04/19/2026
On this day in U.S. History: The American Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775, at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, where American minutemen and militiamen faced off against British soldiers for the first time. Fighting began on Lexington Green in Lexington, Massachusetts, with what became known as the “shot heard around the world.”
By 1775, tensions between colonial American patriots and the British were at an all-time high. To prevent fighting and help subdue what the British referred to as a rebellion, British General Thomas Gage secretly ordered soldiers from Boston to march to Concord to capture patriot military supplies. On their way, they were to stop in Lexington to apprehend Boston patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock.
However, American patriots had a sophisticated intelligence network in Boston that closely monitored British military activity. This included a spy ring known as the “Mechanics,” led by Paul Revere, along with tavern and stable employees, to name a few. Patriots in Boston quickly determined that the British were planning to march to Lexington and Concord.
As British soldiers prepared to leave Boston, Paul Revere, William Dawes, and riders from Charlestown rode out to warn the countryside towns’ minutemen and militia that the British were on their way. Throughout the night of April 18 and into the early morning of April 19, Lexington, Concord, and Acton were alerted and immediately began preparations. This became known as the “Midnight Ride.” Read yesterday’s post for more information on the Midnight Ride.
The British soldiers, although they departed Boston by boat at around 10:30 pm on the 18th, did not begin their foot march toward Lexington from Cambridge until about 2 am the following morning. As they advanced, they moved through a countryside already on alert, with town bells ringing and signal guns firing as they passed.
Meanwhile, the Lexington militia, under the command of Captain John Parker, had already begun assembling on the Lexington Green and preparing for the British approach. Lexington had been warned first by Revere and Dawes, and it would be the first town the British passed through.
Concord, which was warned by Dr. Samuel Prescott after Lexington, began hiding patriot military supplies and assembling its militia. The Concord militia, under the command of Colonel James Barrett, gathered at the Wright Tavern in the center of town. Militia scouts, including saddle maker Reuben Brown, were dispatched to confirm the British advance. Concord was soon reinforced by militia from Lincoln, a town about halfway between Lexington and Concord, and from Bedford.
After warning Concord, Prescott rode west to alert the town of Acton. When he arrived, he went straight to the home of Captain Isaac Davis, commander of the Acton minutemen. As soon as Acton was warned, preparations began immediately.
Acton was a town of rugged farmers who had spent the past year training for combat. Their militia stood out because Davis, a gunsmith by trade, ensured that every man was equipped with a bayonet, a rare and intimidating weapon for a colonial militia. They also practiced marksmanship twice a week, making them one of the more capable units in the province.
By 7 am on the morning of April 19, about 38 men had assembled at the Davis farm and began the six-mile march toward Concord. According to legend, the company’s fifer and drummer played “The White Cockade,” a fast-paced tune intended to keep the men’s spirits high.
At about 5 am on April 19, the British vanguard, consisting of about 200 to 300 men under the command of Marine Major John Pitcairn, rounded the bend into the center of Lexington, with the rest of the roughly 700 British soldiers marching close behind, and came face to face with approximately 77 men standing on the Green.
Parker, Lexington’s militia commander, had formed his men in two ranks on the Green, which sat off to the side of the road rather than blocking it. A veteran of the French and Indian War, Parker knew his militia could not win a pitched battle against several hundred Redcoats. Forming in ranks was a show of resolve, not an attempt to stop the British advance.
Parker wanted the British to see that the Americans were armed and organized, but he did not intend to start the war. His orders, later attributed to him, were clear and defensive: “Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” (Attributed)
When the British vanguard saw the militia on the Green, they advanced toward them at a run, shouting and cheering, then formed into battle lines facing the militia. Pitcairn rode forward and famously ordered the Americans, “Lay down your arms, you damned rebels, and disperse!”
Parker realized his militia was outmatched and ordered his men to disperse. The Lexington militia began to turn and move off the Green, but did not lay down their muskets. As they were dispersing, with British soldiers still shouting at them, a single shot rang out, later known as the “shot heard around the world.”
The shot triggered a volley from the British soldiers, and the American War for Independence began.
The British volley hit several militiamen, some with their backs turned as they were in the process of dispersing from the Green. The British then charged the militia with bayonets. More militia were shot while running from the Green, while others were bayoneted. Jonas Parker, related to Captain Parker, was struck by a bullet from the British volley, then bayoneted to death while on his knees reloading his musket.
In total, eight militia were killed and 10 were wounded. Only one British soldier was slightly wounded.
The Lexington militia scattered into the woods and behind nearby houses. They managed to fire a few scattered shots back at the British, but it was not a coordinated return fire. Just as quickly as it began, the Battle of Lexington was over, with the British still largely intact.
British officers, including Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith, who was in overall command and arrived with the main body just as the shooting ended, struggled to get the men back under control. The soldiers were caught up in the excitement of the bloodshed. Smith finally had the drummer beat the “to arms” to bring the men back into formation.
Once the British ranks were restored, they did something incredibly arrogant. Still on the Lexington Green, they fired a victory volley into the air and gave three cheers.
Then, at around 5:30 am, they returned to the road and began their six-mile march toward Concord.
The British believed they had crushed the “rebel” resistance. However, news of the fighting was already spreading west ahead of them. By the time they reached Concord, they would not be facing only 77 men. They would be facing nearly 400 militia, ready and watching them from the surrounding hills.
When the shooting in Lexington began, Concord militia scout Reuben Brown was watching from a distance. He immediately turned his horse and galloped back to Concord. Brown arrived and reported to Colonel Barrett. Barrett asked if the British were firing “ball,” referring to live ammunition. Brown confirmed this, and Barrett realized that America was now at war.
Barrett moved about 150 to 200 militiamen at around 7 am to the steep ridge at Meriam’s Corner, about a mile east of the town center. This included militia from Lincoln who had arrived throughout the early morning, along with some from Bedford who continued to trickle into Concord. The ridge overlooked the road the British would be approaching from Lexington.
Shortly after taking position on the ridge, Barrett and his men watched more than 700 British Regulars marching toward Concord. Barrett realized that his current force was too small to stop them from that position.
As the British drew closer, Barrett ordered the militia to march back into the town center, staying a few hundred yards ahead of them. From there, they moved through the town to the North Bridge.
The North Bridge was located about half a mile north of Concord and crossed the Concord River. It led toward Barrett’s farm, where the patriot military supplies had been stored.
Barrett moved the militia across the North Bridge and up to Punkatasset Hill and the nearby Muster Field. The hill gave the militia the high ground where they could look down and watch the British enter Concord without being trapped in the streets.
The British entered Concord at about 7:30 am. Smith split his force into several groups. One group of about 130 men was sent two miles to Barrett’s farm to search for the patriot supplies. About 90 soldiers were sent to hold the North Bridge. A small detachment was sent south to the South Bridge to secure that flank. The remaining British soldiers stayed in Concord to search for any patriot contraband.
Barrett and his current militia force remained on the hill to observe the British. During this time, more men arrived from Bedford from the northeast, joining Barrett on the hill and field. The British soldiers at the North Bridge saw the militia on the hill and watched them grow in numbers.
At about 9 am, the British in Concord began burning wooden carriage wheels and flour barrels in the town center. From the hill, the militia saw the rising smoke and assumed the British were torching their homes.
At this moment, Captain Davis and the Acton minutemen arrived at Muster Field, joining the men of Concord, Lincoln, and Bedford. The American militia had now grown to over 400.
The militia officers held a quick council. During this council, Adjutant Joseph Hosmer asked, “Will you let them burn the town down?” With that, Barrett gave the order to march down the hill toward the North Bridge. With the Acton men’s bayonets fixed, the combined militia were no longer observing. They were now moving to engage the British.
The 90 British soldiers guarding the North Bridge panicked when they saw over 400 American patriots approaching them. They began retreating to the town side of the bridge while at the same time trying to pull up the bridge planks.
When the American militia got within 50 yards of the bridge, a British soldier fired a single shot into the water. Two more British shots followed, then a full British volley. The volley killed Captain Isaac Davis immediately.
Major John Buttrick of Concord then yelled, “Fire, fellow soldiers, for God’s sake, fire!” This was the first time American patriots were ordered to fire on British troops. The militia volley killed three Redcoats and wounded several officers, forcing the British to break ranks and retreat back toward Concord.
The North Bridge guard was gone, but the British were still at Barrett’s farm and would have to cross the bridge to return to Concord. Barrett moved the militia up to a high ridge called Jones Hill to watch for the British to return from the farm. While they were waiting, they were joined by additional militia, increasing their number to roughly 500 to 600.
At about 10:30 am, the British companies sent to Barrett’s farm completed their search and began marching back to Concord. When they approached the North Bridge, Barrett let them pass. He did not feel ready to engage with the British in Concord yet and was waiting for more men to arrive from the surrounding countryside.
By noon, the patriot militia numbers grew to around 1,000 men and had spread out in various positions around the town. Smith, seeing the increased militia strength, and now with all his troops back in Concord, ordered the British to return to Boston, a 16-mile march.
Unbeknownst to Smith, total American patriot numbers had reached nearly 3,500. The other 2,500 were positioned along the road back to Boston from various tree lines and hilltops, beginning at Meriam’s Corner just east of Concord.
The British retreat to Boston turned into a gauntlet. The Americans, using guerrilla-style tactics, continuously fired at them from behind trees, walls, and inside houses, then sprinting ahead to fire at them again.
Outside Lincoln, where the road made a sharp bend through a wooded area, the militia caught the British in a crossfire, causing heavy casualties. At this point, the British, running low on ammunition, began to panic and break formation.
By the time the British reached Lexington at around 2 pm, they were completely exhausted, nearly out of ammunition, and on the verge of being overrun.
In Lexington, Smith’s force was reinforced by Brigadier General Hugh Percy, who arrived with about 1,000 men and two cannons. The cannons held the militia back long enough to allow Smith’s soldiers to rest and the wounded to be treated. The British wounded were treated in Buckman Tavern, which was turned into a makeshift field hospital.
After a short rest, the now 1,700-man British force began the final leg back to Boston. But the militia did not stop. They continued to follow and fire at the British all the way back to Charlestown Neck, engaging them until sunset. By the time the British reached Charlestown, they had lost nearly 300 men.
The almighty King’s Army was forced into a retreat by the force of American patriotism, and the “rebellion” had officially become a revolution.
