The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, were the initial military engagements of the American Revolutionary War (1775-83).
These skirmishes involved British regulars and American provincials in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
The events confirmed the growing alienation between the majority of colonists and Great Britain, prompting 16,000 New Englanders to join forces and begin the Siege of Boston.
The battles are remembered as marking the start of the American War of Independence.
Leading up to the battles, tensions had been building for many years between residents of the 13 American colonies and British authorities, particularly in Massachusetts.
On the night of April 18, 1775, hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to Concord to seize an arms cache.
Paul Revere and other riders, including William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, sounded the alarm, warning area militias of the British plans.
By the time the British reached Lexington at dawn, they encountered American minutemen.
After the engagement at Lexington, which resulted in eight Americans dead, the British troops proceeded to Concord.
At Concord’s North Bridge, 320 to 400 American patriots confronted a British covering party, forcing them to withdraw.
The British retreat back to Boston became a harrowing ordeal, with Americans continuously firing on them from behind cover.
Total British losses were 273, while American losses were 95.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were considered a major military victory for the colonists, demonstrating to the British that unjust behavior would not be tolerated and inspiring patriots to pursue independence.
In many ways, both of these battles are the basis of our Second Amendment - the British troops were ordered to confiscate all arms from the Colonists, most of which were kept in local armories.
It was a lesson everyone would remember: no one could fight the British government without a gun.
