"On the morning of that eventful day the Provincial officers held a council of war near the old North Bridge in Concord; and as they separated, Davis exclaimed, 'I haven't a man that is afraid to go!' and immediately marched his company from the left to the right of the line, and led in the first organized attack upon the troops of George III in that memorable war, which by the help of God, made the thirteen colonies independent of Great Britain and gave political being to the United States of America. " Acton, April 19, 1851."

It is not known by whom, or when, or where the idea of building the monument on the common was first discussed in private. The first recorded public action took place on November 11, 1850 when the town, in meeting assembled, voted to remove the remains of Davis, Hosmer, and Hayward, their friends and relatives so willing, to a suitable place on Acton Common, and erect over them a monument; and that the selectmen together with the three ministers of the town, be a committee to layout what they thought proper and petition Congress an the state legislature for aid in the project.

"We, the undersigned, beg leave to represent that Capt. Isaac Davis of Acton, Mass., was under arms at Concord Fight, the 19th of April, A. D. 1775, and was shot dead at the first fire at the Old North Bridge in Concord, at the head of his company of Acton Minute Men, leading on the column of attack; that it is contemplated to erect over said Isaac Davis's remains a suitable Monument, and this is to pray you grant aid in erecting said monument."

The petition was presented to the legislature early in the session of 1851 and was referred to the joint committee on militia consisting of Saunders and Hawley of the Senate and Wilson of Lenox, Nettleton of Chicopee, Brastow of Somerville, Foster of Groveland, and Hatch of Mansfield, of the House. This committee gave Mr. Woodbury an attentive and gracious hearing as subsequently presented to the legislature a most favorable recommendation in which it was pointed out that Capt. Davis, as leader of the first organized resistance to the troops of King George belonged not only to Acton but to the commonwealth and the nation as well. The crux of the resolution is contained in the following paragraph:

"Resolved: That the sum of two thousand dollars be, and hereby is, appropriated for a monument to Capt. Isaac Davis, to be erected in the town of Acton, under the direction of his Excellency the Governor, in connection with a committee of said town, and the Governor is hereby authorized to draw his warrant accordingly: Provided the citizens of the said town of Acton raise the sum of five hundred dollars for the same purpose."

By a political maneuver Mr. Woodbury had been caught unawares but his adversaries were ill advised if they thought he was so readily whipped. This was just the sort of tight spot that challenged hi$ mettle and called forth all his forensic talents. He rose in his place and began as follows:

I had not expected that the question would be taken on these resolves at this day or at this hour. I am not prepared as I would have been to go into this, to me and the people I represent, exceedingly interesting matter. But the discussion of the merits of this bill has come on; objections, - very unexpected objections, - have been urged to its passage to a third reading; and I have just concluded that I may as well state my whole case to this House, now as ever. As I have the honor to present this petition, and was chosen by the town of Acton on the committee for the procuring of aid from the Commonwealth, it will be expected of me that I should make some extended remarks; otherwise I might have sat in dumb silence during the passage .of these resolves, leaving to other abler men the stirring theme. But even in that case I doubt, - averse as I honestly am to talking in any assembly, - whether I should have had sufficient 'restraining grace' after what has been said in opposition to this bill."

With withering scorn he made the observation that the "Breed of Tories had not yet died out" and then for an hour and a half, speaking entirely extemporaneously, he held the chamber spellbound. Holding aloft the shoe buckles of Davis and the powder horn of Hayward, which he had had in readiness against the day when he made his formal speech, he made what was undoubtedly the most sensational oration of his career.1 At its close a goodly number of eyes were damp

Mr. Kingman of Bridgewater then spoke in opposition to the measure and chided Mr. Woodbury for his anti- peace sentiments. He was interrupted by a motion to adjourn, which by parliamentary rules could not be debated and had to be immediately put to a vote. It failed decisively.

Mr. Banning of Monterey and Messrs. Schoulder and Munroe of Boston all supported the bill. They were interrupted by another motion to adjourn, a device evidently of the opposition to prevent action. The motion failed again, however, by a vote of 124 to 76. Immediately Mr. Kimball of Boston moved the previous question and the bill passed by a vote of one hundred ninety to thirty three.

One month later to a day the town voted to raise not only the specified five hundred dollars but an additional two hundred should it prove necessary. Evidently the decision was not universally pleasing since the records show that at a meeting held a month later there was an attempt made to abandon the whole project. The answer to this move was to reiterate the previous vote and in addition to proceed with a great celebration in which surrounding towns would be invited to participate.

Once these details were settled events moved on apace. The building committee believed in and practiced economy and expedition. Governor Boutwell was nominal chairman but the actual operations went forward under the indomitable drive of Mr. Woodbury. A variety of models were submitted by professional designers, not only for the monument but for the enclosing fence as wel1.2 In the meantime a sub committee had reported the cooperation and consent of the friends and relatives with respect to the moving of the remains.

Another sub committee authorized to proceed with proposals to build, advertised in the Quincy Democrat for three weeks, giving the information that inquiries were to be made at the state house where the models could be examined, and that bids would be accepted until May 19th. On May 26th contracts were signed with G. K. Eastman of Lowell and A. L. Hutchinson of Manchester, N. H.

On July 2nd the building committee of six already mentioned was augmented by thirty others to have overall supervision of the projected ceremonies In August the committee was instructed by the town to guarantee to the caterers a minimum of one thousand plates at the huge dinner contemplated for the dedication exercises.

The corner stone was laid on August 21st. A large choir directed by Col. Faulkner sang three Watts psalms, namely Majesty, Northfield, and Truro. Prayer was offered by Rev. Stinson and hymns written by Rev. Richardson were sung. Under the corner stone were placed, in a copper box, the following papers:

Previous to the laying of the corner stone the committee on arrangements had met on July 5th, and each Monday evening thereafter, had chosen Rev. Woodbury as chairman and had decided to invite Gov. Boutwell of Groton to deliver the oration and Rev. J. Pierpont of Medford to give the poem. Sub committees were selected to attend to invitations, contract for the dinner, the tent, to disinter the remains and prepare them for burial, to prepare the music, and to attend to the decorations.

Concord, Sudbury, Stow, Boxborough, Littleton, Westford and Carlisle were invited through their selectmen to participate in the celebration. All but Sudbury responded favorably. James Kimball of Littleton and John Fletcher of Boxborough were added to the committee on the dinner; John Keyes of Concord was added to the committee on invitations, as were also Rev. Bannister of Carlisle, E. Whitney of Stow, and Deacon Cutter of Westford.

The representatives from the adjacent towns listed in the Boston Weekly Journal of October 30, 1851 were as follows: Concord; Stedman Buttrick, F. R. Gourgas, John Stacy, J. S. Keyes; Littleton Benjamin Hale, Benjamin Barrett, Joel Boynton, John Jacobs; Westford; James Prescott, Isaac Day, Jr., Solomon Richardson, D. C. Butterfield. There were no representatives from Stow or Sudbury for reasons that do not appear in any of the records of the three towns concerned.

Before giving the details of the dedication exercises it might be well to consider the salient points with respect to the monument itself. The base is fifteen feet square, surmounted by an arch, which in turn supports an obelisk four feet four inches square at the top. The capstone is seventy-five feet from the foundation, which sets eight feet into the earth. The blocks are of Acton granite split from the ledges lying in the pasture of Mr. Putnam and several hundred feet to the rear of the Pederson truck barn on Newtown Road.1 These blocks are so cut that footholds exist on the inside of the obelisk making it possible for any reasonably agile adult to climb to the top. Every few courses a granite cross beam ties the whole rigidly. These are cleverly cut and placed so that the flagpole may be lowered for painting and incidental repairs. The bottom of the pole is squared to fit into a recess chiseled out of the last crossbeam a few feet below the capstone. The pole is twenty-five feet tall. Twice it has been shattered by lightning, once about Civil War time and again in the early nineteen hundreds. In the autumn of 1876 an American eagle created a minor sensation by perching on the top of the pole for a quarter of an hour.

"The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the town of Acton, co-operating to perpetuate the fame of their glorious deeds of patriotism, have erected this monument in honor of Capt. Isaac Davis and privates Abner Hosmer and James Hayward, citizen soldiers of Acton and Provincial Minute Men, who fell in Concord Fight, the 19th day of April, A. D.1775.

The slate gravestones, which stood for seventy-five years to mark the resting place of the three patriots in the old burying ground (not at this time named Woodlawn) had been laid on the sides of the mound surrounding the base of the monument. They were of ancient design and bear the following interesting inscriptions.

The nature of the first fence surrounding the monument is not known. Fletcher shows a photograph of a pen and ink sketch but whether it is a picture of the designer's draft or of the actual finished structure is not made clear. An article in the town warrant of June 1876 speaks of removing the inside fence. At the turn of the century there was but one, formed of heavy, sagging chains supported by square granite posts, which enclosed the whole banking including the gravestones mentioned above. At that time, what is now called Woodbury Lane continued on across the main street and made a junction with the road past the church in front of the present firehouse.

The dedication exercises took place on October 29, 1851. The day was lowering but comfortable and the rain held off until well after the conclusion of the exercises. The stars and stripes floated over the monument; four lines of flags extended from the ground to the corners of the capstone; the streets were ablaze with bunting and the village houses as well. In addition some five thousand persons were present to witness the spectacle.

The procession formed on the green at noon. In the forefront was the military escort of honor for the dead consisting of the First Artillery, the Concord Artillery accompanied by Flagg's Boston Brass Band, the Prescott Guards of Pepperell, and the Sudbury Rifles. Then came the civic procession under the command of chief marshal Col. Winthrop E. Faulkner of Acton. The next section was made up of the Governor and his staff, the President of the Massachusetts Senate, the invited guests, and the joint committees of arrangements for the various towns. Following these came the #1 division of the Order of United Americans and the Okommakamesit Fire Company #2 of Marlboro. The final two divisions were composed of citizens of Acton and the seven adjacent towns. Several of the delegations carried appropriate banners, the most conspicuous being that of Lexington. It was large and white with red fringe, carrying the date April 19, 1775, and the famous words, "Oh what a glorious day for America", uttered by Samuel Adams as he left Lexington that morning. On the reverse side were the names of Capt. Parker and the other patriots who fell in the cause of liberty on Lexington green.

From the common the procession moved toward the old burying ground where the remains of Davis, Hosmer, and Hayward awaited removal to the monument. The bones, which had been disinterred some days previously, were nearly entire, and were enclosed in an oblong, black walnut box, highly polished and studded with silver nails. The remains were enclosed in separate compartments, each marked upon the cover by a silver plate bearing the proper name. The cheekbone of Hosmer showed the trace of the ball, which caused his death, entering just below the left eye and emerging at the back of the neck. The box was placed in a hearse and under the escort of the Acton militia company, the Davis Guards, with First Lt. Daniel Jones in command, met the procession at what is now the junction of Concord Road with Nagog Hill Road. Here both parties halted - the military escort in open order with arms presented awaited the approach of the sacred remains - the Lowell Band, which accompanied them playing a dirge by Kurick. Flagg's Band, accompanying the escort then played the dirge, "Peace troubled Soul", after which the escort fell into position and the procession, including the remains, proceeded to the monument.

Eight venerable citizens of the town served as pallbearers. They were Joseph Harris and Dr. Charles Tuttle, each eighty-two: Matthew Hosmer, nephew of Abner, eighty; John Harris, Daniel Barker and James Keyes, each seventy-six; Jonathan Barker, seventy-four; and Lemuel Hildreth, seventy. .

Upon arrival at the monument the box was opened and placed in the middle of the street upon a stand covered with a black velvet pall, in order that those who so desired might look upon the remains. Then the box was closed and set into a niche prepared for it in the eternal stone of the monument.

. "Patriotism is one of the most exalted virtues. It is not, as some would have us believe, a mere excitement, or even a passion. It is high among the virtues, which men, in this state of existence, may exhibit . . .. It is a large and noble view of the entire nation, a regard for its institutions, social, moral, civil and religious, crowned by a manly spirit which leads its possessor to peril in all their defense. The patriot is devoted and self-sacrificing. Such were Davis, Hosmer and Hayward. Their names were comparatively humble yet they were men of duty, men of religion, men of Liberal patriotism."

"The sentiment of the Revolution was altogether moral. There was an entire absence of the spirit of revenge, rapine or blood. They never for a moment placed as much reliance upon their numbers as upon the justice of their cause and the existence of a Supreme ruler, who controls the affairs of men. Such was the tone of the press, the pulpit and the bar. Everywhere the morality of the contest was examined and the ground carefully tested at each step; not by leading men only, but by all those who had a vote to give in a town meeting, or an arm to sustain the weapons of war. They were no zealots like the crusaders, but plain careful men of sound moral perception and correct judgment. It is true that they were the descendants of those who rejoiced when Charles the First was beheaded and James the Second was dethroned. This feeling however had no mixture of cruelty in it but proceeded from a conviction that the monarchs were unworthy of the throne. Their impulses were always in favor of liberty. They sympathized with the Republican Party in England, encouraged them at home, and welcomed them to these shores."

After the governor took his seat Rev. Mr. Pierpont of Medford read a long poem into which were ingeniously interwoven the events of April 19, 1775. Nevertheless genius, however potent, could not compete with hunger. The press reports make the observation that before the conclusion of the poem the listeners, who had sat for nearly two hours before chilled viands, were guilty of a disturbing clatter of utensils.

There then followed thirteen toasts (having some connection presumably with the thirteen original colonies) to which responses were made at some length as the populace got what solace it could out of the cold repast. Mr. Robert Winthrop had this to say:

"We are here today not to inaugurate the opening of some magnificent highway; not to display the rich trophies of agricultural or horticultural industry and skill; not to celebrate the triumphs of modem mechanic art and invention; not to offer homage to some chief magistrate. These are not the objects that have summoned to this retired spot such masses of the people of Middlesex and of Massachusetts. We have assembled on the contrary to pay grateful, though tardy, tribute to the memory of three humble citizens of one of the smallest towns in the state, two of them privates in a militia company, and the third with no higher rank than that of a captain, whose simple story is that they laid down their lives seventy six years ago in defense of American liberty.”

"Coming as I do from the far famed monumental city where stands Bunker Hill, it is with peculiar pleasure that I unite this day with the citizens of Acton in the dedication of the Davis Monument now erected here. I have observed this fair and appropriate structure so justly due to the honored dead and I welcome Acton as hereafter to be distinguished among the monumental places of Middlesex. I know this sequestered and quiet spot was not a battlefield of the Revolution but I know also that brave men were born and reared here, who, with the morning sun went forth to battle for freedom, and with its evening shade were brought back to be buried among its first martyrs."

There were numerous letters from interested and prominent figures in the state and nation. One was from Daniel Webster who has befriended Acton eleven years previous when he lifted his gifted voice in the United States Senate to secure a pension for the aged widow of Isaac Davis. Mr. Webster closed his letter with the now famous observation, "Isaac Davis, - an early grave in the cause of liberty has secured to him the long and grateful remembrance of his country”.

I am glad to see deserved honors paid to those who fell fighting for liberty in the Revolution, but regret that my official duties will not allow me the gratification of showing, by my presence, on the interesting occasion for which you are preparing, my appreciation for the services of the departed heroes whose memory your monument is intended to perpetuate.

Such is the story of the granite memorial on Acton Common that stands there to honor the men "Who were not afraid to go". It should remind every citizen that passes it by of his obligation to meet the challenges of the present day with a spirit comparable to theirs.

At the time of the dedication of the monument several of the venerable persons who could recall the days of the Revolution spoke of the confused state of affairs on the morning of Concord Fight. For weeks the word had gone around that when the time came Gage's troops would wipe out completely the families of all rebels and obstructionists. Hence many women and children on that morning hid the most valuable possessions and fled to the woods where they remained crying and praying until past noon when the wonderful news came from Concord.

Dr. Charles Tuttle, aged nine at the time, related that he remembered his house being filled with women. He lived on the town farm and the place had been chosen as a refuge because it was well off the mainly traveled roads. Some even came from Westford and remained until the news of the British retreat. He and his brother Simon, two years older, were delegated by their mother to guide these women through the woods toward Westford, and once or twice the whole company took fright and ran for their lives, thinking they saw the British regulars.

It was also recalled by some of the nonagenarians that Capt. Joseph Robbins had certain stores of powder and ball and other items belonging to the province. These he carried back into the woods and hid. He was a great strong man and well proportioned although he weighed over three hundred pounds.

Mrs. Joseph Harris, aged eighty-one at the time of the dedication, remembered the morning well. She recalled that a neighbor, Mr. Francis Chaffin, with his gun on his shoulder, awakened them. Her father, Joseph Reed, was one of Davis's minutemen and served as an excellent soldier throughout most of the war. As he started to leave his wife said, "Husband will you not stop for breakfast,” He replied, "No, no, I can't stop for that", and taking a piece of bread and some cheese he rushed from the door, but immediately turned back to embrace his family with the remark, "My wife and my children, may God be with you, for I cannot be".

While the town was concentrating a large portion of its energies on the monument project other items of interest were transpiring as well. In January of 1850 for instance, for the first time in its history, the town passed the thousand-dollar mark on the school appropriation. It voted eleven hundred. In May the town valuation was printed for the first time and distributed among the voters. In September a deposition by Bradley Stone relative to the part taken by Isaac Davis at Concord Fight was ordered spread upon the town records. Early in 1851 a vote was passed to "build a tomb to deposit dead bodies in the winter" and later rescinded. In April Rev. Woodbury was instructed to oppose the contemplated division of Middlesex County. Also in the same year the town authorized the printing of eight hundred copies of the speech of Rev. Woodbury before the Massachusetts legislature and the proceedings of the Davis Monument celebration.

The society of the Sons of the American Revolution are to give a day in honor of Acton's historic landmarks. Wednesday, Sept. 26, they will visit all the places made famous by history, and hold appropriate services. The gathering here will be at the Isaac Davis monument erected by Geo. C. Wright in front of the home of Mrs. Sally Hagar. C. B. Stone is to deliver an oration and lunch will be served on the lawn of Luke Blanchard's residence.