Dawn Salute at Buttrick Hillside

Dawn Salute at Buttrick Hillside Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 6:00 am

The annual dawn salute at 6 a.m. April 19 will take place at the Buttrick Hillside in Concord in the same vicinity as the Old North Bridge, marking the site of the opening battle of the American Revolution.

Participants will muster at the hillside at 5:45 a.m. as the church bells at the First Parish toll to sound the alarm. What follows is the re-enactment of Concord’s “Dr. Prescott” arriving by horseback at the North Bridge. Riding through the fields, “Dr. Prescott” calls out warnings to the towns and villages that the king’s regulars were on the march and that their destination was Concord.

The Concord Independent Battery and the Concord Minute Men observe the opening battle with a 21-gun musket salute and several cannon salutes. The event also includes the traditional flag-raising on the hillside as well as the performing of the national anthem and “Taps.”