, the British Army discovered just how little regard those damned Colonials had for gun confiscation. The resistance gene has been passed down through 245 years of American individualism. One might easily speculate the events of that day were the reason the Founders included the Second Amendment in the Constitution.

This coming Sunday is the anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, when the finest military force on the planet at the time, the British Regulars, learned what happens when you kill Americans. More come running from every field and farm. They appear from behind every rock wall and broadleaf maple and kill you back.

We’ve read “Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson. His first verse is pure art; tugging at the heartstrings, clenching the soul and reminding us of a time when men poured powder from a flask or horn, rammed home a patched round ball, primed a flashpan and made sure their flints were sharp.

“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.”

Well, here’s the 25-cent version of what happened that fateful spring day. History doth record that British Gen. Thomas Gage, acting on orders to disarm colonial rebels and jail their leaders, dispatched Lt. Col. Francis Smith to take troops into the countryside, find and destroy “military stores” (muskets, powder, lead and flint). Two guys by the names Paul Revere and William Dawes got word the Regulars (not the “Redcoats”) were coming, and they headed for Lexington. They were joined by Samuel Prescott, the only one who made it all the way to Concord.

Gage had a problem from the outset. His wife Margaret, born in present-day New Jersey, was sympathetic to the Colonial cause and may have tipped off Dr. Joseph Warren, a leader of the rebel movement, who, in turn, apparently told Revere and Dawes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concord_Hymn

Cut to the Shooting

A lot of stuff happened overnight April 18-19, but by morning on the 19th, some 700 Regulars were on their way to Lexington, Revere had been arrested and Dawes had been thrown from his horse enroute to Concord and made it back to Lexington.

Leading an advance column was British Maj. John Pitcairn. Waiting to greet them were about 80 members of the local militia under the command of Capt. John Parker. He later reportedly claimed to have ordered the militia to disperse upon the appearance of the soldiers. This is when, according to a reported recollection many years later by one of Parker’s militiamen, the captain is said to have uttered “Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” Someone should have warned him to be careful what he asked for.

Parker later asserted he ordered the militia to disperse, but the Regulars allegedly came rushing forward, opened fire and killed eight militiamen. They, probably along with the truth, became the first casualties of war. History did not record who actually fired the first shot, but by the time all that blue smoke cleared, it really didn’t matter. Blood could not be un-spilled and word of the incident spread faster than a conspiracy theory on the modern Internet.

The Regulars continued on toward Concord, where all the militia ammunition was believed to be stored along with cannons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Lexington_and_Concord

Impossible to Forget

April 19th is forever burned into this correspondent’s memory, but not for reasons one might imagine.

It was the day the American spirit and legend was truly born. They don’t fight fair, shooting from behind rocks and trees. They tend to react poorly when someone tries to seize their firearms and munitions. They may not have invented karma, but they perfected it.

And April 19th is important for another reason. It was on that date, in 1972, my dad died at the young age of 50. Considering those Colonials who preceded him 197 years earlier, I like to think he’s in very good company, wherever he is.

New from SIG SAUER

If only those Minutemen had been packing hardware like the recently introduced SIG SAUER P220 Legion 10mm SAO pistol.

This is a full-sized specimen with an exposed hammer, black G-10 checkered grips, a stainless steel slide and frame finished in Legion Gray, X-RAY 3 day/night sights, an 8-round magazine with two spares, enhanced checkering on the front strap and under the trigger guard, and finally, front cocking serrations.

It sports a 5” barrel with an overall length of 8.8” and weighs a hefty 44 oz.

The 10mm cartridge is a real fight stopper, too — powerful medicine on deer-sized game, including black bear. Crack a good loading manual and you’ll see some impressive ballistics possibilities with the right loads.

www.sigsauer.com

Fit for a President

Magnum Research recently introduced the Presidential Desert Eagle, distributed exclusively by Davidson’s, Inc.

Chambered for the .50 AE cartridge, this hogleg features scrollwork by Outlaw Ordnance, in honor of President Donald Trump. The large slide reads “45th President of the United States of America” on one side; “Donald Trump” and “Keep America Great” on the other.

There are accessory rails top and bottom, dovetailed sights fore and aft, a large beavertail and so much more. It wears polished aluminum grips from Hogue featuring the presidential seal and images of the Trump family.

A true big bore, it’s fit with a 6” barrel and window-cut slide. The magazine holds seven rounds. MSRP is just over $3,000.

http://www.magnumresearch.com/