Like Indiana Jones once said, this find belongs in a museum.
Archaeologists have discovered five musket balls from the opening battle of the American Revolution fought in Concord, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775.
The musket balls, found at Minute Man National Historic Park while archaeologists were making preparations for the park’s Great American Outdoors Act project, are believed to have been fired during the historic event known as “The Shot Heard Round the World,” according to local media outlet WBZ.
The National Park Service said analysis of the musket balls revealed colonial militia fired them at British troops near the Old North Bridge during the Battle of Concord, the first clash of American patriots against the “red coats” that created the United States.
250-year-old musket balls from "Shot Heard Round the World" found in Concord https://t.co/G2JGFelqWz
— WBZ | CBS News Boston (@wbz) July 9, 2024
“Pulling one of those out of the ground, being able to hold it in your hand knowing the last person to touch this musket ball was ramming it down the barrel of their gun on the morning of April 19 1775 is incredible,” Jarrad Fuoss, a Minute Man Park Ranger and historic weapons specialist, said.
According to the WBZ report, archaeologists discovered the musket balls at a spot near the Concord River where British troops attempted to thwart an American crossing. An analysis revealed that the musket balls were not dropped by American militiamen but were actually fired at the British from the opposite bank of the river.
“It’s incredible that we can stand here and hold what amounts to just a few seconds of history that changed the world almost 250 years ago,” Fuoss said. “These musket balls can be considered collectively as ‘The Shot Heard Round the World.’”
The 19th century writer Ralph Waldo Emerson coined the term “The Shot Heard Round the World” due to the battle at Concord’s role in sparking the seismic global shift towards democracy over monarchism.
The park will display the musket balls during its Archaeology Day this coming Saturday.