The Battle of Lexington & Concord

Lexington & Concord

Kelly’s Blog

The Battle of Lexington and Concord are significant to the American Revolution. The battle of Lexington is considered to be the first battle of the American Revolution because it was the first time that British troops had shed american blood on american soil. The battle was planned by a British general to be a sneak attack on the patriots. The plan was to capture colonial rebellion leaders in Lexington and then move onto Concord and capture the gunpowder and artillery of the patriots. However, the British general’s plan leaked out and got back to the patriots. Word spread quickly and the patriots were ready for the British when they came. The British were bombarded as they entered Lexington. They had been taken by surprise. After entering Concord and meeting the colonial militia the British began to retreat back to Boston. Several British troops were killed and injured. According to records, 26 of them even went missing. The British had been defeated in the first real battle of the war. On the flip side this had won more support for the patriots because it gave people more belief in them. England was so flustered by this they sent in more experienced generals to take the lead in hope for better results.

Mike’s Blog

In April, 1775, the American Revolutionary war started.  The war was kicked off at the battles of Lexington and Concord.  Britain’s General had a plan to send his soldiers, who were stationed in Boston, to Lexington where they were to "capture Colonial leaders Sam Adams and John Hancock" (Lexington and Concord).    The British troops were to then move on to Concord where they were to seize gunpowder and destroy the Americans weapons. However, riders like Paul Revere warned the colonists that the British Army was coming.  Since the Americans were warned, "Sam Adams and John Hancock were able to escape and the local militia was able to hide much of the ammunition and weapons" (American Revolution: Battle of Lexington and Concord).

The Battle of Lexington was a small fight but a very significant battle because it was where the very first battle of the Revolutionary War was. When the British troops arrived from Boston, they only found "80 American militiamen in the town" (American Revolution: Battle of Lexington and Concord).  Some of the American army men were called minutemen because they could be ready to fight in a minute's time.    The British had a much larger army.  However, neither sides were expecting to actually fight and "In the midst of the confusion, a gunshot went off forcing the British to attack" (American Revolution: Battle of Lexington and Concord).  The first shot of the war was called, "the shot heard around the world" and no one is really sure who fired the first shot (Lexington and Concord).  Some of the Americans were killed from the British shots and the rest fled the field.

The British then proceeded to march to Concord after the Americans fled Lexington.  When they arrived to Concord, they did not run into the American army so they searched the town for the militia's weapons.  In the meantime, "The Americans had retreated to the outskirts of Concord and observed the British from the other side of North Bridge" (American Revolution: Battle of Lexington and Concord).  As the British troops continued to search the town for supplies, more and more American soldiers showed up to support and make forces stronger.  Once the Americans felt the time was right, they crossed the North Bridge back into Concord.    The battle was fought and the Americans defeated the British.  This win gave the Americans renewed confidence.  Soon after the battle was over, "the British commander realized that the American militia resistance was rapidly growing and it was time to retreat"(American Revolution: Battle of Lexington and Concord).

The British retreated back to Boston however, the Americans continued to gain forces and attacked the British on their way back.  By the time Britain troops reached Boston, "they had lost 73 men and 174 were wounded."  The Americans defeated the British and only lost 49 men with 41 wounded.  The Lexington and Concord Battles meant that the American Revolution had officially started.  Americans gained courage to unite and continue to fight.