Battles Of Lexington And Concord

The battles of Lexington and Concord were fought on April 19, 1775. These two battles were the start of the American Revolution - a war fought from 1775-1783. These two battles between the colonists and Britain were the culmination of many years of unrest. There were 13 original colonies that were occupied by the British and their government that ruled over the colonies. The colonies were British territories and were subject to the rule of King George of England. Things were worse in the colony of Massachusetts. British soldiers (called Regulars) were encamped in Boston. 

The British knew that the patriot leaders (called Rebels by the British) were hiding in the town of Lexington. They knew that John Hancock and Sam Adams were there. The British also knew the patriots had their ammunition hidden somewhere near there. Paul Revere was a patriot and a member of the "Sons Of Liberty." He was watching to see if and when the British soldiers would march from Boston to Lexington and Concord so he could warn the other colonists. On the night of April 18, 1775, Revere saw a signal from the bell tower of Old North Church in Boston. He had made arrangements for his fellow patriots to warn him about the route the British soldiers would take. If they hung up one lantern, it would mean the soldiers were going to march by land, and it would take them longer to reach Lexington. If they hung one lantern in the tower, it would mean the soldiers would be crossing the Charles River first before starting their march, and they would arrive in Lexington sooner. Thus, the famous quote: "One if by land; two if by sea."

On that night, hundreds of British soldiers started their march from Boston towards Lexington, Massachusetts. Paul Revere, along with William Dawes, mounted their horses and rode along the countryside warning the colonists that the "Regulars were coming." Across the countryside, militiamen and colonists ran for their arms and assembled to help. The British marched along what is now called, "Battle Road" in columns and arrived at Lexington. The militiamen and colonists stood on Lexington Green to confront the British soldiers. A shot was fired and a confrontation began. When the shooting was over, 8 colonists lay dead on Lexington Green. But, the British soldiers had encountered resistance from the colonists they had not expected.

The soldiers then moved on to the town of Concord, Massachusetts. They were still looking for patriot leaders and the hidden ammunition. Another battle was fought in Concord on North Bridge. These two battles are considered to be the first battles of the Revolutionary War.

The Start Of The War

These two battles were the first time British subjects fired upon other British subjects. The colonists were still British citizens and were subjects of King George. In the eyes of some, the colonists demanding freedom from British rule was considered treason. In the eyes of others, it was considered self-government. The colonists felt it was long overdue because it was time to start their own nation. Britain was imposing too many rules over the colonies. Taxes were being imposed on British imports to the colonies to pay for a war against other foreign powers such as the French and Indian War.  Before 1764, Britain allowed the colonists to govern themselves.  But, in 1764, Britain started to impose new taxes on the colonies. And, they started new laws such as the Stamp Act, Quartering Act, Currency Act, and the Sugar Act. The colonists were angry, saying they should not have to pay British taxes because they were not represented in Parliament. These taxes culminated in a violent reaction against one particular tax - the Tea Tax. In December 1773, a group of colonists, dressed as Indians, boarded a British cargo vessel in Boston Harbor, that was loaded with tea, that was to be off-loaded in Boston and taxed. The colonists smashed open the tea boxes and threw them overboard, into Boston Harbor, to protest the tax on tea. This resulted in Parliament ordering troops to Boston to be quartered in Boston, and the people of Boston were ordered to keep troops in their homes. The soldiers were also quartered in Boston Common.

The Tea Party led to more troops being sent over to Boston. This led to more violent encounters between the people of Boston and the British troops. Britain imposed more laws on Boston, and the colonists grew more angry and defiant. Word reached the other colonies, and the people in those colonies feared Britain would do the same thing to their colonies. As time went by, the colonists became more united in their need stand up to Britain. The Sons Of Liberty was formed, and many colonists decided to join it.

The colonists were surprised at their own victories against the British.  As many as 3,500 militiamen firing constantly for 18 miles only killed or wounded roughly 250 Redcoats, compared to about 90 killed and wounded on their side. Nevertheless, they proved they could stand up to one of the most powerful armies in the world. News of the battle quickly spread, reaching London on May 28. By the following summer, a full-scale war of independence had broken out

First Lexington, Then Concord

The British left Lexington and marched on towards Concord, Massachusetts. They were still looking for the hidden ammunition they knew the colonists had.  In Concord, they did find a small amount of munitions, and they set them on fire in the middle of the town. The militiamen, from about a mile away, saw the fires, and mistakenly thought the British soldiers were burning Concord.  There was a growing number of militiamen who were rallying to help the other colonists. The militiamen rushed towards the town and confronted a group of British soldiers who were guarding the Old North Bridge, which was a road that led to Concord. A small battle began between the militiamen and the British soldiers guarding the Old North Bridge.

The British soldiers fired the first shot, and the militiamen and colonists returned fire. These first shots were called, "the shot heard round the World," and were written about in a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which is still quoted today.

The British soldiers at the bridge, retreated towards the town of Concord. They and the other soldiers who were searching the town, were preparing to return to Boston. As this was happening, more and more militiamen were coming to the area. Many were minutemen who were colonists that were supposed to be ready at a moment's notice to help defend the colonies. Almost 3,500 militiamen had arrived at Concord. The started to follow the British column of marching soldiers, but the fighting started again. The colonists were firing at the British soldiers from behind stone walls, trees, fences, houses, etc. They were defeating the British soldiers who marched in columns along the roads. The British retreated back to the city of Boston. The militiamen surrounded the city of Boston to help ensure that the soldiers remained in Boston.

This proved to the colonists that they could, indeed, stand up to the powerful British army. The news of the battles of Lexington and Concord spread throughout the colonies and reached London in May. It was not long afterwards that the war of independence broke out in full.

Aftermath of Lexington and Concord

The battles of Lexington and Concord started the Revolutionary War between the colonies and Britain. These battles were considered to be a major military victory, and this showed King George that the colonies were no longer going to tolerate the decisions and laws he was making.  In the end, the colonies won their freedom from Britain and became a separate nation. They were now the United States Of America.