Rolling Thunder® Inc
Maryland Chapter 2
Phone: 240-415-4156
Email: info@rollingthundermaryland2.org
HISTORY
The History of Rolling Thunder's "Run to the Wall"
To appreciate how far Rolling Thunder has come, you must go
back to where and how and why the Rally got started.
U.S. Veteran Dispatch
Staff Report
August 2005
Incorporated in 1995, Rolling Thunder®, Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with over 88 chartered chapters throughout the United States and members abroad. While many members of Rolling Thunder are veterans, and many ride motorcycles, neither qualification is a prerequisite. Rolling Thunder members are old and young, men and women, veterans and non-veterans. All are united in the cause to bring full accountability for POWs and MIAs of all wars, reminding the government, the media and the public by our watchwords: “We Will Not Forget.” The name Rolling Thunder is derived from the constant bombing of North Vietnam in 1965 and was given the name, "Operation Rolling Thunder." No officers or members of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. receive compensation; we all donate our time.
THE ROLLING THUNDER STORY
It was a silent collective cry of American Prisoners of War (POWs) left behind that prompted Ray Manzo, Corporal U.S.M.C., to try in some small way to make things right.
As the summer of 1987 approached, Manzo observed some veterans by the Reflecting Pool near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. and asked them for help. His idea: Host a motorcycle run in the nation's capital to show the country and the world that abandoned American soldiers in Vietnam still mattered to their fellow servicemen and the country for which they sacrificed their freedom.
In the fall of 1987, in a little diner, in Somerville, New Jersey, two Vietnam veterans met to discuss their personal concerns about the prisoners of war (POW) and missing in action (MIA) from the Vietnam War. Having honorably served their country, and having taken an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies..." and to "bear true faith and allegiance to same," they were deeply troubled by the abhorrent neglect of attention given to those who did not make it out with their lives or their freedom. These two veterans discussed the more than 10,000 reported sightings of live Americans living in dismal captivity. Intelligence reports of these sightings were generally ignored by the government and mainstream press. These two veterans were Artie Muller and Ray Manzo.
From that day on, things began to happen. Fellow veterans embraced his idea and began to help. There was retired Army Sergeant Major John Holland, head of the American Foundation for Accountability of POW/MIAs, Ted Sampley with Homecoming II Project at the Last Firebase vigil, retired Marine 1st Sergeant Walt Sides, president of the non-profit Warriors Inc, and Bob Schmitt who had a POW family member.
Walt Sides recalled how his first meeting with Manzo left a lasting impression. "I remember it was a pretty, sunny, warm day not long after Memorial Day in 1987. I can still see him walking up the steps towards us (Holland, Sampley, and Schmitt). He looked just like a Marine climbing those steps," Sides claims, "kinda' dumb looking, with a look that said: 'Boys, I need some help.' " It's an old truth that a Marine can always spot a fellow Marine, no matter how out of uniform or far away.
Manzo explained his idea and asked, "Could we do a run of motorcycles for the cause?" According to Sides, "John Holland and I looked at each other and said: Let's do it!" And it was then the name "Rolling Thunder" was adopted for the Rally. Schmitt was staring in the direction of the Memorial Bridge while listening intensely to Manzo's idea and simply blurted out, "It will be the sound of rolling thunder coming across that bridge." The name stuck.
The fledgling group split up the work, contacting the park service, getting permits and printing up flyers. It would take nine months for Ray Manzo's dream to become the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally. And what better date for such an event than on Memorial Day, when America honors the sacrifices of its soldiers throughout its long history of liberty and justice for all? As the plan came together, even its organizers were surprised by the widespread response the run inspired.
The idea turned out to be the right thing at the right time at the right place. "John had a lot of knowledge," Sides adds, referring to Holland's expertise in getting things done in D.C. The POW/MIA vigils, like the one Holland and the other vets operated needed something to grab national attention for the cause. Holland, who knew the National Park Service regulations as they pertained to political demonstrations, volunteered to secure all the permits needed for such an endeavor.
After numerous exploratory meetings with Washington city officials, Holland and Sides organized Rolling Thunder's board of directors and began making plans for the first run. Holland was able to navigate through a sea of regulatory paperwork and continued to obtain the permits for many years. Sides and Sampley were busy making necessary contacts and meeting with the Mayor's Task Force in D.C.
With the legalities out of the way, all they needed was bikers. Sides recalls, "Ray said if we could set it up, he'd bring the bikers." And bring them he did. They came from as far away as Oregon and California. They came from dusty hollows and big bustling cities. Some came alone, others in cycle convoys. Many joined up as they met on the long road to Washington D.C., and rode the rest of the way together with one common goal.
While Ray was busy recruiting bikers and veterans for the run, in the Fall of 1987 he met Artie Muller, who served in the 4th U.S. Infantry Division in Vietnam. He explained his vision to Muller who listened intently to the Marine's impassioned words. Muller saw in Manzo's dream something veterans could get a hold of and run with. Muller would later become a true asset to Rolling Thunder.
Rolling Thunder had somehow struck a chord in the hearts of veterans everywhere and from all walks of life. That first year it was hard to count the numbers roaring into D.C. from America's heartlands. "We thought 2500 bikes on the first run was a whole bunch," Sides explains. "Each run has gotten bigger and bigger and bigger." And as Rolling Thunder expanded, so did it's support base. Where at first veterans had to stick their necks way out to demonstrate for their own, now many of the riders were civilian. Thousands of Americans came out to give very public thanks for the sacrifices of veterans like these, as well as those not yet accounted for.
News coverage of the 1988 Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally was short and sweet. If mentioned at all, it was condensed neatly into about 4 1/2 seconds of air time. Still, somebody saw it. At home, thousands of vets watched their brothers stand up to be counted, and resolved the next chance they got, they would do the same. The Vietnam Vets Motorcycle Club embraced the run with gusto. "Run to the Wall" was meant as a commemoration for those who served in Vietnam, living or dead, missing or present and accounted for.
With the onset of Rolling Thunder III, Ray Manzo temporarily stepped aside as Rolling Thunder Run Commander, but remained involved with Rolling Thunder III, IV, and V. Artie Muller was appointed to stand in as Run Commander for Manzo. The event just kept growing and by 1991 the Run to the Wall Rolling Thunder IV was 45,000 strong with an estimated 20,000 bikes taking part. Proudly flying the Stars and Stripes beside stark black POW/MIA flags, riders cut a striking picture as black leather on blue jeans met shining chrome in a deafening thunder of unison.
By then, the Pentagon north parking lot had become a reunion spot for vets young and old alike. Often it was the only time old war buddies saw each other, and every year more familiar faces appeared. Each mile of pavement held special meaning for the thundering procession of vets. Up and over the Memorial bridge they rumbled, to descend down the street past the Capital, where political policy dictated the fate of American soldiers since before these riders were born. Waves of bikes rolled along Constitution Avenue, symbolic of the rights and freedoms they committed to die for.
The route wasn't complete without a pass by the Commander in Chief's place on Pennsylvania Avenue where White House executive orders mean ultimate life or death for American servicemen in conflicts a world away. In solemn tribute the cavalcade finally reached the Vietnam Veterans Memorial where speakers gave voice to absent patriots: Lost in battle. Lost in shifting policy. Lost in paperwork. But not lost in the hearts of these proud Americans who fought beside them.
Rolling Thunder VI in 1993 took on international support, as bikers from other countries, including Australia, Canada, and South Korea rode with the U.S. And in 1995, the Rolling Thunder run had reached such proportions that Muller formed Rolling Thunder National under the umbrella of Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally. State chapters burst up across America in rapid fire the following year. All positions were deliberately set up as non-paid, voluntary status. By definition, each charter agrees to help vets in need from all wars or conflicts, and adhere to the strict ethics of volunteer-based practice.
Other developments included winning government approval for the POW/MIA postage stamp in 1995. The more members joined in the cause, the more work there was to be done. They learned that political hardball knows no fair play.
Rolling Thunder members, led by Ted Shpak (Rolling Thunder legislative representative) and John Holland, sweated word for word on a bill known as the Missing Service Personnel Act of 1993. The bill was to guarantee that the government could not arbitrarily kill on paper missing servicemen without credible proof of death.
In 1997, Ray Manzo was removed from Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally's board of directors and Artie Muller was appointed Permanent Rolling Thunder Run Commander. Because he had distinguished himself so well as Temporary Run Commander, Muller was voted onto Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally's board of directors.
As a Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally board member and President of Rolling Thunder National, Muller continued to serve as Rolling Thunder Run Commander until 1999 when board members Sides and Sampley asked Muller to also serve as Chairman of the Board for Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally.
As the new millennium approached, the 2000 run marked several milestones. The astounding 250,000 motorcycles in attendance equaled a full hundredfold increase over the first years tally. That fact alone amazed both detractors, who thought by now the crusty vets would surely have lost interest and concern for their missing men in arms, and supporters, who hoped against hope that by the century's end, America would have honestly accounted for its missing servicemen. The 4 1/2 seconds of media coverage had grown to 4 1/2 minutes.
Rolling Thunder XVIII (2005) brought an estimated half-million participants into the nation's capital. It might have started out as a limited engagement to focus attention on those unaccounted for after Vietnam, but it's become much, much more. Rolling Thunder picked up the banner of accountability its government dropped and carries it with pride and honor into the 21st century.
THE FIRST ROLLING THUNDER DEMONSTRATION
Artie and Ray were ordinary men who understood that they had a right to have their voices heard and proceeded to lay down the plans for a gathering in Washington, D.C. during the 1988 Memorial Day weekend. They reached out to their families, fellow veterans and veteran's advocates to unify and form a march and demonstration in the nations Capital. Their arrival would be announced by the roar of their motorcycles, a sound not unlike the 1965 bombing campaign against North Vietnam dubbed Operation Rolling Thunder. Hence, they would call themselves "Rolling Thunder" a title that would endure time and be trademarked in 1990. Word spread quickly and by Memorial Day weekend in 1988, approximately 2,500 motorcycles from all over the country converged on Washington, D.C. to demand from our leaders a full accounting of all POW/MIA's. As they made their stand that day in front of the Capitol, Artie and Ray reflected thankfully for the people who came in support of the POW's and MIA's, and for the unity that was felt. This was Rolling Thunder's first demonstration. Only until ALL POW/MIA's ARE ACCOUNTED FOR, it will not be their last. On that day, the foundation was laid for the annual "Ride for Freedom" to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall (also referred to as the "Ride to the Wall"). The number of participants / spectators in the Memorial Day weekend Ride for Freedom has grown from 2,500 to an estimated 850,000.
Rolling Thunder Today
Rolling Thunder's increased notoriety has not been without its consequences and critics. Since motorcycles have become synonymous with the Rolling Thunder name, it has created a misconception of the organization's true objectives and purpose, and has sometimes overshadowed their many accomplishments and contributions to veterans and our communities. For those who know and support Rolling Thunder, they are keenly aware that the organization's advocacy of the POW/MIA issue does not begin and end each year with Memorial Day weekend. Rolling Thunder members are active year-round promoting legislation to increase veteran benefits and resolve the POW/MIA issue from all wars, and their generosity of time, food, and clothing to veterans and their local communities is continuous throughout the year (see, Fact Sheet).
Non-Profit Status & Membership
Rolling Thunder was incorporated as a class 501 C-4 non-profit organization in 1995, and is headquartered in New Jersey. Today, the organization has over 7,000 members throughout the United States, with a few in Canada, Australia and Europe. There are over 50 chartered Rolling Thunder chapters in the continental United States, and the numbers continually grow. The Rolling Thunder membership is comprised of veterans from all wars and times of peace. Their veteran members have earned such distinctions as the Medal of Honor, Medal of Valor, Bronze Star, Silver Star, Purple Heart, and others. Their membership also consists of non-veteran advocates of all ages, generations and backgrounds. Rolling Thunder also teaches the values of patriotism and community service to its youth. The National Chapter of Rolling Thunder has almost 80 junior members (ages 18 and under) who actively participate in visits to the local VA hospital, food and clothing collection for homeless veterans, and fundraising.
Constitution and By-Laws
The Constitution and By-laws of the organization strictly govern the chapters, with committee members working on issues that include Government Affairs for the POW/MIA issue, Gulf War and Korean War Affairs, Veterans/Community Assistance, School Education, and overall public awareness of the POW/MIA issue and veterans' needs. The Constitution prohibits alcoholic beverages at any Rolling Thunder sanctioned event, and violators could be subject to retraction of membership and even the dissolution of a chapter.
Mission Statement
Skeptics of the POW/MIA cause say that any efforts to retrieve POW's are in vain. Some government officials feel it is senseless to risk the lives of soldiers to search for "old bones," as one senior military official put it when responding to a proposal to conduct a search and rescue of Lt. Commander Michael "Scott" Speicher (USN), the first casualty of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. When Scott's plane crashed in 1991, he was assumed dead and classified as KIA. He was "killed on paper." Years later, convincing evidence revealed Scott survived the crash, and in an unprecedented move in 2001, 10 years after Scott's plane went down, the U.S. Navy reclassified Scott from KIA to MIA, then more recently to POW as evidence of his survival and captivity in Baghdad grew. Again, people found it hard to believe that we would leave a son or daughter behind, but it happened. Unfortunately Scott's story is not unique, as there are many others from past wars who suffered the same heartbreaking fate as Scott, and there is convincing evidence that some POW's from Vietnam are alive today and even possibly from the Korean War. Is Scott still alive in 2003? We don't know, but just because we don't know doesn't mean we forget about him, or forget about the others whose status remains MIA or POW. It's easy to just go on with our lives and not think of those poor souls left behind, but we can't forget. If it were your husband or wife, brother, daughter, son or friend, would you forget? Could you forget? Scott's tragedy validates Rolling Thunder's position on the POW/MIA issue, and further strengthens their mission statement that vows "...to publicize the POW/MIA issue, educate the public that many American prisoners of war were left behind after all past wars, help correct the past and to protect future veterans from being left behind should they become prisoners of war or missing in action, and secondly to help American veterans from all wars." Rolling Thunder will continue to fight for the timely return of all POW's and the continued investigation into the fate of all MIA's. from all wars. Rolling Thunder passionately follows the Army Ranger Creed that vows: "I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy..." Rolling Thunder will continue to grow and gain strength as long as even one person remains unaccounted for.
For more information about Rolling Thunder, or to learn how to become a member or supporter, please contact
Rolling Thunder National headquarters at (908) 369-5439 .
VETERAN & COMMUNITY SERVICE
In 2007, Rolling Thunder®, Charities, Inc. was established as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt, non-profit organization which enables individuals and corporations to receive a tax deduction for funds donated to Rolling Thunder Charities. These funds are used for veterans, active military and their families in need of help. No officers of Rolling Thunder Charities, Inc. receive compensation; we all donate our time.
Rolling Thunder, Inc. spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in financial aid, food, clothing and other essentials to veterans, homeless veterans and veterans' families in need, women's' crisis centers and toys for children.
In 2005, Rolling Thunder, Inc. united with the National Alliance of POW/MIA Families to petition the U.S. Government to use the designation “Prisoner of War/Missing in Action” (POW/MIA) – a designation recognized by the Geneva Conventions - not “Missing/Captured”. This will ensure that prisoners’ rights and protections remain consistent under the Geneva Conventions.
Expenditures exceed over half a million dollars a year, nationwide, to educate the public and increase awareness about the POW/MIA issue and other injustices suffered by veterans. The organization regularly donates POW/MIA flags to local area schools, youth groups, non-profit organizations and special interest groups, and organizes flag raising ceremonies. Veterans speak to youth groups about the honor of serving their country and educating them about the POW/MIA issue.
Rolling Thunder, Inc. sponsors search missions into Southeast Asia for POWs/MIAs, and the remains of those killed in action
Thousands of hours are logged in by Rolling Thunder, Inc. members at local VA hospitals nationwide. Members visit and provide moral support to nursing home veterans and patients suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Rolling Thunder, Inc. helped facilitate the publishing of a POW/MIA U.S. postage stamp through the U.S. Postal Service that displayed dog tags with the declaration - "POW & MIA - NEVER FORGOTTEN"
Rolling Thunder, Inc. National is on the Board of Directors of the Ride to the Wall Foundation, a veterans' fund established through the sales of the musical CD, "Ride to the Wall" produced for Rolling Thunder XIV by Paul Revere & the Raiders in cooperation with Rolling Thunder, Inc.
Rolling Thunder, Inc. participated in the dedication of the World War II Memorial in 2004 and assisted with organizing the World War II parade that took place on that historic date.
Artie Muller -
Artie Muller -National Executive Director, Rolling Thunder® Inc. Click Here
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The First Prisoner of War
(or possibly the First Deserter)
of the American Revolution
by Steven M. Baule
April 19, 1775 is a cornerstone date in United States military history. The "Shot Heard Round the World" has had a huge impact on the world and settled forever that a free people have the right to govern themselves. At the personal level, a huge number of lives were changed forever. Many of those were the men who stood with Captain Parker on Lexington Green or harassed the redcoats on their march back to Boston. On the Crown side, Gen. Thomas Gage, Lt. Col. Smith, Major Pitcairn and the names of many other officers now grace the American historian's lexicon. However, little is still generally known about the British redcoats themselves. The non-commissioned officers and men of the British regiments do not appear to have been of concern to contemporary authors and continue to this day to evade illumination by most historians.
The men of the Grenadier Company of 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot were one such group of men whose lives were also dramatically changed on April 19, 1775. The 18th Regiment's Grenadier Company had last seen traditional active combat in 1727, when a detachment of the regiment from Minorca was involved in the relief of Spanish siege of Gibraltar.1 The men who had fought at Minorca were long since gone from the regiment in 1775. The vast majority of the company hadn't ever seen combat. None of the company's three officers had ever been on active service, although, like most of the men, all had served with the regiment while they had been stationed on the Illinois frontier at Ft. Chartres and Cahokia from 1768 until returning to Philadelphia in late 1772. While in Illinois, tensions were high between the British and the Indians and the regiment had been prepared to fight in the woods in order to be prepared to attack the Spanish during the Falklands Crisis of 1770. One grenadier was lost in Illinois to marauding Native Americans. Three men in the company had been transferred from the 9th Foot on its return from the Caribbean in 1769, where that regiment had seen active service against the Red Carribs. For the majority of the company, as well as for the majority of the entire redcoated column, the events of April 19, 1775 were new experiences. Although many of the regiments involved in the events of April 19, 1775 had proud and distinguished histories, few of the redcoats on that march had experienced the trials of combat. Only the 43rd Foot had served in America during the French & Indian War. The 5th Foot and 23rd Foot had seen active service in Europe during the Seven Years War, but most of the veterans of those campaigns had since vanished from the rolls of those regiments.2
Pvt. Samuel Lee
A classic case of dramatic change due to the events of April 19, 1775 is the story of Private Samuel Lee. Originally from London, Lee was a career soldier who came to America with the Royal Irish in July 1767 disembarking at Philadelphia. When he enlisted is unclear. Lee was stationed with his company at Philadelphia until the spring of 1768, when a large portion of the regiment including the Grenadier Company was ordered to Fort Chartres on the Mississippi River in the Illinois Country.3 The regiment marched through Pennsylvania to Ft. Pitt where the five companies bound for Illinois embarked upon flatboats for the journey down the Ohio and up the Mississippi. The detachment arrived in Illinois in September 1768. The Grenadier Company, including Lee, was assigned at Cahokia, Illinois for at least some time during 1771. The majority of the regiment, including Lee's company, returned to Philadelphia via Ft. Pitt in November 1772. Lee remained in Philadelphia until 1774, when the regiment assumed postings in New Jersey as other regiments were being consolidated at Boston after the Tea Party. Lee appears to have been a stable soldier in the regiment having become the regiment's "master taylor" by March 1773. Lee's trade as well as his being deaf or hard of hearing are articulated in the court martial of John Green, another of the regiment's tailors in 1773. Lee testified as a witness for the Crown against Green in the May 1774 court martial at Amboy, New Jersey. In a company that had more than its share of courts martial, Samuel Lee's name is never included among those punished. Lee appears to have been a solid, obedient soldier; albeit one without good, or possibly even fair, hearing.4 In October 1774, the Grenadier Company along with two of the 18th Foot's battalion companies were ordered to Boston. Samuel Lee was among those arriving in Boston on October 23, 1774. Beginning on December 1, 1774, the detachment's orderly book shows the men being ordered to fire live rounds. Training that shows evidence of the serious nature of the tensions between the British government and her American colonies. Such firing with ball continued through the spring of 1775.5
The 18th Foot's Grenadier Company was ordered to march to Concord as part of Lt. Colonel Smith's column. The 18th Grenadier Company appears to have been involved in the search of Concord for military stores. The activities of neither the company nor any of the officers are mentioned in contemporary reports, excepting those enumerating losses of men or material. While that searching was conducted, Cpt. John Shee or one of his subalterns appears to have posted sentries around the search area. One of those sentries was Private Samuel Lee.
Captured
Posting a deaf, or hard of hearing, sentry doesn't appear to have been a stellar idea. One Sylvanus Wood, a minuteman from Woburn, Massachusetts, claimed to have taken advantage of the situation. In his pension declaration, Wood snuck up on Lee (not a particularly tough task to sneak up on a deaf man) and relieved him of his weapon. Wood then marched Lee back to Lexington following the British column. In Wood's own account, Lee was standing sentinel in Concord when captured. Lee was carrying a musket and bayonet along with a "cutlash and Brass fender" and two cartridge pouches. One over the shoulder with 22 rounds and one "box round the waist with 18 rounds."6
Secondary accounts place the capture at Fiske Hill outside of Concord where Lee was to have left the rear of the column and sat down, having determined his soldiering days were over. If it was there where Wood came upon Lee, Lee may have readily handed his musket over to Wood. Wood would serve three enlistments with the Massachusetts state troops in Continental service. He would serve as a sergeant and was later promoted to ensign and finally to lieutenant before retiring from the service. At the end of the war, Wood returned to his trade as a cobbler.7
The exact facts of whether Wood captured the first prisoner of the war, as he claimed, or simply came upon the first wartime deserter may never be conclusively known. However, in 1775, the British Army was unclear as to Lee's disposition as well. He was still listed as missing since April 19 in the 18th Grenadier Company's muster roll on October 7, 1775. Both published regimental histories of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot list Lee among the dead.8 By December 1775 when the men of the 18th Foot were drafted at Boston, Lee appears to have been believed to be a "prisoner with the rebels" and neither dead or deserted.. Lee was among the draughts assigned to the 10th Regiment of Foot. He was assigned to Major John Vattas's Company. He continued to be listed as a prisoner of war in the returns of the 10th Regiment until that regiment was drafted in September 1778. At that time, the British Commander in Chief in America ordered Lee taken off the strength of the 10th Regiment of Foot. It is at that time the British Army appears to have given up on regaining Lee's services.9
However, Lee was not dead. He had a valuable trade and set himself up as a tailor in Concord. His exact reasons for deserting or remaining with the rebellious colonists may never be known. One secondary account states that he bribed the Lexington jailer to release him. Another account lists him as being wounded, which might explain his falling out of the ranks on the return from Concord and the ease of his capture. Regardless of how or why, Lee ended up setting up shop as a tailor in Concord. He appears to have improved his standing among the townspeople by trying to pass himself off as a British officer.10
Another version of the story has Lee being left behind by his fellow soldiers, who determined there "wasn't enough life left in you [him]" to justify continuing to carry Lee on the retreat. In this version of the story, he was wounded by a Yankee ball while passing the Concord Meeting House and was left at the house of a Dr. Minot. Minot then tended to him, but the ministrations of the doctor's female assistant, Mary Piper, are what actually led Lee back from the precipice of death.11
Whatever his rationale, Lee appears to have become a successful member of Concord society. Lee married Mary Piper on July 11, 1776 in Concord. Samuel and Mary Lee had five children, three boys and two girls. The first, a girl named Polly, was born in January 1777.12 The 1790 census lists Lee as the head of a household in Concord with three free white males under 16 in his household and four free white females. These were likely his wife and five children and another female relative or servant girl.13
Lee died on August 6, 1790 in Concord. He was listed as 45 years old at his death. If that age was accurate, Lee was approximately 30 years old when captured.14 Lee became prosperous enough in his new county to leave a will. It appears that the United States treated its first prisoner of war extremely well.15
Endnotes
R. Cannon, Historical Record of the 18th Foot. London; Printed under the authority of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1836, 42.
J. R. Gavin, The Minute Men: The First Fight: Myths and realities of the American Revolution. Washington: Brasseys, 1989, 62; WO 12/2289 Returns of the 5th Foot, 1763 to 178
Fort du Chartres was originally constructed by the French in the 1720s. The third version of the post was built by the French in the 1750s. It was occasionally known as Ft. Cavendish by the British, but the Royal Irish Regiment nearly always referred to it as Ft. Chartres.
British National Archives, War Office Series 71/79, Court Martial of John Green private soldier in the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot; 240-244; Abraham English Brown, Beneath Old Roof Trees, Boston: Lee and Shepard Publishers, 1896, 99.
Orderly Book of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot’s Boston Garrison, October 1774 to May 1775 National Army Museum (UK) Microfilm 7609-3.
J. C. Dann, The Revolution Remembered: Eyewitness accounts of the War of Independence, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980, 6-8.
Dann, 6.; Samuel Sewell, The History of Woburn, 1640 to 1860, Boston; Wiggin & Lunt, 1868, 363 –364; Lemuel Shattuck, The History of the Town of Concord, Boston; Russell, Osborne, 1835, 117.
WO 12/3501, Returns of the 18th Regiment of Foot; Cannon, 48, C. L. Gretton, Campaigns & History of the Royal Irish Regiment, Edinburgh; William Blackwood & Sons, 1911, 387.
WO 12/2750, Returns of the 10th Foot, Major’s Coy. Completed at Berwick upon Tweed 26th March 1779; In another twist to this tale, some of the secondary accounts list Lee as being from the 10th Regiment of Foot. Most likely that is simply a misreading of the stylized “18” often used in the 1770s. However, it is possible that the British authorities had communicated with him while he was confined to inform him of his being drafted onto the 10th Regiment’s rolls. This would indicate that he was retained as a prisoner, or was released on parole, until at least December 1775. None of the accounts support such a long incarceration.
R. Gross, The Minutemen and their World, 131. Gross also identifies Lee as an officer and states he married a local widow. Others incorrectly identify Lee as a member of the 10th Foot. Brown’s version of the story includes that Lee met Mary Piper while she was living in Boston in the winter of 1775 and their attachment to each other began in Boston prior to Mary returning to Concord.
Brown,90-100. Timothy Minot was a Concord physician. He did perform at least some surgery on the wounded the day in question. He appears to have graduated from Harvard in 1747 and 1750 and died in 1804. The Monthly Anthology and Boston Review, Boston: Munroe and Francis, 1804, 477. His Concord home and surgery is currently the home of the Colonial Inn.
The children were Polly, born January 1777; Samuel, December 1779; Sarah, also Sally, September 1782, Amos, July 1785 & Rufus, December 1788. All were born in Concord. Massachusetts Town Birth Records via www.ancestry.com
US Census Bureau, 1790 Census for Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts., Roll, M637_4: Image 0178
Vital Records of Concord; Massachusetts Town Death Records. Provo, UT; The Generations Network, 1999; Mary Lee is said to have married one Joseph Hoar on May 25, 1794; Samuel Lee (junior) and his son were to have been lost in American service during the War of 1812, but a primary reference to that service has yet to be uncovered. Brown, 100; Neither the regular army rosters available for the War of 1812 nor the list of Massachusetts Militia include a Samuel Lee among their rosters. However, he may have served within another state’s organization.
Middlesex County, MA, Probate Index, Item Number 13943. Also the guardianship of his son, Samuel Lee appears to have been the topic of record 13944.
