The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were later described as the “shot heard round the world”.
Both conflicts were fought on the morning of April 19, 1775, in Massachusetts. Local militias had been raised after the Intolerable Acts of 1774 and were training for possible hostilities.
While the British controlled Boston, the surrounding towns were largely on their own. However, the British government declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion in February 1775.
About 700 British Army “redcoats” were given orders to capture and destroy Colonial military supplies stored at Concord. Patriot spies learned of the British plan and were ready.
Supplies were moved and on the night before the battle, Paul Revere and others warned locals of the British plan during a “midnight ride”.
As the British arrived in Lexington, they were met by about 80 Colonial minutemen. The British fired on them and 8 were killed with just one British casualty.
The British then moved on to Concord, where they broke apart to search for the supplies. At the North Bridge in Concord, about 400 minutemen engaged 100 British troops, resulting in casualties on both sides. The outnumbered British retreated to rejoin their main forces as they all began their march back to Boston under fire from Colonial troops.
Next: The Battle Bunker Hill