In 1775, this fork on the Groton Road marked the way to Colonel Barrett’s farm, more than a mile away, where one hundred twenty British soldiers marched to seize cannon, muskets, and ammunition believed to be hidden there, while another ninety-six stayed behind to guard the Bridge. Barrett’s farm was the furthest point reached by any of the soldiers on the British expedition from Boston. General Gage, who ordered the march to Concord, believed that seizing stockpiles of weapons was both a military necessity and his prerogative as governor of the colony, while the colonists actively disagreed. In his orders to Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith, Gage directed the force to march with utmost expedition and secrecy to Concord to seize and destroy all military stores, while taking care that the soldiers did not plunder inhabitants or damage private property.