MA, USA
Experience "Mother" Batherick
1700–1790 · Civilian · Folk Hero
1700–1790
Civilian · Folk Hero
Experience Batherick, known as "Mother Batherick," became a folk hero for allegedly capturing British soldiers during the April 19 retreat. The story varies in telling—she may have found them exhausted and surrendering, or held them at pitchfork point, or simply provided the kind of fierce presence that discouraged resistance. Whatever the precise truth, her story represented civilian participation in the day's events and was told for generations.
In Arlington
- Apr 1775Mother Batherick Captures British Soldiers(Civilian)
According to local tradition, an elderly woman known as Mother Batherick captured several exhausted and wounded British soldiers who had become separated from their column. Whether she held them at pitchfork-point or simply found them unable to continue, the story became a symbol of civilian participation in the day's events. The tale, likely embellished, captures how the entire community was drawn into the fighting.