What was concord and lexington

In December the colonists dumped a cargo of British tea into Boston harbour in protest at the Crown's attempt to tax imports. They closed the port of Boston, dissolved the colonial assembly and placed Massachusetts under military rule and the command of Major-General Thomas Gage. Until this time, the colonies had been allowed to develop with little interference. But now London was attempting to tighten its political control. Many colonists were convinced that their economic prosperity and liberty were at stake.

As the dispute continued, they gradually took over the local militias and started arming and drilling. Acting on intelligence that the militia were stockpiling weapons, Gage ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith to march to Concord and seize the arms. On 19 April Smith encountered militiamen at Lexington Green. The latter had been forewarned about British plans and had quickly mobilised. In there were about 7, British redcoats in America, with around 4, in Massachusetts itself.

Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith commanded the strong force, drawn from several regiments, that was sent to seize the arms. Most of the militiamen were farmers or tradesmen, including the commander of the Lexington militia, John Parker Most militiamen served for only a few months at a time and were unavailable for lengthy operations.

Quick-moving, they were better suited to irregular warfare and skirmishing than European-style military manoeuvring in formation. Around 80 militiamen were present on Lexington Green and around , commanded by Colonel James Barrett , were at Concord.

At least 3, were present by the time the British returned to Boston. After being warned of opposition on the road ahead, Smith ordered his light infantry, under Major John Pitcairn, to move forward while he stayed with the main body of troops.

Pitcairn's men encountered about 80 militiamen under John Parker in parade-ground formation. Parker knew he was outnumbered, but probably thought violence could be avoided. He was putting on a show of political strength rather than placing his men in fighting position. Pitcairn called on the militia to disperse. But just as this was about to happen, shooting broke out. It is unclear who fired the first shot - both sides had given orders not to fire - but eventually the British discharged a volley and charged with fixed bayonets.

Eight militiamen were killed and ten wounded. One redcoat was injured. After restoring order and reforming his light infantry, he pushed on to Concord. Rather than fight in Concord itself, the rebels withdrew to North Bridge. While the British fruitlessly searched the town for arms, the rebels awaited reinforcements there. Some hours later there was a second skirmish between 90 light infantrymen sent to secure the bridge and around militiamen led by Barrett.

Finding themselves outnumbered and outmanoeuvred, the light infantry retreated back to the town having suffered several casualties. On hearing gunfire, Smith marched his men towards the bridge where there was a tense stand-off before the British withdrew towards Boston. However, they were caught by the arrival of more American reinforcements and pressured into a fighting retreat.

They now had sufficient numbers to inflict heavy damage on the British. Several officers were killed or wounded as Smith struggled to maintain control. His men lost discipline and hurried onwards in a general retreat. As many as 3, militiamen firing constantly for 18 miles only killed or wounded roughly Redcoats, compared to about 90 killed and wounded on their side.

The relatively low casualties of the Battles of Lexington and Concord proved they could stand up to one of the most powerful armies in the world. News of the battle quickly spread, reaching London on May A few months later, the British narrowly defeated the Americans in Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, , the low number of casualties once again showing the strength of patriot forces.

By the following summer, a full-scale war of independence had broken out, paving the way for the creation of the United States of America. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!

Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. It began as a street brawl between American colonists and a lone British soldier, but quickly escalated to a chaotic, bloody slaughter. The conflict energized anti-British sentiment As a political activist and state legislator, he spoke out against British efforts to tax the colonists, and pressured merchants to boycott British products.

He also The outcome in Yorktown, Virginia marked the conclusion of Skirmishes between British troops and colonial He gave the local militia a key advantage during the Battles Despite their loss, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy, and the battle provided them It included two crucial battles, fought eighteen days apart, and was a decisive victory for the Continental Army and a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary Live TV.

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Such a reaction to his arms raid was highly unexpected and cast Gage in a negative light. While the Patriots celebrated their victories at Lexington and Concord and prepared for a revolution , Gage was later shipped back to England in shame. Ask about our Virtual Tour programming! Tour Hours: 10am - 4pm. English French German Italian Spanish. Join Our Cast. Shop Merchandise. Search for: Search. Close search.