(NewsNation) — Archeologists working at Massachusetts’ Minute Man National Historical Park discovered five musket balls fired during a historic 1775 fight famous for “The Shot Heard Round the World,” the National Park Service announced Tuesday.
The archeologists had been preparing for Minute Man’s Great American Outdoors Act project when they found the musket balls.
Early analysis of the ammunition indicates they were fired at British forces by Colonial American militia members during the North Bridge fight on April 19, 1775, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was on this day that hundreds of British soldiers marched from Boston to Concord to destroy military supplies that Colonial troops had gathered. This British advance was intercepted by the Americans because midnight riders had warned them of it the night before, according to the National Park Service.
Writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his 1837 “Concord Hymn,” deemed the battle “The Shot Heard Round the World” because of how it escalated the conflict.
“It’s incredible that we can stand here and hold what amounts to just a few seconds of history that changed the world almost 250 years ago,” Minute Man Park ranger and historic weapons specialist Jarrad Fuoss said in a statement. “It is also a poignant reminder that we are all stewards of this battlefield and are here to preserve and protect our shared history.”
The Park Service discovered musket balls in the area where British soldiers formed up to resist the river crossing. The National Park Service said each ball was fired from the opposite side of the river and not dropped during reloading.
Visitors can see these pieces of history for themselves during NPS’ Archeology Day events Saturday at Minute Man National Historical Park.