A successful, virtual commemoration of Patriots Day held by the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution

On April 19, at 3:00 p.m., nine members of the Colonel James Wood II Chapter of the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution participated in a virtual Commemoration of Patriots Day. The Winchester based chapter joined 16 Virginia chapters of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), 13 chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and 3 Societies of the Children of the American Revolution (C.A.R.) in recognizing the 245^th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Menotomy, Massachusetts.

Patriots Day is a commemoration of the battles that were the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. Prior to April 1775, tensions had been building for many years between the residents of the 13 American colonies and the British authorities.

On April 18, Dr. Joseph Warren (namesake of Warren County) a physician and member of the Sons of Liberty, learned the British would march that night on Concord to seize an arms cache. Two couriers (Paul Revere and William Dawes) were dispatched to sound the alarm. At dawn on April 19, 700 British troops arrived in Lexington and met 77 militiamen on the town green. No one knows who fired the first shot, but when the smoke cleared, eight militiamen lay dead and nine were wounded. The British then continued onto Concord to search for arms, not knowing that most of them had been relocated. A confrontation occurred at Concord’s North Bridge, which was defended by a contingent of British soldiers. After four hours, the British prepared to return to Boston.

By that time, almost 2,000 militiamen (known as Minutemen) had assembled along the route. Minutemen began firing at the British from behind trees, stone walls, houses, and sheds. Before long, the troops were abandoning weapons, clothing, and equipment in order to retreat faster. Reinforcements for the British arrived in Lexington, but that did not stop the colonists from attacking through Menotomy and Cambridge.

By this time, 5,100 militiamen had arrived to help the cause. The bloodiest battle was fought at the Jason Russell House in Menotomy. Twenty-five Minutemen and forty British soldiers were killed in this particular battle. The fighting occurred along an 18-mile route, with the British suffering about 250 casualties compared to the colonists who had 90 killed and wounded. This battle proved the colonists could stand up to one of the most powerful armies in the world.

To commemorate this historic day, more than 120 participants throughout Virginia gathered via computer technology. Participants included the National Society Sons of the American Revolution President General Jack Manning (from his home in Massachusetts), Virginia State SAR President William Schwetke, Virginia State SAR 1^st Vice President Jeff Thomas, Virginia State DAR Regent LeAnn Turbyfill and Virginia State C.A.R. President Madeline Herring. Virginia State Color Guard Commander Ken Bonner led the presentation of the American Flag, the Virginia State Flag and various chapter flags through a virtual ceremony involving 35 uniformed guardsmen.

To recognize the sacrifice and total effort of the militiamen, readings about the battles and 38 wreaths were presented by the different chapters of the SAR, DAR and C.A.R. The commemoration celebrated the anniversary of the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the birth of liberty in the colonies. Truly a belief in the power of people to change the course of history which lead to the creation of the United States of America.