Battles of Lexington and Concord

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Battles of Lexington and Concord

United States history

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 12, 2024 • Article History

Battles of Lexington and Concord

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Category: History & Society

Date:: April 19, 1775(Anniversary in 5 days)

Location:: Concord; Lexington; Massachusetts; United States

Participants:: Massachusetts; United Kingdom

Context:: American Revolution

Key People:: Thomas Gage; Paul Revere

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Battles of Lexington and Concord, (April 19, 1775), initial skirmishes between British regulars and American provincials, marking the beginning of the American Revolution. Acting on orders from London to suppress the rebellious colonists, General Thomas Gage, recently appointed royal governor of Massachusetts, ordered his troops to seize the colonists’ military stores at Concord. En route from Boston, the British force of 700 men was met on Lexington Green by 77 local minutemen and others who had been forewarned of the raid by the colonists’ efficient lines of communication, including the ride of Paul Revere. It is unclear who fired the ...(100 of 242 words)

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