Lexington and Concord

The Battle of Lexington and Concord

On April 19, 1775 war erupted. Loyalists had informed General Thomas Gage, governor of Massachusetts, about a Provincial Congress going on in Lexington. Gage ordered his men to march to Lexington and capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock, and then to Concord to seize the Patriot's weapons which they had been piling. As the British army marched towards Lexington, 3 patriots rode their horses as fast as they could so they could warn their fellow patriots. Paul Revere was one of the three, famous for his popular phrase "The British are coming, the British are coming!" 



The Patriots were able to assemble 70 militia that the British would encounter once they arrived, while Samuel Adams and John Hancock flew the scene.

The British arrived and asked the patriots to leave, however one of the patriots shoots- the first shot of the whole war- heard all around the world. Fire breaks and 8 patriots are killed. The Red Coats march to Concord, and find the weapons gone too. In their way back to Boston they find skirmish with minutemen, that are hidden behind barns and trees. The minutemen are able to wound and kill more than 200 British soldiers. The attack turned out to be a success because the British were visible to plain sight, while the patriots were hiding and had the element of surprise.

You will notice much of the patriot's triumph is due to timing, they were very quick when it came to improvising on the spot. Once the Red Coats returned to Boston the patriots confined them by surrounding the city. The loyalist feeling they would be more secure in Boston, seek refuge there too. Now both loyalist and soldiers are confined and unable to disperse. The only question that remains is: Will the other colonies join New England in the war against the most powerful country in the world?