Battle+of+Lexington+and+Concord+period+5

Ari Cipriani Period 5 Battle of Lexington and Concord



 The battle of Lexington and Concord occurred on April 19, 1775. It took place at Lexington and Concord, two towns right outside of Boston. The armies that fought were the militia of Massachusetts and the British army. Colonel Smith, Major Pitcairn, and Lord Percy led the British soldiers. The militia of Massachusetts was led by Barrett Buttrick.

 On April 18th General Thomas Gage commanded 700 British soldiers to go to Lexington and Concord and seize the military supplies of the colonists. Paul Revere was told of Gage's plans and was sent to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock of the enemies approach. If Paul Revere couldn’t get out of Boston to warn people, he made a plan to light lanterns in the Old North Church steeple as a signal. If the British were coming by land he would light one lantern, but if they were coming by sea he would light two lanterns. When the British troops snuck out of Boston they got to Lexington by boat, therefore they were coming by sea. Paul Revere then lit two lanterns to warn the colonists and set out on his famous ride with William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott to warn the colonists of Britain’s approach. When Paul Revere rode to Lexington to tell Samuel Adams and John Hancock of the news, they had already fled. At Lexington, the colonists arranged a militia of only 75 "Minute Men". They were met by 700 British men and were clearly outnumbered. Ten minute men were injured and eight were killed by British shots. Before Paul Revere reached Concord, he was captured. But, other messengers had warned Concord. The people of Concord managed to move and hide the majority of their military stores before the British could destroy it. The British soldiers arrived at Concord and found there were few supplies left to destroy. A large group of farmers and townspeople noticed the fires from the burning of supplies. They came to support the minute men and attacked the British on their way back to Boston. The fighting left 273 British soldiers dead and 174 wounded. The patriots lost 49 men and 39 were left wounded.  This battle was so significant because it was the first military battle between the British and the Patriots. It showed the colonies that they had a chance up against the British and essentially set the American Revolution in motion. If a group of random men could beat 700 British soldiers it certainly proves a point that independence could be possible. "The shot heard round the world" eludes to the fact that this battle reached everyone in the colonies and sent them a message that it was time to finally stand up to their mother country and fight for the rights they believe in.

Citations 1. [] 2. [] 3. [] 4. [] 5. []