34 Ibid at 311.
35 A surtout was a heavy, winter coat similar to a great coat.
36 Ibid.
37 Ibid. (Emphasis added).
38 Ibid.
39 Ibid.
40 Deposition of Ebenezer Munroe, April 2, 1825.
41 Ibid.
Winter Drill - Garrison House, Chelmsford, MA, March, 1999
18cNewEnglandLife
Clothing & Accoutrements
In April of 1775, the New England weather was typically volatile. The 18th of April was wet through the day, followed by rapid clearing at night. Winds were variable, veering from the northeast to the south. The Reverend Jonas Clarke of Lexington noted the day's weather consisted of "a fine rain a.m., fair towards night.34 In the evening and night of April 18, Paul Revere recalled, in a letter to Jeremy Belnap, that the night was very pleasant. Yet, he also noted that he wore a surcoat.35 There appeared to be a drop in temperature as dawn approached on April 19th. Although Clark recalls the day as clear36, the Reverend William Marrett in neighboring Burlington noted the day was "fair, windy and cold"37 Paul Litchfield of Scituate, Massachusetts indicated the weather was "somewhat blustery and cool."38 William Clark, of Dedham, Massachusetts described the day as "fair with a strong chilly west wind,."39 Lexington's Ebenezer Munroe recalled "the weather being rather chilly."40 In Cambridge, Harvard professor John Winthrop took two readings of his thermometer the morning of April 19th. As the men of the Lexington company of Militia were watching the regulars advance towards them, Mr. Winthrop noted the temperature was 46 degrees, the barometer 29.56 inches and rising, the sky fair and winds from the west.41
| 33 David Hackett Fischer, Paul
Revere's Ride, (New York, 1994), p.310. 34 Ibid at 311. 35 A surtout was a heavy, winter coat similar to a great coat. 36 Ibid. 37 Ibid. (Emphasis added). 38 Ibid. 39 Ibid. 40 Deposition of Ebenezer Munroe, April 2, 1825. 41 Ibid. |
Winter Drill - Garrison House, Chelmsford, MA, March, 1999 |
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