Laurie ordered the British companies guarding the bridge to retreat across it. [88], Lieutenant Colonel Smith, concerned about the safety of his men, sent flankers to follow a ridge and protect his forces from the roughly 1,000 colonials now in the field as the British marched east out of Concord. They fired them, but the balls went high over our heads. After they arrived in Lexington, Revere, Dawes, Hancock, and Adams discussed the situation with the militia assembling there. [92] Smith's leading forces charged up the hill to drive them off, but the colonists did not withdraw, inflicting significant casualties on the attackers. [65] The militia retreated to a ridge overlooking the town, and their officers discussed what to do next. Dr. Ripley recalled: The Americans commenced their march in double file In a minute or two, the Americans being in quick motion and within ten or fifteen rods of the bridge, a single gun was fired by a British soldier, which marked the way, passing under Col. Robinson's arm and slightly wounding the side of Luther Blanchard, a fifer, in the Acton Company.[82]. The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the spark that ignited the American Revolution. [9] The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (present-day Arlington), and Cambridge. General William Heath of Roxbury, Massachusetts exerted command of a phase of the fighting toward the day's end. When Percy questioned one man further, the man replied, "Well, the regulars will miss their aim. The militia was outnumbered and fell back, and the regulars proceeded on to Concord, where they broke apart into companies to search for the supplies. (The Declaration of Independence was more than fourteen months in the future.) These turned out to be three massive pieces, firing 24-pound shot, that were much too heavy to use defensively, but very effective against fortifications, with sufficient range to bombard the city of Boston from other parts of nearby mainland. [27], The colonists were also aware that April 19 would be the date of the expedition, despite Gage's efforts to keep the details hidden from all the British rank and file and even from the officers who would command the mission. Parker had every reason to expect that to occur again. The volley fired here at Concord two centuries ago, "the shot heard round the world", still echoes today on this anniversary. At about 4am Smith made the wise but belated decision to send a messenger back to Boston asking for reinforcements. It is recognized by that state, as well as by Connecticut, Maine, and by the Wisconsin public schools, on the third Monday in April. Several ships of the United States Navy, including two World War II aircraft carriers, were named in honor of the Battle of Lexington. The battles of Lexington and concord fought on April 19th started the American Revolutionary war. These militias would become the core of the Continental Army. Militia The most prevalent stories around Lexington and Concord is that of the "Minutemen." If one visits Lexington and Concord today they will not only come across monuments to the Minutemen but also the National Park that commemorates the actions of April 19, 1775, is called Minute Man National Historical Park. Marksmen were also concealed in some homes, forcing the British to clear their path of retreat house by house, a soldier's nightmare. [97] Now both principal leaders of the expedition were injured or unhorsed, and their men were tired, thirsty, and exhausting their ammunition. Each company had its own lieutenant, but the majority of the captains commanding them were volunteers attached to them at the last minute, drawn from all the regiments stationed in Boston. On the evening of April 18 General Thomas Gage, the British royal governor of Massachusetts, organized 700 British troops for a march to Concord. Percy placed Smith's men in the middle of the column, while the 23rd Regiment's line companies made up the column's rearguard. Dr. Ripley in his published account of 1827, Hodgman, Rev. Battles of Lexington and Concord (article) | Khan Academy On April 19, 1775, British and colonial militias engaged in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Samuel Whittemore - Wikipedia The old men opened fire, shot the lead horses, killed two sergeants, and wounded the officer. At this point, Lt. Col. Smith was wounded in the thigh and knocked from his horse. The initial mode of the Army's arrival by water was signaled from the Old North Church in Boston to Charlestown using lanterns to communicate "one if by land, two if by sea". No portrait from Parker's life is known to exist. In one of the musket volleys from the colonial soldiers, Major Pitcairn's horse bolted in fright, throwing Pitcairn to the ground and injuring his arm. [117], The British troops crossed the Menotomy River (today known as Alewife Brook) into Cambridge, and the fight grew more intense. The sculpture by Daniel Chester French, The Minute Man, located at the North Bridge, was unveiled on that day. He then traveled the northern water route, crossing the mouth of the Charles River by rowboat, slipping past the British warship HMS Somerset at anchor. Instead of a deliberate, orderly walk forward, many [British soldiers] started shouting and cheering, running towards the Americans withbayonets [still fixed]. Both sides generally agreed that the initial shot did not come from the men on the ground immediately facing each other. PDF The Battles of Lexington and Concord - Marine Corps Association Revere and Dawes were sent out to warn them and to alert colonial militias in nearby towns.[29]. They crossed the bridge and returned to the town by 11:30a.m., under the watchful eyes of the colonists, who continued to maintain defensive positions. This page was last edited on 10 July 2023, at 13:26. Lord Percy to General Harvey, April 20, 1775, in Charles Knowles Bolton, editor, There are several versions of this story. The ride was finished by Samuel Prescott. A 6-mile walking trail or driving tour includes the area of . Gage's plan was to avoid conflict by removing military supplies from Whig militias using small, secret, and rapid strikes. [114] It was nearly dark when Pitcairn's Marines defended a final attack on Percy's rear as they entered Charlestown. In addition to other express riders delivering messages, bells, drums, alarm guns, bonfires and a trumpet were used for rapid communication from town to town, notifying the rebels in dozens of eastern Massachusetts villages that they should muster their militias because over 500 regulars were leaving Boston. Many more battles followed, and in 1783 the colonists formally won their independence. The outcome of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, by the end of the day on April 19th, the British suffered more than 270 casualties, 73 deaths. [42] As the regulars' advance guard under Pitcairn entered Lexington at sunrise on April 19, 1775, about 80 Lexington militiamen emerged from Buckman Tavern and stood in ranks on Lexington common watching them, and between 40 and 100 spectators watched from along the side of the road. This struggle for supplies led to one British success and several Patriot successes in a series of nearly bloodless conflicts known as the Powder Alarms. The Colonial government effectively controlled the colony outside of British-controlled Boston. Battle of Rhode Island. [38], At about 3am, Colonel Smith sent Major Pitcairn ahead with six companies of light infantry under orders to quick march to Concord. Lexington & Concord: The Revolutionary War in Four Minutes The exact number of militia on the Lexington common when the clash occurred is a matter of debate. He understood the column's perilous situation: "There were very few men had any ammunition left, and so fatigued that we could not keep flanking parties out, so that we must soon have laid down our arms, or been picked off by the Rebels at their pleasurenearer toand we were not able to keep them off. Smith sent out his flanking troops again after crossing the small bridge.[91]. The scene depicted on the 1975 10-cent stamp (above) is an engraved reproduction of a 6 by 10 foot oil-on-canvas mural by Henry Sandham. The unmounted militia would often fire from long range, in the hope of hitting somebody in the main column of soldiers on the road and surviving, since both British and colonials used muskets with an effective combat range of about 50 yards (46m). Lexington and Concord: The American Revolution - GradesFixer [149] This is not to say that other locations were not involved in the battles. So he sent a rider back to Boston with a request for reinforcements. [131], It was important to the early American government that an image of British fault and American innocence be maintained for this first battle of the war. His friends, depending on which account is to be believed, either hid in the cellar or died in the house from bullets and bayonets after shooting at the soldiers who followed them in. Instead, they surrounded Percy's marching square with a moving ring of skirmishers at a distance to inflict maximum casualties at minimum risk. Lexington and Concord - Historycentral At Minute Man National Historical Park the opening battle of the Revolution is brought to life as visitors explore the battlefields and structures associated with April 19, 1775, and witness the American revolutionary spirit through the writings of the Concord authors. It stands in Lexington Battle Green. "[54] Captain Parker told his men instead to disperse and go home, but, because of the confusion, the yelling all around, and due to the raspiness of Parker's tubercular voice, some did not hear him, some left very slowly, and none laid down their arms. Major Buttrick then yelled to the militia, "Fire, for God's sake, fellow soldiers, fire! [114], A large militia force arrived from Salem and Marblehead. [72], Colonel Barrett's troops, upon seeing smoke rising from the village square as the British burned cannon carriages, and seeing only a few light infantry companies directly below them, decided to march back toward the town from their vantage point on Punkatasset Hill to a lower, closer flat hilltop about 300 yards (274m) from the North Bridge. Lexington and Concord Battle Facts and Summary - American Battlefield Trust The events were also commemorated on the 1925 Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial half dollar. 354355. [94], As militia forces from other towns continued to arrive, the colonial forces had risen to about 2,000 men. During the search, the regulars were generally scrupulous in their treatment of the locals, including paying for food and drink consumed. Flanking companies were sent to both sides of the road, and a powerful force of Marines acted as the vanguard to clear the road ahead. According to one account, the discussion among people there turned to the unusual movement of the British soldiers in the town. On the night before the battle, warning of the British expedition had been rapidly sent from Boston to militias in the area by several riders, including Paul Revere and Samuel Prescott, with information about British plans. This excessive politeness was used to advantage by the locals, who were able to misdirect searches from several smaller caches of militia supplies. [129] Thomas Paine in Philadelphia had previously thought of the argument between the colonies and the Home Country as "a kind of law-suit", but after news of the battle reached him, he "rejected the hardened, sullen-tempered Pharaoh of England forever". Equality has matured in America. Thirty towns from the surrounding area sent men into combat with many more on the way. Battles of Lexington and Concord Facts for Kids - History for Kids The Battles of Lexington and Concord, 1775 A Spotlight on a Primary Source by Ezekiel Russell ''Bloody Butchery by the British Troops,'' broadside by Ezekiel Russell, 1775. Upon returning to Lexington, Lt. Col. Smith's expedition was rescued by reinforcements under Brigadier General Hugh Percy, a future Duke of Northumberland styled at this time by the courtesy title Earl Percy. The Battles of Lexington and Concord - The Heritage Post [145][146][147] Re-enactments of Paul Revere's ride are staged, as are the battle on the Lexington Green, and ceremonies and firings are held at the North Bridge. [139] The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have saved one acre of the battlefield at the site of Parker's Revenge.[140]. Eight Lexington men were killed, and ten were wounded. They could hear gunfire in the distance as they set up their cannon and deployed lines of regulars on high ground with commanding views of the town. The meeting adjourned around 8:30pm, after which Earl Percy mingled with town folk on Boston Common. [13] Gage effectively dissolved the provincial government under the terms of the Massachusetts Government Act, and these existing connections were employed by the colonists under the Massachusetts Provincial Congress for the purpose of resistance to the military threat from Britain.[14]. Indeed, they knew too well what was proper, to do so. [17], On the morning of April 18, Gage ordered a mounted patrol of about 20 men under the command of Major Mitchell of the 5th Regiment of Foot into the surrounding country to intercept messengers who might be out on horseback. Unfortunately for the British, once again only one copy of the orders was sent to each commander, and the order for the Royal Marines was delivered to the desk of Major John Pitcairn, who was already on the Lexington Common with Smith's column at that hour. Heath sent messengers out to intercept arriving militia units, directing them to appropriate places along the road to engage the regulars. Under the laws of each New England colony, all towns were obligated to form militia companies composed of all males 16 years of age and older (there were exemptions for some categories) and to ensure that the members were properly armed. Gage quickly sent over line companies of two fresh regimentsthe 10th and 64thto occupy the high ground in Charlestown and build fortifications. During World War I, a film about Paul Revere's ride was seized under the Espionage Act of 1917 for promoting discord between the United States and Britain. The British did suffer one casualty, a slight wound, the particulars of which were corroborated by a deposition made by Corporal John Munroe. [35], The British regulars, around 700 infantry, were drawn from 11 of Gage's 13 occupying infantry regiments. A 1925 stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of the battles is based on the same painting, but the 1975 version is blown . [1][43] Their leader was Captain John Parker, a veteran of the French and Indian War, who had developed tuberculosis and was at times difficult to hear. Major Pitcairn arrived from the rear of the advance force and led his three companies to the left and halted them. The first battles of the American Revolutionary War were fought at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. But now they held high ground protected by heavy guns from HMS Somerset. All now said the British fired first at Lexington, whereas fifty or so years before, they weren't sure. Account of the Battles of Lexington and Concord 1.2K 109K views 2 years ago All about the American Revolutionary War In honor of the 245th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington & Concord, we are releasing a new American Battlefield Trust. He also told them that the senior colonel of his regiments, Lieutenant Colonel Smith, would command, with Major John Pitcairn as his executive officer. Historian Mark Urban said that after telling them to disperse, Pitcairn signalled his soldiers to move forward and disarm the locals. The accumulated militias then blockaded the narrow land accesses to Charlestown and Boston, starting the siege of Boston. As the last of the British column marched over the narrow bridge, the British rear guard wheeled and fired a volley at the colonial militiamen, who had been firing irregularly and ineffectively from a distance but now had closed to within musket range. British troops left Boston in the middle of the night to make a surprise attack on an illegal Patriot magazine. No war had been declared. They were the first military engagements of the Revolutionary War, marking the outbreak of armed conflict between Great Britain and its thirteen colonies on the North American mainland.. This lack of familiarity between commander and company would cause problems during the battle. Battles of Lexington and Concord - New World Encyclopedia As they descended the hill near the road that comes out from Bedford they were pursued; Colonel Bridge, with a few men from Bedford and Chelmsford, came up, and killed several men. The documents were presented to a sympathetic official and printed by the London newspapers two weeks before Gage's report arrived. Welcome to your National Park Plan your visit with park information and hours Sad alternative! All now said they fired back, but in 1775, they said few were able to. "[12], The colonists had been forming militias since the very beginnings of Colonial settlement for the purpose of defense against Indian attacks. Overview The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, were the first military clashes of the American Revolutionary War. HOW IT ENDED American victory. The eight colonists killed were John Brown, Samuel Hadley, Caleb Harrington, Jonathon Harrington, Robert Munroe, Isaac Muzzey, Asahel Porter, and Jonas Parker. The Battles of Lexington and Concord, were some of the leading military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. [115] Although many of the accounts of ransacking and burnings were exaggerated later by the colonists for propaganda value (and to get financial compensation from the colonial government), it is certainly true that taverns along the road were ransacked and the liquor stolen by the troops, who in some cases became drunk themselves. Now under the leadership of General Artemas Ward, who arrived on the 20th and replaced Brigadier General William Heath,[121] they formed a siege line extending from Chelsea, around the peninsulas of Boston and Charlestown, to Roxbury, effectively surrounding Boston on three sides. [112], A few mounted militiamen on the road would dismount, fire muskets at the approaching regulars, then remount and gallop ahead to repeat the tactic.