(Figurines) L'chaim to the Battle of Concord

Book Description

(AMERICAN JUDAICA/REVOLUTIONARY WAR) Six porcelain bottle/figures representing The Battle of Concord on April 19th, 1776 (sic 1775). Commemoratives created by Mogen David, producers of Kosher Concord grape wine. Five standing Minutemen bottles and a cannon bottle housed in a red, velvet lined dark wooden box. Expert repair to one figure. Very Good Condition. Late 20th century. During the American War of Independence (1775-83), a considerable number of Jews volunteered for the colonialist armies and several acquired distinction, among them Isaac Franks, David Salisbury, Lewis Franks Bush, and Solomon Bush. In this war, some U.S. companies included quite a number of Jewish soldiers, such as that commanded by Major Benjamin Nones (d. 1826), a French Jew who served under the command of Lafayette and George Washington.A small golden label on the verso of each bottle reads “`Fire, fellow soldiers, for god’s sake fire!’ At Major Buttrick’s shout, his neighbors obey and two of the King’s troops fall dead. . Advancing across the North Bridge, the Minutemen drove their panic-stricken enemies back into Concord.” The affixed label on the front reads “Mogen David Concord Wine.”On the evening of April 18th, 1775, the British military governor of Massachusetts sent out from Boston a detachment of about 700 regular troops to destroy military stores collected by the provincials at Concord. Detecting the plan, the Whigs in Boston sent out Paul Revere and William Dawes with warnings. After the initial skirmish in Lexington, the British moved on to Concord, where they were shockingly routed by the dogged and brave American Minutemen. The casualties of the day bear no relation to its importance. Forty-nine Americans were killed, 73 British, but the fighting proved to the Americans that by their own methods they could defeat the British. In that belief, they stopped, before night, the land approaches to Boston, thus beginning the siege of Boston.These commemoratives are an amusing combination playing on the duality of Concord war battles and Concord wine bottles and were most probably produced for the celebration of America’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976. It’s a safe guess to suppose that wine from Concord grapes is probably what our colonial forebears were drinking at that time, especially since it was the season of Passover.This is an upbeat, worthy collectible combining both Americana and Judaica.

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