MINUTE MAN NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, Massachusetts — In the mid-afternoon of April 19, 1775, a group of men from the American colonies waited in ambush for retreating British soldiers near Hartwell Tavern in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

Hours earlier, Captain John Parker and his militia had faced light infantry from His Majesty's army at Lexington Green. The "shot heard around the world" was fired, and what would go down in history as the first conflict of the American Revolution — the battles of Lexington and Concord — was underway.

Skirmishes on bridges, farm fields, and hills ignited during the hours until the British Army turned back towards Boston after a failed search for weapons at a farm in Concord. The British regulars fought multiple colonial companies during their retreat along what is now called “Battle Road,” unaware of what awaited them near Hartwell Tavern. With their enemies in sight, the hiding colonists near the tavern shot at His Majesty’s soldiers, who were now facing fire from multiple flanks. 

This scene is one of many that occurred during the fighting of Elm Brook Hill, also known as “Bloody Angle,” in which at least eight British soldiers died and two-to-three times more were wounded, according to the National Park Service. It’s one of many showdowns during the battles of Lexington and Concord, which resulted in 273 British casualties and 95 American casualties.

It was also one portrayed by more than 750 reenactors from across the country and the United Kingdom during the Battle Road Tactical Demonstration on Patriots Day, April 19, at Minute Man National Historical Park to commemorate the Revolutionary War's start.

The event, which Park Service deemed “one of the largest and most historically accurate Revolutionary War tactical demonstrations ever staged in New England,” featured both the Elm Brook Hill demonstration in the morning and Parker’s Revenge demonstration in the afternoon.

“It involves large numbers of troops on both sides, lots of gun fire, maneuvering, running through fields, firing from behind stone walls. It’s very exciting,” Jim Hollister, the living history program coordinator for the park, explained before the event. “They [reenactors] come from all walks of life, but what brings them together is, of course, that shared love of history and bringing it alive.” 

British soldier reenactors formed in a column march along Battle Road while fending off the colonial militia.

The park also offered a camp life demonstration outside the visitor center; open houses of historical buildings, talks and the firing of a cannon. These activities were held throughout the park, which encompasses the sites, structures and landscapes in Lexington, Lincoln, and Concord that experienced the first armed conflict of the war.

Tactical demonstrations and battle reenactments have a long history in New England, going back to the 1790s not long after the American Revolution, Hollister said. Veterans of the revolution were among the spectators of these events, which were often conducted as military training.

“Culturally, I think New Englanders still appreciate the pomp and ceremony of military parades and formations and just find it exciting. I think reenactors have stepped in to fill that void. We look at it as a living tradition, and it’s something that continues to evolve,” Hollister said.

During the reenactment, thousands of spectators — adorned in period garments, contemporary clothing, and a mix of the two — stood beneath naked trees and were glued to the tricorn-hat wearing actors as they fired blanks at each other, loud shots ringing out and spitting bursts of fire and smoke into the air. Similar to the fighters in “Bloody Angle” from 250 years ago, the red-coated portrayers of British regulars marched in strict columns as they waged war, while those who depicted ragtag colonials in mismatched wool coats charged through woods and across fields.

“It may look a little chaotic out there, and it’s supposed to, you know; lots of small units running through the landscape, British flanking parties taking advantage of cover, militia units firing from trees and walls and houses,” Hollister said.

Reenactors portraying colonial soldiers charged through the woods during the Battle Road Tactical Demonstration on April 19 at Minute Man National Historical Park/Marcus Wolf

Among the victorious colonialists was Oliver Nosal of Bedford, Massachusetts. He’s a member of the Acton Minutemen, which represented the historic Redding Company that took part in the battles of Lexington and Concord. While Nosal said the conditions were “loud, hot, crowded and a little stinky,” and gunpowder smoke stung his eyes, the excitement and a love of history carried him through the fray. 

“I’m glad this stuff gets attention,” Nosal said. “It’s important.”

Later in the afternoon, crowds walked and cycled about a mile-and-a-half east toward a rocky outcrop on Battle Road to watch the Parker’s Revenge demonstration. Trotting amid the crowd wearing tricorns were Thomas Fellers and his six-year-old son, Jamie, who was also adorned in a colonial coat and holding a toy pistol.

Jamie's passion for Revolutionary War history “brings a smile to [my] face,” Thomas said, adding that he believes it grew organically from his own patriotism. During the 2015 Boston Marathon, Thomas ran while dressed as a colonial soldier and wielded two flags. When asked if he wants to attend future tactical demonstrations, Jamie said “yes, definitely!”

“The national park put on a wonderful day of celebration for the 250th,” Thomas said.

During Parker’s Revenge, British soldiers marched along the road in columns when the Americans charged through the wooded slopes and the exchange of fire presumed. The regulars’ retreat led them to a bluff, at which point they were flanked by colonial units shooting from the road and field. The revolutionaries gave one final charge, the regulars retreated, and the crowd roared. The demonstration concluded when the American-portraying reenactors lined up horizontally and several members played “Yankee Doodle” on fifes and drums.

Jonathan Porteous of Chicago was one of the British soldiers on the march, acting as a member of the 10th Queen's Light Dragoons. He’s participated in reenactments and historical demonstrations since he was nine, starting out as a drummer. As someone born in South Africa with British heritage, Porteous said playing a British soldier “offered an interesting opportunity to tell a different side of the story, and one identified more with.”

“It’s special to be doing it exactly 250 years after the fact,” Porteous said. 

Thomas Fellers and his son, Jamie, spent the day soaking up American history/Marcus Wolf

The Battle Road Tactical Demonstration is among many events and programing held not just at Minute Man, but other national parks this year in celebration of the American Revolution’s semiquincentennial. More information about how NPS is commemorating the anniversary can be found on its website. 

Grandiose celebratory events like the Battle Road Tactical Demonstration do more than entertain and educate visitors about history, according to Hollister. It helps foster a connection between guests and the historically significant places the Park Service protects, which may help preserve them.

“Part of protecting these resources is to inspire people to care about them. Public events, public spectacle, they go a long way towards that,” he said. “Particularly, for the kids, that usually goes a long way. You get the kids, you get the adults. And for kids .. they can imagine themselves in the story. It becomes more personal, more intimate, more visual.”