Musket: Roger Brown’s Musket. (Courtesy of Concord Museum, Fowler, Worcester County, Massachusetts, about 1770, Gift of Lt. Colonel Philip A. Moore, A113)

Musket: Roger Brown’s Musket. (Courtesy of Concord Museum, Fowler, Worcester County, Massachusetts, about 1770, Gift of Lt. Colonel Philip A. Moore, A113)

Battleground: View of the Battleground at Concord, Mass. (Courtesy of the American Antiquarian Society, Fitz Henry Lane Online, Cape Ann Museum)

Battleground: View of the Battleground at Concord, Mass. (Courtesy of the American Antiquarian Society, Fitz Henry Lane Online, Cape Ann Museum)

Meriam’s Corner: Meriam’s Corner, Concord. Chamberlain, Samuel, before 1940, Samuel Chamberlain Photograph Negatives Collection. (Courtesy of Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Rowley, MA)

Meriam’s Corner: Meriam’s Corner, Concord. Chamberlain, Samuel, before 1940, Samuel Chamberlain Photograph Negatives Collection. (Courtesy of Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Rowley, MA)

Around noon, Lt. Col. Fracis Smith gave the orders for his force of regulars to begin the march back to Boston.

At this site, the road made a bend at Meriam’s Corner and then narrowed where it crossed a stream, which forced the light infantry from the flanks and into a column. Free of the light infantry for the moment, about 200 militia and minutemen pressed closer to the column. A grenadier company about-faced and fired a volley. At this, the provincials opened fire.

"On Capt. Parsons joining us [we] begun our march toward Boston again from Concord. The Light Infantry marched over a hill above the town, the Grenadiers through the town, immediately as we descended the hill into the Road the Rebels begun a brisk fire but at so great a distance it was without effect, but as they kept marching nearer when the Grenadiers found them within shot they returned their fire. Just about that time I received a shot through my right elbow joint which effectually disabled that arm. It then became a general firing upon us from all quarters, from behind hedges and walls"

Ens. Jeremy Lister, 10th Regiment of Foot