Brooks Hill is a historic

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

site associated with the revolution's first battle, the 1775

battles of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord ...

. It was here, beside the Battle Road, that the

British regulars {{no footnotes, date=August 2015 Commonly used to describe the Napoleonic era British foot soldiers, the British Regulars were known for their distinct red uniform and well-disciplined combat performance. Known famously in British folklore as the ' ...

passed on their marches to Concord from Boston, and again on their retreat east. It has also been referred to as Hardy's Hill. Named for the Brooks family, today's Brooks Village Historical Area is located immediately to the north of Route 2A (the North Great Road), near Battle Road (or Bay Road), in

Lincoln, Massachusetts Lincoln is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 7,014 according to the 2020 United States Census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base that live within town limits. The town, located in the MetroWest region o ...

. It is today part of

Minute Man National Historical Park Minute Man National Historical Park commemorates the opening battle in the American Revolutionary War. It also includes the Wayside, home in turn to three noted American authors. The National Historical Park is under the jurisdiction of the Nat ...

."The Battle Road Trail"
– Minute Man National Historic Park

History

The area was inhabited around twelve thousand years before the arrival of European immigrants.

Algonquin people The Algonquin people are an Indigenous people who now live in Eastern Canada. They speak the Algonquin language, which is part of the Algonquian language family. Culturally and linguistically, they are closely related to the Odawa, Potawato ...

lived beside the Musketaquid River prior to the establishment of the Concord plantation.

Geography

The summit of the hill is around south of Route 2A; the Historical Area, meanwhile, is located around southeast of Meriam's Corner in

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the conflu ...

, immediately to the east (and across the Concord/Lincoln town line) of the Samuel Brooks House, on Lexington Road. Brooks Village continues east for around , before a steep descent into Elm Brook, which marks the starting point of Elm Brook Hill.

April 19, 1775

The British began their eighteen-mile journey back to Boston from Concord around noon. Around the same time, large numbers of

colonial militia Colonial troops or colonial army refers to various military units recruited from, or used as garrison troops in, colonial territories. Colonial background Such colonies may lie overseas or in areas dominated by neighbouring land powers such ...

(known as minutemen) began to take their positions atop the Brooks Hill plateau. The first to arrive were 180 men from Woburn who arrived via the meeting house in Lincoln. Major

Loammi Baldwin Colonel Loammi Baldwin (January 10, 1744 – October 20, 1807) was a noted American engineer, politician, and a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. Baldwin is known as the Father of American Civil Engineering. His five sons, Cyrus ...

took some respite at one of the farmhouses of the Brooks family. As their enemies drew nearer, but possibly before any altercation at Meriam's Corner had begun, Baldwin had his soldiers move east to Elm Brook Hill. A short while later, gunfire did begin in the area between Meriam's Corner and Brooks Hill. Two companies of minutemen and militia arrived from East

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

and met the British column on the southern side of the Bay Road, near its intersection with Brooks Road. When the British

rearguard A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...

began to climb Brooks Hill, part of the colonists sprinted across the low open fields on the northern side of the road to position themselves near Elm Brook Hill.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks Hill 18th century in Boston Lincoln, Massachusetts 1775 in the Thirteen Colonies 1775 in Massachusetts Military history of New England American Revolutionary War sites in Massachusetts