Reference Entry
BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
The next morning, the first shots of the Revolutionary War rang out on Lexington Green as British regulars confronted a small band of armed colonists. The exact origin of the “shot heard round the world” is still debated, but the result was clear: several colonial militiamen lay dead, and the British column pressed on toward Concord. At Concord’s North Bridge, larger militia forces confronted detachments of the regulars and drove them back, forcing a retreat toward Boston.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The next morning, the first shots of the Revolutionary War rang out on Lexington Green as British regulars confronted a small band of armed colonists. The exact origin of the “shot heard round the world” is still debated, but the result was clear: several colonial militiamen lay dead, and the British column pressed on toward Concord. At Concord’s North Bridge, larger militia forces confronted detachments of the regulars and drove them back, forcing a retreat toward Boston. As the British marched back along the same country roads, hundreds of militia from surrounding towns fired from walls, barns, and tree lines, turning the route into a running fight. These clashes on April 19th, 1775 marked the moment when political tension became open war between empire and colonies. They also previewed a style of fighting in which local knowledge and rapid mobilization would repeatedly frustrate British plans.
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