Facing the seizure of their stored up arms and powder in Concord, MA, American revolutionaries stood their ground and answered the call to firmly resist Britain's attempt to quell the fires of liberty already aflame.
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Prelude to a Revolution for the Ages
On April 19th of the fateful year of 1775, when the British colonial authorities determined to prevent the American colonists from having the means to resist with arms, the American spirit of liberty—freedom from tyranny—took the form of a historic, armed resistance, that forever changed the world we know today. The Battle of Lexington and Concord thus sparked the flames of rebellion that culminated in the American Revolution, resulting in the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and the formation of the United States of America—the longest thriving democratic republic in the history of humanity.
While the Battle of Lexington and Concord did not erupt in a cacophony of musket fire until just before dawn on April 19, it was on the evening of April 18 that Paul Revere and William Dawes were famously sent by Dr. Joseph Warren (along with several others) to take parallel routes from Boston, Massachusetts to Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn fellow patriots (especially John Hancock and Samuel Adams) that the British regulars were preparing to cross the Charles River en route to Concord, Massachusetts, to seize the arms and powder that the American revolutionaries were known to have been storing (in anticipation of the need to wage armed resistance). Famously, as designed by Revere, the secret signal of two lanterns was placed in the steeple of the Old North Church in Boston to alert vigilant patriots of the impending water crossing by the British regulars—thereby providing the network of American revolutionaries time to spread the word of the impending forced arms seizure.
Before Shots Were Fired
From the evening of April 18, however, as early as the hour around sunset, British patrols (who had been sent out ahead of the main British regulars—their Light Infantry and Grenadiers) had already been probing the route to Lexington, ahead of the pre–midnight water crossing by the British regulars. At this point, counter-reconnaissance was being undertaken by Lexington militia scouts, which had already set in motion the sending of a small unit of sentries to protect Hancock and Adams in Lexington.
By the early morning, pre–dawn hours, although a group of counter-reconnaissance American scouts attempted to proceed toward Lincoln, Massachusetts, to pass on their reconnaissance observations to other revolutionaries and militiamen, they were captured by the British patrol who had set up an ambush. Additionally, while Revere, Dawes, and Samuel Prescott had all been riding through Lincoln (beyond Lexington, en route to Concord) to continue passing reconnaissance information about the advancing British, Revere was captured at gunpoint, while Dawes escaped and returned to Lexington, Prescott evaded the ambush and successfully reached Concord with the all-important reconnaissance information.
Sometime between 0100 and 0200 on April 19, Prescott’s advance warning set into motion the mustering of the two companies of militiamen in Lexington and the final dispersal of the remaining stores of powder and arms that had not yet been moved. As early as 0200, however, the British regulars’ element of surprise had been thoroughly lost, as distant warning shots and the tolling of bells throughout the rural area signaled the impending arrival of the British troops. Shortly before 0500, an American scout reported the advancing British troops and the two companies of militiamen gathered on Lexington Green; anticipating an engagement, the British loaded their weapons just prior to reaching the Green.
The "Shot Heard 'Round the World"
In the predawn hours of April 19, at about 0500, the British regulars descended upon Lexington, thus dispatching several companies to face the two companies of militiamen (totaling 77), while sending the balance of the British force to proceed around the standing militia force towards their primary target of Concord (it should be noted that at this point, the British had already sent a runner back to Boston calling for supplemental forces to be sent toward Concord as well).
As British officers approached the standing militiamen and ordered them to stand down and return to their dwellings, the Americans were likewise ordered by their officer (Captain John Parker) to disperse and to hold their fire. Although historians are unsure who fired the first shot (although Captain Parker alleged that it was the British regulars), once the first shot rang out, the British began assaulting the 77 militiamen, thus killing 8 and wounding 10, effecting their attack with a mix of musket fire and bayonet charges.
Onward to Concord
By sunrise on April 19, with companies of militia and minutemen assembled in Concord, as the American forces recognized they were facing a numerically superior force, they fell back to defensive lines on high ground past Punkatasset in order to allow for more defenders to arrive from neighboring communities, and in that time, the British seized two important bridges. Once the enlarged American force of 400 grew concerned that the British might burn down Concord, they began advancing back towards the town from their defensive position upon the high ground outside of town, yet were ordered by one of the officers to not fire unless they took fire first. At this point, the Americans had secured the tactical advantage, outnumbering the British who were guarding the North Bridge by a ratio of 4 to 1. As the Americans advanced, the British fell back to the bridge.
Hearing conflicting orders and fearing the overwhelming presence of the advancing Americans, several British troops opened fire (which did not hit anyone), which then caused more British troops to open fire on the lead Americans in their advancing columns, thus resulting in three Americans being killed in action, and three other Americans being immediately wounded. The Americans immediately fired back in quick succession, and they too killed three British, and wounded nearly a dozen more.
From Organized Retreat to a Rout
In the aftermath of this initial skirmish at the North Bridge, the British began falling back towards Boston. As the American militiamen continued to amass, however, they continuously intercepted the retreating British columns, with attacks being carried out from behind cover, for a distance of nearly 20 miles.
As the afternoon progressed, the Americans seized the advantage along the route from Concord to Boston, especially at various chokepoints and key towns and terrain features along the way, to inflict as many casualties among the retreating British, up until the point where they were reinforced in the vicinity of Lexington. Although the Americans certainly carried out their unraveling of the British retreat which essentially turned into a rout, the Americans certainly faced some notable casualties, including a mass killing inside a home. Once the British had been reinforced, they had the advantage of artillery pieces that were used effectively to keep the pursuing Americans at a distance, as they began to gain order on their retreat once again. While the Americans certainly took advantage of the ragged state of the retreating British (who were both exhausted and severely low on ammunition), the British were able to eventually retreat to the high ground overlooking Charlestown, effectively bringing the battle to an end.
The Significance of the Battle
In the end, the battle concluded with 273 British and 95 American casualties (which included non-combatants). On April 19, roughly 4000 brave Americans, however, saw combat in America’s first battle, and by the end of the week, about 20,000 had mustered to face the British troops in the area. As a result of the battle, the Americans effectively cut off the British at Boston, and eventually evicted the them from Boston in March of 1776, under the leadership of Commander in Chief General George Washington. From the moment the Battle of Lexington and Concord was fully being waged, the ensuing Revolutionary War was all but guaranteed. This however, was the dawn of American liberty.
For even more on the Battle of Lexington and Concord:
"The Shot Heard 'Round the World"
"Experience Lexington & Concord in 360º"
Walking the Battlefield: The Complete Tour
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