Paul Revere, during his dramatic horseback ride from Boston to Lexington, Mass., brought the news of British troops on the move,  April 18, 1775.
Battles of Lexington and Concord
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

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)