Common Men: The True Story of the First American Fight

On the morning of 19 April 1775, a band of farmers and tradesmen faced off against six elite companies of the British Army. The course of history changed in those fifteen minutes, but what happened, exactly? For centuries, no one had more than half the story. In recent decades, the precipitating shots of the American Revolution have been all but erased from retellings of "The Fight." Until now. Available for the first time is a shot-by-shot reconstruction of a pivotal day in American history, synthesizing hundreds of eyewitness accounts into a single explosive narrative that takes no sides. British soldiers and American provincials may have fought on the field, but their sworn statements afterward stand in surprising agreement if we make one simple assumption: Every man told the truth, just not all of it. Collectively, this is what they said happened.Presented with all the action and suspense of the day itself, the story unfolds through the eyes of forgotten men and women on both sides of the field, each motivated by community, friendship, and legacy as much as by patriotism. Slaves and orphans, farm boys and apprentices, widows and wives cope with crisis next to patriot leader John Hancock and the road-weary Paul Revere. Conveying a truth no sanitized fact book ever could, Common Men helps readers experience the trauma and tragedy of "a glorious day for America" alongside those who lived it.About the AuthorMassachusetts native Nathan Tidd is an independent scholar of New England History. The opening shots of the American Revolution, which involved four Tidd cousins, is a favorite research topic. Read more