20
Apr
1775
Springfield Responds to Lexington
Springfield, MA· day date
The Story
When news of Lexington reached Springfield — a hundred miles west of Boston — militia companies mustered and began the long march east. Springfield's distance meant its forces arrived after the initial fighting, but they joined the siege of Boston and served throughout the summer.
The response demonstrated the reach of the Massachusetts alarm system and the depth of patriot sentiment in the Connecticut Valley. Springfield was far from the coast, far from the centers of radical politics, but its residents were ready to fight.
Sources for Springfield
Library of Congress, Papers of the Continental Congress
General Henry Knox's Orders Establishing the Springfield Arsenal, 1777
National Archives and Records AdministrationMassachusetts State Archives
National Park Service
The Armory at Springfield: A History of the Springfield Armory, 1794-1968
American Rifleman / NRA Foundation (James B. Whisker)founders.archives.gov
hamilton.gilderlehrman.org
www.gilderlehrman.org
www.masshist.org
Joel Barlow's American Vision: War, Commerce, and the Making of a Republic
Harvard University Press (Richard Buel Jr.)National Park Service
Shays' Rebellion: The Making of an Agrarian Insurrection
University of Massachusetts Press (David P. Szatmary)Springfield History Library and Archives (City of Springfield)
The History of the Non-Importation Movement in Colonial Springfield
New England Historical and Genealogical RegisterGreater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau