My Revolution

The shot heard around the world...

The Battles of Lexington and Concord

"Stand your ground.  Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here."

 - Captain John Parker, Commander Colonial Militia

It’s April 19, 1775.  Last night Joseph Warren sent Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn the Provincial Congress in Concord and the militias across the area that British regulars had been ordered by General Thomas Gage to head out of Boston to seize and destroy all “military stores”.  What started out as a few became 40 or more sending out the alert.

At about 5 AM, a militia company of about 70 men, under the command of Captain John Parker, stood toe-to-toe on the Lexington “Green”, a parade ground in the town, against about 700 British. Even though both sides reportedly told their troops not to fire, a shot was heard and both sides began firing leaving eight militiamen dead

As the British continued to Concord, more gathered from the countryside to support the militia forces. Everything came to a head at the North Bridge in Concord, leading to a retreat by the British who were harassed on their way back to Boston.  What started as a few militia swelled to almost 4,000 against the supported contingency of a total of 1,500 British.  In the end, 49 colonists and 73 British regulars were killed and there was no turning back.  The American Revolution had begun.

What brought us to this point...

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North Bridge, Concord, Massachusetts