President's Letter

March 17, 2012

Dear Members and Friends of the Battery,

Probably the most exciting thing for the Battery in 2011 involved the restoration of the rustic stone wall separating Heywood Meadow from Lexington Road. Work commenced in the fall and hopefully will be done by Patriot’s Day. I think you will agree that the work, which is being done by New Hampshire mason Stan Nobles, looks fantastic. In addition to the restoration, the entrances in front of the Gun House are being widened so that horses, gun carriages and large vehicles can all pass safely. A rehab of the Gun House, including replacement of the large wooden doors, is also anticipated in 2012. Finally, the Annual Meeting voted to purchase four new team saddles. Of course, all of these endeavors come with a cost, so we would welcome any contributions you can make to the Battery to help underwrite future improvements.

We got off to a slow start in 2011 with the cancellation of the Meriam’s Corner Exercise due to the threatened federal government shutdown.  However, we plan to be back there – firing the cannons again – this year.  Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 9th, at 1:00 p.m.  Maybe you’d like to make a full Battery day of it and join us at the annual test fire at Doug Macone’s in Sudbury, starting at 9:00 a.m.  Patriot’s Day is April 16th this year and I hope to see a big crowd at the parade and at the Battery Luncheon at the Rod & Gun Club.  On April 19th, we will return to the Buttrick Hillside for the third straight year for the Dawn Salute.  We hope to be there for many years to come.  To see the complete Battery schedule for 2012, go to the CIB website at concordbattery.org.  Note that the Veteran’s Day Flag Retirement ceremony is in the afternoon this year.

We continued to work with local organizations in 2011 to preserve the history of the Battery for posterity.  As I reported last year, we donated a Model 1861 Artillery Driver’s Saddle (misidentified earlier as a Grimsley saddle) to the Concord Museum.  The saddle was on prominent display at a highly acclaimed exhibit about Concord’s participation in the Civil War.  In 2011, we gifted a 19th Century silk guidon to the Museum.  We also displayed the cannons in front of the Museum shortly after Labor Day in an event to support our soldiers serving overseas.  Finally, we committed to donating the Battery archives to the Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library, where they will be preserved for the ages and accessible not just to a few Battery members, but also to historians and the general public.

When you have a chance, please welcome our newest member – Tom Leggett of Concord.  At age 28, Tom is now the youngest Active Member of the Battery.  Tom is already training and we hope to see him on a gun crew soon!  We are always looking for new blood, so if you know someone who wants to become an Active Member, please let us know.  For people wishing to join the Battery Association, membership forms are available on the CIB website.

See you all on Patriot’s Day!

Robert G. Eaton
President