On the misty Spring morning of April 19, 1775, a band of rebellious New England colonists gathered in the small village of Lexington 12 miles outside of Boston to challenge a column of 400 British soldiers secretly dispatched to confiscate a large cache of gun powder and muskets rumored to be stored in the villages of Lexington and Concord. Unbeknownst to the Redcoats, the colonists had been warned of their approach the night before by Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott.
As the British neared Lexington, they were confronted by 80 militiamen under Captain John Parker, a French and Indian War veteran gathered on the village common to prevent their advance toward Concord. What happened next was sheer confusion. Neither side was really spoiling for a fight. Parker knew he was outnumbered and his poorly trained militia were no match for British regulars. He had hoped that this small demonstration of resistance would compel the British to return to Boston. The British commander equally preferred to avoid all the troubles that would come with a bloody confrontation with the colonials.
When the vanguard of the British force advanced toward them across the town green, they ordered the militia to lay down their arms and disperse. Parker immediately orders his company to fall out but to keep their muskets.Both commanders also ordered their men not to fire their weapons. Nevertheless, in what Ralph Waldo Emerson would call “the shot heard around the world” a musket shot rang out—and its still not clear who fired it—prompting the Redcoats to fire a deadly volley into the ranks of the retreating rebels leaving eight dead.
After this unintended altercation the British Redcoats reformed and resumed their advance. Around 8:00 am the British arrived in Concord and occupied the town. They found very little in the town after searching exhaustively. The armaments which were previously stored in Concord were relocated. As the British awaited the arrival of expected reinforcements, an American force of about 400 militiamen assembled and began moving toward the village. During the advance, a brief firefight at the Old North Bridge resulted in two American deaths. When reinforcements did not arrive as expected, the British decided to evacuate Concord, and make their way back toward Boston. On the return march back to Boston, the British were harassed and ambushed by sniping militiamen, firing from behind trees and fences resulting in casualties of 73 killed, 174 wounded and 23 missing soldiers. American losses were 49 killed, 39 wounded and five missing. While not a major victory in military terms, the overall success of the events on April 19, 1775 embarrassed the British army and provided a significant morale boost for Americans as the American Revolution had begun.
Tragedy and Farce 