The morning of April
19, 1775 saw soldiers of the British Army arriving at the
Massachusetts town of Lexington. Their mission was to seize
and destroy militia weapons and ammunition, but the local
militia, known as Minutemen, stood on Lexington Green,
awaiting their arrival. During the stand off, a someone
fired a shot, which led the British troops to fire at the
colonial militia. The Minutemen dispersed, and the British
headed toward nearby Concord.
At the Concord North
Bridge, a small group of militia battled a force of British
soldiers. At this point, the British commander decided to
retreat back toward Lexington, as it became evident that
more and more Minutemen were arriving from all of the local
villages and farms.
During this retreat, the
British kept to the road, while the American farmers fired
at them from behind trees, walls and any obstacle they could
find. When the British force returned to Lexington, they
were met by a relief column. The combined British units then
headed for Boston. The Minutemen continued to harass them
the whole way.
By the end of the day,
British casualties numbered 273, while the colonials
suffered only 94, 18 of whom fell during the initial clash
at Lexington. The American Revolutionary War had
begun.
On the night of April
18, 1775, Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott
made the famous midnight ride from Boston to Concord to
warn the Patriot militia known as the Minutemen of the
British Army's approach.
British
move on Salem, Mass.--On
Feb. 25, 1775, British forces march on Salem with orders
to seize 19 cannon collected by the colonial militia. The
Minutemen gather and a stand off began. Eventually, the
British returned to Boston without completing their
mission. This victory encouraged the colonials that they
could stand up to the British.
