On April 19, 1775, British and American soldiers exchanged fire in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord. This was known as "the shot heard around the world."
On the night of April 18, the royal governor of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, commanded by King George III to suppress the rebellious Americans, had ordered 700 British soldiers to seize the colonists' military stores in Concord, some 20 miles west of Boston.
At Lexington Green, the British were met by 77 American Minutemen. The famous quote by Parker, "Stand your ground! Don't fire unless fired upon! But if they want to have a war, let it begin here!" sounded heroic, but was actually created 50 years later. It is unclear who fired the first shot, but it is certain the British fired the first volley at the Americans, killing eight and wounding as many as ten.
At the North Bridge in Concord, the British were confronted again, this time by 300 to 400 armed colonists, and were forced to march back to Boston with the Americans firing on them all the way. By the end of the day, the colonists were singing "Yankee Doodle" and the American Revolution had begun.
The Minutemen, were an elite group of militiamen who met and trained hard in the 16 months between the Boston Tea Party and the battles of Lexington and Concord. Many people confused them with ordinary militiamen. However, the state of battle readiness among the Minutemen were superior to the militiamen. |
