Embedded Files
The Battle of
THE BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
THE BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
The Battles of Lexington and Concord, the opening engagements of the American Revolution, took place on April 19, 1775. Though there had been increasing violence and unrest throughout New England for several years, Lexington and Concord brought the American patriots into open rebellion.
British troops embarked from Boston on the night of April 18 with the goals of capturing patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who were staying in Lexington, and an arsenal of colonial arms and ammunition stored in the town of Concord. Both towns were alerted during the night by patriot riders Paul Revere and William Dawes, which allowed Adams and Hancock to flee before the British troops arrived.
As dawn broke on the morning of April 19, British troops marched into the town of Lexington and encountered the local militia assembled on Lexington Common. Later reports indicate that the militia intended to make a show of strength only and not to fight the British troops, but in the confusion a shot rang out (probably from the window of a nearby house), and the British troops opened fire in retaliation. They instantly killed eight men and wounded several others.
The British then marched on to Concord, where they encountered more colonial resistance at the Old North Bridge. The British troops destroyed some of the arsenal in Concord before the Americans forced them to retreat back to Boston. During that 20-mile retreat, American minutemen from all over eastern New England (who had been arriving throughout the day) harassed the British for the entire route of their journey. They killed 73 British soldiers and wounded 174, while another 26 went missing. The Americans suffered 93 casualties.
MLA Citation
Strom, Steven. "Battles of Lexington and Concord." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 16 Jan. 2015.
Page updated
Report abuse