The Battles Of Lexington and Concord

The Battles of Lexington and Concord, which took place on the April 19, 1775, were the official beginning to the revolutionary war. Tensions between the British and Colonists had been building for the past several years as a result of the British increasing taxes on many of their imports. The battle began in Lexington, where some 700 red coats came upon a measly 77 militiamen, who were gathered on the town green. To this day, nobody knows who fired the first shot in this battle. Several British volleys penetrated the lines of the colonist troops, and when the smoke cleared, eight militiamen laid dead and nine wounded, while only one red coat was hurt. The British continued to pursue the militiamen until they arrived in the town of Concord. When the troops arrived in Concord, they began to burn everything to the ground, which as a result gained the attention of many colonists who were occupying the land outside of Concord. About three hours later, around 2,000 minutemen had descended on the area, and more were constantly arriving. The minutemen who were attacking the British from behind trees and walls pushed the red coats back to Lexington and gained a victory in this battle. While only 250 British soldiers were killed in the battle, it proved that the colonists can compete with one of the world's greatest militaries.