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.
Revolutionary
War Battles: Battle of Lexington and
Concord--Very
good source from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute's
ROTC.
Revolutionary
War Events
Liberty:
Lexington and Concord--From
the PBS site. Contains glossary items and a literary
connection to the war.
Battle
of Lexington and Concord
The
Battle of Lexington
and The
Battle of Concord
from the American History Archive Project.
Battle
of Lexington and
the Battle
of Concord from A
Hypertext on American History website. Provides some good
detail.
National
Park Service Minuteman Exhibit--A
site with good pictures of the Minutemen.
The
Alarm Riders:
Paul
Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott
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.
Paul
Revere's Ride: April 18-19, 1775--Timeline
of events involving the Alarm Riders on April 18 and 19.
From the Christian Science Monitor.
Revolutionary
War Personalities: Paul Revere and His
Mechanics--Fascinating
look at Paul Revere and others associated with the
American Revolution. This web page on wartime
intelligence tactics is part of the CIA's
site.
The
Paul Revere House--Biography
from the Paul Revere Memorial Association.
Paul
Revere--A short
biography.
William
Dawes--Encyclopedia
entry.
Samuel
Prescott--Encyclopedia
entry.
Events
Preceding the Battles
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.
Misc.
Revolutionary War Sites.
Intelligence
in the War of Independence--From
the CIA, a fascinating look at wartime intelligence
during the Revolution.
The
American Revolution: First Phase
--Extracted from "AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY ARMY
HISTORICAL SERIES"
Some
People in the Revolutionary War--
A listing of important people in the
Revolution.
The
Hessian Web Page
An interesting web site detailing the activities and
origins of the Hessian forces in the war.
The
War for American Independence
Good web site containing links to Revolution-era
documents and a chronological list of battles.
Revwar.com
Well-organized Revolutionary War site.
U.S.
History Outlines & Charts
Informative site maintained by a fellow high school
teacher. Data is available on most periods of U.S.
History.
Continental
Congress and the Constitutional Convention Home
Page--Contains
documents related to the Revolution and the creation of
the Constitution.
Glossary
of Terms--Good
timeline and listing of important persons in the
Revolution.
Other
Revolutionary War Battle Websites.
Battle
Fort Henry -
Commemoration of the last battle of the American
Revolution in September, 1782 at Fort Henry, Wheeling,
Virginia.
Battle
of Bunker Hill -
Examination of the events that led to the battle and the
events following.
Battle
of Fort Griswold
- September 6, 1781
Battle
of Saratoga -
Revolutionary War re-enactment. Includes interviews with
Americans and British, pictures, battle maps, history,
and more.
Using 000-107
and 642-427
which are prepared by top 70-685
study guide professionals, 156-315.71
& 220-702
Certification; both are marvelous in their nature.
