Topsfield and the Revolutionary War
Yes, there were Minutemen from Topsfield!
Although Topsfield was the third smallest town in Essex County before the Revolution, it had two companies of militia, representing 15% of the town's population. Each Topsfield minuteman earned a salary of two shillings for special drill service of two-half-days per week. On the morning of April 19, 1775 a post-rider arrived in Topsfield at about 10:00 am. with news of the Lexington engagement. Sixty-six men from the two militias proceeded to march the 30 miles to encounter the British as they retreated to Boston.
How did a conservative farming town come to favor independence? What was the role of Topsfield in the Battle of Bunker Hill? Topsfield and "The Shot Heard Round the World"
Revolutionary Re-enactors
During the 2009 Strawberry Festival, Col. Bailey’s Second Massachusetts Regiment (www.2ndmass.org), encamped for the day on the Topsfield Common. Throughout the day the group interpreted the lives of the soldiers and women of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War.Activities of the Regiment were recreated to provide an authentic environment for living history. The event was sponsored by the Topsfield Historical Society and the Topsfield Cultural Council.
Col. Bailey's Second Massachusetts Regiment
