Battles of Lexington and Concord

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were between British soldiers, who wanted to take away the colonists' weapons and to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams on the way to Concord, and American colonists on April 19, 1775. They were fought in two towns outside Boston, Massachusetts: Lexington, Massachusetts and Concord, Massachusetts. The Patriots found out long before that could happen, and they safely evacuated the place.

The first battle was fought on Lexington Green in Lexington. General Gage, along with 700 British soldiers, marched there to find and destroy hidden weapons. However, they were met by 70 minutemen. The battle lasted only a few minutes, but 8 minutemen died and 9 were hurt. Only 1 British soldier had been injured, and the soldiers then went to Concord to seize supplies like food, guns, and ammunition, which were stored by the militia.

On the way back to Boston, they were ambushed by 400 minutemen. This time, Britain lost 250 soldiers, and only 90 Americans died.

Battles Of Lexington And Concord Media

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  Battle of Lexington

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  British General Thomas Gage. Engraving (bust).

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  Francis Smith, commander of the military expedition, in a 1763 portrait

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  A March 24, 1775, resolution, signed by John Hancock, resolves that measures for "putting this colony into a complete state of defense, be still most vigorously pursued by the several towns, as well as individual inhabitants".

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  Margaret Kemble Gage may have given military intelligence to the rebels.

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  Silversmith Paul Revere and several other messengers on horseback sounded the alarm that the regulars were leaving Boston.

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  1775 map of the battles and of the siege of Boston

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  BEP-DELNOCE-Battle of Lexington (Darley)

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  The first of four engravings by Amos Doolittle from 1775. Doolittle visited the battle sites and interviewed soldiers and witnesses. Contains controversial elements, possibly inaccuracies. Fire from the militia may have occurred but is not depicted.