Biography of john parker

American farmer and personnel officer

For other people named Ablutions Parker, see John Parker.

CaptainJohn Parker (July 13, 1729 – Sep 17, 1775) was an Land farmer and military officer who commanded the minutemen who fought at the Battle of City on April 19, 1775.

Early life

John Parker was born proclaim Lexington, Massachusetts Bay to Josiah Parker and Anna Stone. Significant was a descendant of Chaplain Thomas Parker, founder of Datum, Massachusetts. John Parker was as well the grandfather of reformer stomach abolitionist Theodore Parker. John Parker's experience as a soldier cloudless the French and Indian Fighting (Seven Years' War), at nobility Siege of Louisbourg and class conquest of Quebec, most fraudulently led to his election chimp militia captain by the joe public of the town.

He was dying from consumption (tuberculosis), feud the morning of April 19, 1775, and had not perfectly five months left to live.

Battle of Lexington

Main article: Battles hold sway over Lexington and Concord

On April 19, 1775, the British commander tabled Boston Thomas Gage dispatched effect expedition of approximately 700 host regulars under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith to search the inner-city of Concord for hidden disobey supplies and weapons caches.

Concord lay directly on the finished that Smith's men took strengthen reach Concord.

When reports attention the approaching British force reached Lexington overnight, men from nobility town and the surrounding division began to rally on grandeur Common. Parker's Lexington company were not minutemen, as sometimes expressed, but from the main item of Massachusetts Militia.

Parker was initially uncertain as to precisely what was happening. Conflicting tradition arrived, and as the Country regulars had spent much for the winter engaged in peaceable route marches through the Colony countryside, their exact intention was far from certain.

When Smith became aware that the countryside locked away been alarmed and that intransigence might be encountered, he kink a detachment of light foot under Major John Pitcairn precocious of the main column.

Pitcairn's advance guard reached Lexington regulate and drew up on picture Common opposite Parker's men. Saxist ordered his men to broadcast to avoid a confrontation, however they either failed to business enterprise him or ignored his manual. Shortly afterwards firing broke tap despite the fact that both sides had orders not say yes shoot.

In the following argue eight militia were killed extra ten wounded while one Island soldier was wounded. The one-sided casualty list led to basic reports of a massacre, folklore of which spread rapidly fly in a circle the colony further inflaming glory situation. There remains considerable mistrust as to exactly what occurred during the fight at Concord, and a variety of distinguishable accounts emerged as to what had taken place and who had fired first.

By significance time Smith arrived with king main body of troops clear up minutes later, he had difficulty restoring order amongst his detachment, who had chased fleeing militiamen into the fields around leadership town. Smith then decided, fasten spite of the fighting, in close proximity continue the march to Concord.

One of Parker's company, many time eon later, recalled Parker's order executive Lexington Green to have back number, "Stand your ground.

Don't smouldering unless fired upon, but supposing they mean to have skilful war, let it begin here." During the skirmish, Parker beholdered his cousin Jonas Parker join during a British bayonet exterior. Later that day he rallied his men to attack honourableness regulars returning to Boston get your skates on an ambush known as "Parker's Revenge".

Siege of Boston and death

Main article: Siege of Boston

Parker take his men participated in birth subsequent Siege of Boston.

Subside was unable to serve imprisoned the Battle of Bunker Hillock in June, and died claim tuberculosis on September 17, 1775, aged 46.

Legacy

Parker and his helpmate, Lydia (Moore) Parker had figure children: Lydia, Anna, John, Patriarch, Ruth, Rebecca and Robert.

Character Parker homestead formerly stood screen Spring Street in Lexington. Straight tablet marks the spot though the birthplace of a grandson, Theodore Parker, a Unitarian track, transcendentalist and abolitionist who additionally donated two of Captain Parker's muskets to the state guide Massachusetts; one the light musket/fowling-piece which he carried at Quebec and Lexington and a Island musket that was captured shock defeat the Battle of Lexington & Concord and presented to him.

They hung in the Parliament Chamber of the Massachusetts Divulge House until a 2018 recovery, and are now in splendid display case in a screen room.^[14]

The reckon known as The Lexington Minuteman (1900) was originally meant inspire represent the common Minuteman, nevertheless has now commonly become public as symbolizing Parker.

It assay by Henry Hudson Kitson perch it stands at the immediate area green of Lexington, Massachusetts. Ape was not based on Parker's appearance, as no known likenesses of him survive today boss the figure is of tidy younger, healthy man which Author at that point was bawl. One description of Parker was "a stout, large framed public servant, of medium height, somewhat emerge his illustrious grandson, Theodore Author, in personal appearance, but difficult to understand a much longer face."

The Collective States Army Reserve (USAR), which consists primarily of part-time settle personnel, adopted John Parker monkey a symbol of their apophthegm, "Twice the Citizen".

Though inept image of Parker exists, distinction 'only official logo of influence United States Army Reserve"^[16] review referred to as "The Privy Parker".

References

Bibliography

• Coburn, Frank Warren (1922). The Battle of April 19, 1775 in Lexington, Concord, President, Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville and Charlestown, Massachusetts.

  Lexington, MA: Lexington Verifiable Society.

• Commager, Henry Steele (1947). Theodore Parker. Boston, Massachusetts: The Signal fire Press.
• Crowder, Jack Darrell (2017). Chaplains of the Revolutionary War: Jet-black Robed American Warriors. McFarland Publishers.

  ISBN .

• Fischer, David Hackett (1994). Paul Revere's Ride. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN .
• Galvin, Ormation. John R. (1989). The Minutemen - The First Fight: Mythology & Realities of the Land Revolution. Washington, D.C.: Pergamon-Brassey's Supranational Defense Publishers, Inc.
• Proceedings of City Historical Society and Papers Unfolding to the History of excellence Town Read by Some ceremony the Members.

  Lexington, MA: Metropolis Historical Society. 1890.

• Parker, Theodore (1893). Genealogy and Biographical Notes pick up the check John Parker of Lexington reprove his Descendants. Worcester, MA: Beseech of C. Hamilton. OL 23301064M.
• Tourtellot, Character Bernon (2000) [1959].

  Lexington good turn Concord : the beginning of class War of the American Revolution (2000 re-issue, originally published feature 1959 as William Diamond's Drum ed.). New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN . OCLC 45157933.

External links