Untold Stories: The Oldest Patriot Hero at Lexington and Concord

“Near this spot Samuel Whittemore, then 80¹ years old, killed three British soldiers, April 19, 1775. He was shot, bayoneted, beaten and left for dead, but recovered and lived to be 98 years of age.” —Marker in Whittemore’s honor

There are so many inspiring, beautiful stories about the great heroes of American history which are scarcely ever told. One happens on them accidentally—buried in a thick, out-of-print biography, in small print on a museum sign, casually and fleetingly mentioned in an obscure educational video. America cannot return to greatness in the future if we do not truly understand the greatness of our past. That is why I am writing an article series to tell a few of these little-known but moving or illustrative “untold stories” of American greatness. Previous articles in this series include Stephen Moylan, the Irish-American who named the United States of America; the courage of America’s first black priest, Augustus Tolton; Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, the first Native American Indian university graduate; slave John Washington’s escape to freedom with Union Army aid; and the connection between the American Revolution and Irving’s Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow.

Today is the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, when the shot heard round the world launched history’s greatest revolution, the American Revolution. On this significant and inspiring anniversary, I would like to relate the story of Samuel Whittemore, reportedly the oldest Patriot to fight on April 19, 1775, against the British—and certainly one of the bravest and most tenacious Patriots on that day, filled with bravery and tenacity though it was.

Of course, there are many heroes of Lexington and Concord, men who recognized that the years of efforts for a peaceful resolution with the tyrannical British government had failed and would never be successful. Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott galloped to warn volunteer militia and the Patriot leaders, including Sam Adams and John Hancock, and on April 19, the militia were ready to face the British soldiers. Samuel Whittemore, an old veteran of frontier warfare, was also ready.

The following is taken from my article published on PJ Media.

Among the heroes of the fateful Battles of Lexington and Concord were Dr. Joseph Warren, William Diamond, Peter Salem, John Buttrick, Isaac Davis, John Parker, Abner Hosmer, and Samuel Whittemore. Some of these men survived the day, others did not; some of the Patriots outlived the war, while others would go on to die in later engagements. Patriot leader Dr. Warren told his mother, “Where danger is, dear mother, there must your son be. Now is no time for any of America's children to shrink from any hazard. I will set her free or die.” Ultimately, he did both, dying at the Battle of Bunker Hill where slave-turned-minuteman Salem distinguished himself.

I would like to focus on the little-known story of one of the oldest Patriots who fought on April 19, 1775. The history account Journey with Murphy says that Whittemore was likely born in July 1696 in what was then Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony. For context, he was born only a little over 70 years after the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving, a little over 60 years after Boston was founded, and within the same century that the first settlers arrived at Jamestown. But Whittemore lived not only to fight in the American Revolution, but also to see America gain her independence from Great Britain.

Whittemore had been in the military — on behalf of the British — in his younger days, as he served in King George’s War (1744-1748) and possibly also in the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Already by the latter war, in which a young George Washington learned to fight, Whittemore would have been in his 60s. Whether he fought in the French and Indian War or not, Whittemore was certainly a veteran long practiced in the use of weaponry (though that wasn’t unusual for the dangerous frontier).

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In the years before the American Revolution began, Whittemore, not at all weakened, it would seem, by old age, was an active member of his local community and also an outspoken Patriot. Then the fateful 1775 day came:

In the afternoon of April 19th, the 78-year-old Whittemore was tending his fields in Menotomy when he spotted a column of British soldiers heading west[—]this was the relief force under command of Earl Percy. As the story goes, Whittemore armed up with his musket, two dueling pistols, and a sword. From behind a stone wall (the tactic of the day), Whittemore fired and killed one grenadier of the 47th Regiment of Foot, fired a second round and killed another, and mortally wounded a third before his position was overrun. Whittemore was bayoneted multiple times and even shot in the face, left in a pool of his own blood.

Remarkably, Samuel Whittemore survived this attack and lived to see America gain her independence. In fact, Whittemore lived until 1793! Today a marker stands along the side of Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, dedicated to Samuel Whittemore.

Heroes of all ages fought, bled, and died in the American Revolution 250 years ago so that we today could enjoy freedom, equality, and prosperity.

1. Whittemore was probably 78 years’ old in 1775 rather than 80, but his exact birth date is not conclusively confirmed.