Q: Early Battles: Lexington & Concord

Battle of Lexington (A Conflict between the BRITISH AND COLONISTS)

The Battle of Lexington took place on Wednesday, April 19, 1775. The Battle at Lexington Green in 1775 started the American Revolution and the "shot heard round the world." Lexington was a village in Massachusetts outside of Boston.

General Thomas Gage, the military governor of Massachusetts, was aware that the colonists were preparing for conflict, including the production of arms and munitions and the training of militia, including the Minutemen. On April 14, 1775, General Thomas Gage received orders to disarm the rebels and to imprison the leaders of the rebellion. He therefore sent British troops, the hated 'Redcoats', to capture the patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock who were reportedly staying in the village of Lexington. Other British troops were sent to Concord to seize the arms and ammunition which led to the second conflict in the Revolutionary War - the Battle of Concord.

Following the 1773 Boston Tea Party and the passing of the punishing '1774 Intolerable Acts' the colonial patriots started to prepare for likely conflicts with the British. A leading patriot, Paul Revere, began serving as courier for the communication network organized by the Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence in 1774. In the early hours of April 19, 1775 Paul Revere, along with two other messengers, were sent to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams of the movements of the British Army and their intentions to capture them. The patriots managed to escape the British but the presence of the British soldiers resulted in the first shot of the Revolutionary War being fired.

The British and the American colonists were in a face-off position on the green. There were over 100 spectators. Neither side wanted the situation to escalate and were ordered not to fire. No one knows who fired the first shot of the American Revolution - but many believe that it was an onlooker. Shots were exchanged by both sides resulting in the deaths and wounding of both American and British troops. The Battle of Lexington ended with the retreat of the colonists who were vastly outnumbered by the British. The British marched out of Lexington and made their way to Concord to seize arms and ammunition and capture any rebels that resulted in the Battle of Concord.

Battle of Concord (A Conflict between the BRITISH AND COLONISTS)

The British troops at Lexington marched on to the town of Concord, their combined force totaled 1800 'Redcoats'. The news of Lexington spread quickly and the militia started to gather in large numbers. When the British reached Concord, the soldiers began searching premises and private houses for firearms and started to set fire to homes. The patriots had received news of the British plans and had already moved their cache of munitions to other towns. There was some fighting and the tired British started on their homeward march back to Boston. Militiamen advanced on the three British companies, and took control of North Bridge, which led to the town of Concord.

The militia outnumbered the British 2 to 1. They took advantage of the surrounding countryside - behind every wall, every building, trees and every bit of rising ground were militiamen. The British sustained considerable casualties which would have been worse had they not been out of range of the militiamen's muskets. The British made their way back to Boston. The Americans camped for the night at Cambridge and began the siege of Boston.

The significance of the conflict was that victory against the British was unexpected and provided the Colonists with the confidence and belief in their ability to win further victories. The Battle of Concord was a great propaganda victory for the colonists.