The Appleseed Program is designed to take you from being a simple rifle owner to being a true rifleman. An American tradition, the rifleman has been defined as a marksman capable of hitting a man-sized target from 500 yards away – no ifs, ands or buts about it. This 500-yard range is traditionally known as “the rifleman’s quarter-mile.” A rifleman can hit just about any target he can see within that radius. Marksmanship skill (albeit with smoothbore muskets) was particularly evident in the birth of our country, and was the difference in winning the Revolutionary War, right from the first day.

This country was founded and won by riflemen who fought and beat British forces. We invite all interested Americans to learn the traditional American skill necessary to shoot proficiently; and then hope you’ll participate in teaching and practicing with others so that together we can save this great land. Why you? Well, that’s simple: if you’re on this page we’re betting you’re a patriot, and we hope you answer the call.

What’s a rifleman?

In short, a rifleman is an American skilled with a rifle, and much aware of his tradition of American Liberty. It’s a man who has learned to shoot a rifle accurately – accurate enough to score “expert” on the Army Qualification Course. It`s a man who knows how liberty got started in this country, by a bunch of farmers and villagers with muskets – and skill – on a long ago April day (in fact, one thing you`ll hear at every Appleseed is the Story of April 19th, 1775, the story you never heard in school, the real story, and it will make you not only relive pride in your heritage but just might make you want to protect that heritage and see it passed on for another generation). After attending an Appleseed AQT shoot, you’ll have the knowledge necessary to become a true rifleman, and will understand the critical need for helping us expand this program until every American has had an opportunity to come and learn the tradition, the history, and the heritage – just like you did.

The RWVA is dedicated to the Appleseed Program and encourages every American to learn to shoot.

Why should you come? Well, for one thing, to see what this Appleseed stuff is all about. To find out why one well-known gun writer who was there said, “this is going to be the next big thing that nobody saw coming.” To learn to shoot a rifle — to learn to shoot it just as well as your forefathers. To gather new hope for the future. To see Americans — volunteer Americans — not sitting around complaining: no sir, out doing something about it — like saving their country, one person at a time. To meet fellow Americans who feel like you do, and to bathe in an association with real Americans that is lacking in your everyday life. So you’ll go back home rejuvenated – and maybe with hope for the future, for the first time in years. Your attendance at an Appleseed shoot will also  qualify you to purchase an M1 Garand — still one of the world’s finest battle rifles — and a true piece of American history…direct from the Civilian Marksmanship Program for a price several hundred dollars under market.

Finally, when you attend an Appleseed event, you’ll hear The Story that every American should hear. About how your forebears took up arms, on the first day of the American Revolution, and did things no other people in the world have ever done. To learn things you don’t learn in school, about that day. About where the Revolution really started — it did not start in Lexington, nor did it start in Concord. According to John Adams, it was over before it started. Be there to hear The Story, because to hear it is to remember what they did, that day. And to remember, is to honor them for doing it.

What is The Story? Why April 19, 1775?

The day prior, an “unimpeachable source” (believed to be British General Gage’s American-born wife) informed Dr. Joseph Warren that British troops would deploy for Concord the night of April 18, in order to seize Colonial military supplies believed to be stored there. This wasn’t the first time they had done so—in September of the previous year they had seized 250 barrels of gunpowder from the Massachusetts Provincial Powder House in Charlestown.

The route the British planned to take was not initially known: they might take boats from Boston to a shorter northern route; or they might take the land route, but this was 5 miles longer.  The increased distance meant a substantially longer trip for marching troops, who might carry up to 100 pounds of equipment.

That night, longboats from the British ships Boyne and Somerset began to take on British troops for their transfer to the transfer to the staging area for the northern route. Billy Dawes was sent via the southern route to warn John Hancock and Sam Adams that the British were to march on Concord, the current location of these 2 notorious agitators.

Paul Revere conferred with other Sons of Liberty to have the pre-arranged signal displayed via lanterns in the steeple of the Old North Church: one if by land, two if by sea. Across the Charles River, posted watchers received and immediately began to spread the message.
About 10 p.m., Revere and 2 others rowed past the HMS Somerset to Charlestown.  There, his famous ride began.
“The Regulars are out!”

Lt. Col. Francis Smith lead 700 grenadiers and light infantry, accompanied by (among others) Marine Major Pitcairn, who had remarked the prior month that “I am satisfied that 1 active campaign, a smart action, and burning 2-3 towns will get everything to rights.”, in reference to the increase in the citizens’ increased militia drills.

77 militiamen, warned by Revere and the additional post riders activated by his alarm, assembled on the village green at Lexington under the command of Militia Captain John Parker.  Parker, who was suffering from TB, had risen from his sick-bed to command his troops, men who were usually just his neighbors.  Parker was an experienced officer, having fought in the recent French & Indian Wars.  He instructed his men: “Stand your ground.  Do not fire unless fired upon.  But if they mean to have a war, let it begin here!” Despite his words, Parker had his men form 2 lines, knowing the British would perceive this as a challenge.

British Marine Maj. Pitcairn ordered them,” Lay down your arms, ye rebels, and disperse!”

The militiamen began to disperse (but not disarm), when a shot was fired.  Without orders from their officers, the British troops fired into the militiamen.  A few militiamen returned fire.  Afterwards, 8 Americans were dead and 10 more wounded.  One British soldier and one horse had been wounded.  The British officers regained control of their troops and reformed ranks.  They fired a victory volley and resumed their march to Concord.

At Concord, hundreds of militiamen were gathering in response to the alarm raised by Revere and the other post riders, assembled on Punkatasset Hill overlooking the town.  The Rev. Wm. Emerson instructed the militia “Let us stand our ground.  If we die, let us die here.”

The British troops began to search the town for military supplies, and to enthusiastically loot its contents.  They found 3 cannon and 500lbs of musket balls, as well as a supply of wooden spoons and bowls stored in barrels. [Most of the military stores had recently been moved to Acton and Worcester]. These were stacked in the town and burned.  The militia, spotting the rising smoke, believed the British had set fire to the town, and advanced via the North Bridge towards Concord.  The bridge was guarded by 3 British companies, who fired a warning volley and another volley at the militia.  Most of the shots went high – the command “aim” was not in the British manual of arms, they instead emphasized the bayonet.  Over 100 shots were fired, wounding 4 men and killing 2 (Isaac Davis, the 1st American casualty of the Revolution, who had left 4 sick children at home).  The Americans – outnumbered 4:1 — using deliberate aimed fire struck 4 of the 8 British officers and 5 regulars, causing the British to break ranks and run, initiating a disorganized retreat by the British as other militia  joined in the fight.

As they retreated, the rear guard fired at the Americans shadowing their retreat. The senior American officer present was William Heath, a man with no military experience, a self-described “corpulent, balding farmer.”  He was extremely well-read on military tactics, and had refined the idea of a ‘circle of fir’, where fast-moving troops could keep a slower moving enemy in the center of sustained fire (modern ‘skirmishers’).  The British troops faced an 18 mile gauntlet of fire on their retreat to Boston. Militiamen continued to join in the series of ambushes to attack the British.  From behind trees, stone walls, and houses the militia fired on the British, only appearing long enough to fire, the dropping out of sight to reload.

Fortunately for the British, a relief column led by Col. Hugh (Lord Percy) arrived, bringing with them 2 cannon.  Even with these reinforcements, the British return to Boston devolved into a rout and the militia pressed their attacks.  The British discarded equipment, arms, and even loot as they fled back to Boston.

The British sustained 273 casualties; the Americans 93.

Afterwards, the British reported that the militia fought not as lone assailants, but as units.

A Little Seed Makes A Big Tree

What’s exciting about a little seed making a big tree? Simply this: Plant enough apple seeds, and you soon have a land filled with apple trees. Johnny Appleseed, an early American hero, knew this fact, and believed in it enough to devote his life to it.

So just call me Freddy Appleseed.

When those seeds germinate into riflemen, and their efforts bear forth as fruit other riflemen, we soon have a Nation of Riflemen. The logic of it is inescapable. All you gotta do is plant some seeds. So, why don’t we? Might be f-u-n.

“Fun?” You telling me, Fred, saving America, is fun?

Yes sir, and it doesn’t get better. Save America, and have fun doing it. Doesn’t seem fair, does it? That this world, with all its crazy rules, rules that usually leave you hanging high, can deal you such a sweet hand – but I believe, in this instance, it has. Save America, by learning to shoot, then getting others to shoot (you enthusiasts don’t have to wait, get your friends learning — as you learn!).

Project Appleseed, as we call it, is to help you out. To make it even easier. To provide a source of information, inspiration, motivation, and simple determination. Check out www.rwva.org to find the location of the nearest Appleseed to you.

Project Appleseed is simple: you come to a weekend Appleseed to learn rifle marksmanship. You bring evey friend, every relative, every neighbor, every co-worker you can. While you are learning the skills necessary to shoot a rifle, you hear the story of the Founding – of the first day of the Rev War – April 19th, 1775, “the Day Marksmanship met History, and the Heritage was born…”

Once you become a rifleman, you don the RWVA “Instructor” cap, and become a Teacher of Riflemen.

In three years plus, we’ve already welcomed the 10,000th Appleseeder to an Appleseed. Our goal is 100,000 by 2012; 1,000,000 by 2016. The only way we make those goals is for you to pitch in and help us bail the ship.

We’ll teach you to shoot, then we’ll teach you to teach. Soon you’ll be teaching hundreds of people a year to shoot a rifle – and telling them the Story of April 19th, 1775. My friend, you’ll no longer be “like everyone else” – this is not uselessly talking about how bad things are, but doing something about it, something that will make a difference.

Don’t like public speaking? Don’t know the Story? No problem. Becoming an instructor is like becoming a rifleman. It takes time, and persistence. But just like every American can become a rifleman, every rifleman is competent to pass those skills on to others. So don’t worry about it, you can do it – and you’ll be a better person for it. A more worthy person. Even an important person. After all, you’re saving a country. How important is that?

Take it one step at a time, and simply persist in taking steps, and you’ll be there in no time. First, come to an Appleseed, bringing others with you – as many as possible. Second, work on polishing those skills you’ll learn at Appleseed until you can shoot qualifying rifleman scores. Then come to an Appleseed and tell the RWVA instructor you want to become like him.

That’s all there is to it. (Well, there’s a few weekends of training, and all – but when you aim to be the best rifle marksmanship instructor on the planet, you have to expect that, right?)

So let’s start planting seeds. And start with YOU, as the first one. The first step:

TAKE THE PLEDGE

Now everyone is gonna wanna be a Freddy Appleseed, and you can’t blame ‘em. Welcome aboard, I say. But an important task like saving America shouldn’t be expected to proceed without some formality. It is, after all, an important task: we need you to sign up for the duration, not for the moment. So here’s what you do. Pledge the following, to yourself (who better?):

Starting this minute, I pledge to reach down deep inside myself and wake up that sleeping American, the Rifleman.

• I pledge to get my sleeping American to the range, so he can learn to shoot.
• I pledge I will reach out to my friend, my coworker, my relative, my neighbor, to wake up their sleeping American.
• I pledge I will do whatever it takes to help my friends, my coworkers, my relatives learn to shoot as Riflemen, to preserve our tradition of marksmanship for future generations.
• I pledge as a rifleman to get active in passing the great American tradition of the rifleman on to others.
• I pledge to persist, to not give up, to be in this for the duration, to adopt as my motto “Never Give Up!”
• I pledge to plant seeds of marksmanship and the heritage of the Founders whenever and wherever I can, understanding I may never know the results. (Best way to do this: persist until you become a rifleman, then sign on as an RWVA Appleseed Instructor.)
• I pledge to form a rifleman club and to build a range, if necessary.
• I pledge that I understand I cannot do it all myself, nice as that would be, but that I will need help, and I will get that help by enlisting others to help bail the sinking ship. To make them understand, we all have to pick up a bucket, if we want to save the ship.
• I pledge to recruit whenever and wherever I can, understanding some will be better as shooters, some better as recruiters, some as teachers, some as fund-raisers. But that all should have the goal of becoming riflemen, and then teaching others how to become riflemen.
• I pledge I will PERSIST. [So important, you need to pledge it twice.]

This pledge given voluntarily on this ___________ day of ___________________, 20___ and if I fail to live up to it, I understand I can lose my firearms, my freedom, and my country. And that no true American will be willing to see that happen. So help me God.

/s/________________________________________ (American Patriot)

OK, so you pledge to go to the range and have fun shooting, get your friends into shooting with you, which is even more fun, vote, ‘one minute letter’ your reps, take advantage of the talents of others to help win the goal, help form a club if needed, and maybe a range. Along the way, you not only become a rifleman, you soon start teaching others to be riflemen. How sweet is that? Believe me, offer this deal to the boys back in 1775 and there’d be no hesitation. Hm-m-m-m-h, let’s see, an 8-yr bloody war, home burned, sleep out in the rain and mud, lose 50-60 pounds on bad rations (OK, this one is good, right?), watch your friends die of “fever” and British ball and bayonet – or go to the range, and shoot with some friends?

Tough one, Fred! Let me think it over. Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock…Tick… Just don’t think too long, friend. Tempus is fugiting.

Now, let’s look at this project from a different point of view:

We’re not asking you for any money. Keep that thirty-five bucks a year that might be dues, and put it into shooting. We are not asking for your name, or you to go on a list – anxious as most freedom-loving Americans are to be defiantly on that list.

All we want is your commitment.

Your resolve, the resolve to carry out your part of the program. To learn to shoot, to shoot with friends, to make more friends — all of them awakened Americans — can you get better friends? Vote and write a few ‘one-minute’ letters to reps (this prob the only ‘onerous’ part), maybe form a club and get a range going. And to persist. To persist in not only becoming a rifleman, but in passing the heritage and the skill on to others. To persist until the end of your life. So you can look back, on your lonely deathbed, and take as one bright ray in your life your faithfulness. To the cause of Liberty. So your last breath can whisper “Semper fidelis…”

You are right: Fred cannot save America. But this plan can. But only if you ‘take the pledge’. It costs nothing, unless you chip in for a range. Most of it is fun. Can you do it? If you do it, we will save America. If you don’t do it, we won’t. The Founders of the Nation are watching…..will they be disappointed by your decision?

What We Are — And What We’re Not

The Revolutionary War Veterans Association (RWVA) is a gun club and an instructional school that teaches rifle shooting techniques; and also desires to maintain the heritage of the American Rifleman.

We have no affiliation with, nor do we promote or encourage, any subversive or quasi-subversive entities or acts against the United States of America or against the American People, inside or outside U.S. borders.

Any and all instruction and training conducted by RWVA is done in accordance with Federal, State and Local Laws and regulations. RWVA does not and will not train any foreign or domestic entity(ies) that could pose a threat to — or has denounced — the United States of America.