William Diamond’s Drum

Among the treasures preserved in Lexington is this beautifully decorated drum that once belonged to William Diamond, the young drummer of Captain John Parker’s Lexington militia. According to tradition, Diamond beat this very drum to summon the townspeople on the night of April 18, 1775, after Paul Revere and other riders brought word that British troops were marching toward Concord.

Only sixteen years old at the time, William Diamond stood with the Lexington militia on the Common at dawn on April 19th, as the opening shots of the American Revolution were fired. While eight Lexington men lost their lives that morning, Diamond survived and lived until 1868, becoming one of the last living witnesses to the events that marked the beginning of the nation’s struggle for independence.

The drum itself became an enduring symbol of Lexington’s role in American history. In 1875, on the centennial anniversary of the battle, the drum was again sounded during the commemorative celebrations, linking those who had lived through the Revolution with a new generation seeking to remember the sacrifices of their forebears.

More than 250 years later, the drum remains a tangible connection to that fateful morning when a small Massachusetts town became the birthplace of a nation.