The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the leading military engagements of the Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on the 19th of april 1775 in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lincoln, Concord, Lexington , Cambridge, and Menotomy. They marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the colonial and british armies. In 1774 the colonial leaders adopted Suffolk in resistance against the alterations made to the colonial government of massachusetts by the british parliament following the boston tea party
The colonial assembly responded by creating an patriotic provisional government
Known as the massachusetts provincial congress. The massachusetts provincial congress called for all local militias to
…show more content…
They knew that they might be attacked weeks before they would be attacked. So they decided to move most of their munitions and weapons to other locations.
On the knight before the battle warning of the british expedition spread rapidly from Boston to the militias by a series of riders including Paul Revere with news of the british plans to take the munitions and weapons from concord.
The british armies original arrival was by the water. Their arrival was signaled from the Old North Church in Boston to Charleston using lanterns one if they came by land two if they came by sea.
The first shots were fired just as the sun was rising at Lexington.
Eight odd minutemen were shot and killed including Ensign Robert Monroe the militias ranking officer. The british suffered only one casualty.
The militia was greatly outnumbered and they had to retreat to Concord.
The british proceeded to move to Concord when they got to Concord the british army split into groups to search Concord for the munitions and weapons.
At the north bridge in Concord precisely 400 minutemen engaged the british regulars from three groups of the king's army at the time of 11:00 both sides suffered heavy losses and
…show more content…
Having completed their mission of searching Concord for rebel and militia munitions and weapons they attempted to march back to Boston.
While the british army was marching back to Boston the militias from the surrounding towns and cities of Cambridge, Menotomy,and Lincoln started to show up for the battle.
The militias that are now showing up thought that they would be surprising the british army but instead the british army was marching back to Boston.
Knowing that they had missed the battle they decided to engage the already wounded british army for a second time that day.
Shortly after the british regulars left Lexington and Concord gunfire erupted between the rebel militias and the british regulars again for the second time in a short period of four to five hours.
As the british tried to march back to Boston the american rebel militias followed them and kept firing at the british regulars.
The only way to truly describe this battle is with a poem written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the