Art of War: Major John Buttrick, Massachusetts Minuteman, 1775 - Art of Don Troiani
John Buttrick was in command of a company of minutemen, 19 April 1775. From his position over-looking the town of Concord, he could see smoke rising in the distance and knew action must be taken. He marched his men to the bridge leading into town, the North Bridge, which was held by 96 British Red Coats. Ordered to “not fire unless first fired upon,” he advanced his column of some 400 minute men on the retreating British. Shots cracked and a young fifer in the colonial column was hit. Buttrick shouted: “Fire! For God’s sake fire!”
“The Shot heard around the World” struck 12 British soldiers, three of them fatally. These were the first British soldiers to die in the American Revolution.
