Campaigns and Profiles of Revolutionary Soldiers – A Bedford Historical Society Lecture on March 25

March 19, 2015

Submitted by The Bedford Historical Society

Rick Wiggins' book will be the foundation of his March 25 talk - Courtesy image
Rick Wiggins’ book will be the foundation of his March 25 talk – Courtesy image

The Bedford Historical Society’s March program will feature Lincoln historian, author and re-enactor Rick Wiggin, who will describe the myths and realities of Revolutionary War service from research conducted for his book, “Embattled Farmers: Campaigns and Profiles of Revolutionary Soldiers from Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1775-1783.”

This program, which is open to the public, will be held on Wednesday evening, March 25 in Fellowship Hall of the First Church of Christ, Congregational, 25 The Great Rd.  After a refreshment period between 7:15 and 7:45 pm in which coffee, cocoa and baked goods will be served, Wiggin will talk about the Lincoln farmers with personal connections to Bedford, who fought in these battles.  He will tell unknown stories gleaned from his research and describe numerous aspects of the War for Independence that rarely appear in traditional histories, such as the service of under-age boys and slaves and the ravages of war: smallpox, economic ruin, desertion and capture.

Following the battle of Concord on April 19th, 1775, British soldiers were returning to Boston when they were ambushed in Lincoln by some 1,200 Provincials from all the surrounding areas, including Bedford.  According to Wiggin:  “Here the fight began in earnest: more people were killed and wounded along this stretch of road in Lincoln than at the Lexington Green and Concord’s North Bridge combined.  It was here that the events of the day boiled over and passed the point of no return.”

Rick Wiggin - Courtesy image
Rick Wiggins – Courtesy image

Wiggin, a graduate of the Wharton School at the Univ. of Pennsylvania, works in the medical and life sciences arenas.  But his avocation has been historical research.  In addition to writing “Embattled Farmers,” he is researching a new book — a biography of Brigadier General Thomas Welsh, who served in the Mexican and Civil Wars.   He is a member of the Lincoln Minute Men, where he served as Captain, and a volunteer at Minute Man National Historical Park.  He also is a past Executive Director of the Bostonian Society, which maintains the Old State House — the state capital building of colonial Massachusetts.

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Copies of his award-winning book, “Embattled Farmers,” will be available for sale and the author’s signature after his presentation.

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