battles of lexington and concordbattles of lexington and concord

The Massachusetts militia routed the British Army forces and were soon joined by militias from Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Dr. Ripley recalled: The Americans commenced their march in double file In a minute or two, the Americans being in quick motion and within ten or fifteen rods of the bridge, a single gun was fired by a British soldier, which marked the way, passing under Col. Robinson's arm and slightly wounding the side of Luther Blanchard, a fifer, in the Acton Company.[82]. Why Battles of Lexington And Concord Important? [22], The rebellion's leaderswith the exception of Paul Revere and Joseph Warrenhad all left Boston by April 8. The meeting adjourned around 8:30pm, after which Earl Percy mingled with town folk on Boston Common. )[107] Percy's troops arrived in Lexington at about 2:00p.m. Colonel Smith was late in arriving, and there was no organized boat-loading operation, resulting in confusion at the staging area. Concord resident and Witness of the battle Rev. ", "What aim?" See, Ensign Henry De Berniere, "Report to General Gage on April 19, 1775", quoted in. Disperse, you lousy peasant scum!".At least those were the words that I seem to remember. Of the militiamen who lined up, nine had the surname Harrington, seven Munroe (including the company's orderly sergeant, William Munroe), four Parker, three Tidd, three Locke, and three Reed; fully one-quarter of them were related to Captain Parker in some way. Fresh militia poured gunfire into the British ranks from a distance, and individual homeowners began to fight from their own property. They could hear gunfire in the distance as they set up their cannon and deployed lines of regulars on high ground with commanding views of the town. Each was about half the day's fatalities. Jonathon Harrington, fatally wounded by a British musket ball, managed to crawl back to his home, and died on his own doorstep. History of the Town of Westford, 16591883. Infantry units would apply pressure to the sides of the British column. "[99] He then heard cheering further ahead. Acts of dissent and protests were seen in the weeks leading up to the battles of Lexington and Concord. All of the shot and much of the food was recovered after the British left. They were in plain sight (not hiding behind walls), but not blocking the road to Concord. 3. The scene depicted on the 1975 10-cent stamp (above) is an engraved reproduction of a 6 by 10 foot oil-on-canvas mural by Henry Sandham. Dr. Benjamin Church, a member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and the Committee of Safety, informed General Gage in March 1775, that the colonial militiamen "from their adroitness in the habitual use of the firelock suppose themselves sure of their mark at a distance of 200 rods". [128], The day after the battle, John Adams left his home in Braintree to ride along the battlefields. In the words of one British officer, "we began to run rather than retreat in order. [136], During the Cold War, Revere was used not only as a patriotic symbol, but also as a capitalist one. At the same time we beseech your Majesty that you will enforce due obedience to the laws and authority of the supreme Legislature; and it is our fixed resolution, at the hazard of our lives and properties, to stand by your Majesty against all rebellious attempts in the maintenance of the just rights of your Majesty, and the two Houses of Parliament. Lieutenant Hawkstone, said to be the greatest beauty of the British army, had his cheeks so badly wounded that it disfigured him much, of which he bitterly complained. [88], Lieutenant Colonel Smith, concerned about the safety of his men, sent flankers to follow a ridge and protect his forces from the roughly 1,000 colonials now in the field as the British marched east out of Concord. There were many colonists located in New England affected by the rising taxation brought on by the Crown. What role did African Americans and Native Americans play? [84] In 1824, Reverend and Minuteman Joseph Thaxter wrote: I was an eyewitness to the following facts. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (present-day Arlington), and Cambridge, near Boston. They fired in different directions and prepared to enter private homes. [132] Paintings portrayed the Lexington fight as an unjustified slaughter. Each company had its own lieutenant, but the majority of the captains commanding them were volunteers attached to them at the last minute, drawn from all the regiments stationed in Boston. On the night before the battle, warning of the British expedition had been rapidly sent from Boston to militias in the area by several riders, including Paul Revere and Samuel Prescott, with information about British plans. Revere was captured, Dawes was thrown from his horse, and only Prescott escaped to reach Concord. By afternoon, many regimental commands were fundamentally present and acting in a coordinated manner. On Brooks Hill (also known as Hardy's Hill) about 1 mile (1.6km) past Meriam's Corner, nearly 500 militiamen had assembled to the south of the road, awaiting an opportunity to fire down upon the British column on the road below. American numbers are unknown. The few front rows of colonists, bound by the road and blocked from forming a line of fire, managed to fire over each other's heads and shoulders at the regulars massed across the bridge. However, in terms of supporting the British political strategy behind the Intolerable Acts and the military strategy behind the Powder Alarms, the battle was a significant failure because the expedition contributed to the fighting it was intended to prevent, and because few weapons were actually seized. At about 4am Smith made the wise but belated decision to send a messenger back to Boston asking for reinforcements. Allen French, Historic Concord, Cambria, 1942, pages 66 and 68. [59] Some witnesses (on each side) claimed that someone on the other side fired first; however, many more witnesses claimed to not know. One officer then tried to pull up the loose planks of the bridge to impede the colonial advance, but Major Buttrick began to yell at the regulars to stop harming the bridge. In April 1925, the United States Post Office issued three stamps commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battles at Lexington and Concord. [16] Gage's decision to act promptly may have been influenced by the information he received on April 15, from a spy within the Provincial Congress, telling him that although the Congress was still divided on the need for armed resistance, delegates were being sent to the other New England colonies to see if they would cooperate in raising a New England army of 18,000 colonial soldiers. The colonists lost 25 men killed and nine wounded there, and the British lost 40 killed and 80 wounded, with the 47th Foot and the Marines suffering the highest casualties. The historic engagement known as Parker's Revenge occurred on the afternoon of the first day of the Revolutionary War, April 19, 1775, after American blood was first shed on Lexington Green and at Concord. [139] The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have saved one acre of the battlefield at the site of Parker's Revenge.[140]. The site of the battle in Lexington is now known as the Lexington Battle Green. Within four days of the battle, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress had collected scores of sworn testimonies from militiamen and from British prisoners. 2. [28], Between 9 and 10pm on the night of April 18, 1775, Joseph Warren told Revere and William Dawes that the British troops were about to embark in boats from Boston bound for Cambridge and the road to Lexington and Concord. By the rude bridge that arched the floodTheir flag to April's breeze unfurledHere once the embattled farmers stoodAnd fired the shot heard round the world. [138] A bronze bas relief of Major Buttrick, designed by Daniel Chester French and executed by Edmond Thomas Quinn in 1915, is in the park, along with French's Minute Man statue. The Battles of Lexington and Concord - The Heritage Post [63], The companies under Pitcairn's command got beyond their officers' control in part because they were unaware of the actual purpose of the day's mission. Edmund Burke described Gage's conflicted relationship with Massachusetts by saying in Parliament, "An Englishman is the unfittest person on Earth to argue another Englishman into slavery. [35], The British regulars, around 700 infantry, were drawn from 11 of Gage's 13 occupying infantry regiments. [90] The colonists returned fire, this time with deadly effect. For months the local people had abused and taunted them. [103], General Gage had anticipated that Lt. Col. Smith's expedition might require reinforcement, so Gage drafted orders for reinforcing units to assemble in Boston at 4 a.m. To cross the narrow bridge, the British had to pull the flankers back into the main column and close ranks to a mere three soldiers abreast. Gage's plan was to avoid conflict by removing military supplies from Whig militias using small, secret, and rapid strikes. All now said the British fired first at Lexington, whereas fifty or so years before, they weren't sure. At the North Bridge in Concord, approximately 400 militiamen engaged 100 regulars from three companies of the King's troops at about 11:00am, resulting in casualties on both sides. Major Pitcairn commanded ten elite light infantry companies, and Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Bernard commanded 11 grenadier companies, under the overall command of Lieutenant Colonel Smith. The "Battle" took on an almost mythical quality in the American consciousness. Depositions mentioning some of these activities were not published and were returned to the participants (this notably happened to Paul Revere). On the march back to Boston, the British encountered ambush after ambush by militia groups from other towns, firing behind trees, bushes, and houses. Barrett asked Captain Isaac Davis, who commanded a company of Minutemen from Acton, if his company would be willing to lead the advance. Colonial militia companies arriving from the north and east had converged at this point and held a clear numerical advantage over the regulars. A. Doolittle print of the battle indicates this after interviews with eyewitness accounts one month after the battle. "[75][76], Barrett told the men to load their weapons but not to fire unless fired upon, and then ordered them to advance. [61], Witnesses at the scene described several intermittent shots fired from both sides before the lines of regulars began to fire volleys without receiving orders to do so. On this, the British fled, and assembled on the hill, the north side of Concord, and dressed their wounded, and then began their retreat. [17], On the morning of April 18, Gage ordered a mounted patrol of about 20 men under the command of Major Mitchell of the 5th Regiment of Foot into the surrounding country to intercept messengers who might be out on horseback. The 10th Regiment's company of grenadiers secured South Bridge under Captain Mundy Pole, while seven companies of light infantry under Captain Parsons, numbering about 100, secured the North Bridge, where they were visible across the cleared fields to the assembling militia companies. They marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Patriot militias from America's thirteen colonies. The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. The British had placed about ninety men as a guard at the North Bridge; we had then no certain information that any had been killed at Lexington, we saw the British making destruction in the town of Concord; it was proposed to advance to the bridge; on this Colonel Robinson, of Westford, together with Major Buttrick, took the lead; strict orders were given not to fire, unless the British fired first; when they advanced about halfway on the causeway the British fired one gun, a second, a third, and then the whole body; they killed Colonel Davis, of Acton, and a Mr. Hosmer. They carried their haversacks (food bags), canteens, muskets, and accoutrements, and marched off in wet, muddy shoes and soggy uniforms. Percy's brigade was about to approach the broken-down bridge and a riverbank filled with militia when Percy directed his troops down a narrow track (now Beech Street, near present-day Porter Square) and onto the road to Charlestown. Five myths about the start of the Revolutionary War [112], The fighting grew more intense as Percy's forces crossed from Lexington into Menotomy. Yet another theory is that the first shot was fired by the British, one which killed Asahel Porter, their prisoner who was running away (he had been told to walk away and he would be let go, though he panicked and began to run). Battles of Lexington and Concord | National Postal Museum [131], It was important to the early American government that an image of British fault and American innocence be maintained for this first battle of the war. The remainder tried as best they could in the confusion to follow the orders of the superior officer. Instead of a deliberate, orderly walk forward, many [British soldiers] started shouting and cheering, running towards the Americans withbayonets [still fixed]. Colonial forces on the road itself behind the British were too densely packed and disorganized to mount more than a harassing attack from the rear. It was likely a warning shot fired by a panicked, exhausted British soldier from the 43rd, according to Captain Laurie's report to his commander after the fight. The lands surrounding the North Bridge in Concord, as well as approximately 5 miles (8.0km) of the road along with surrounding lands and period buildings between Meriam's Corner and western Lexington are part of Minute Man National Historical Park. The first shots were fired just as the sun was rising at Lexington. [130] George Washington received the news at Mount Vernon and wrote to a friend, "the once-happy and peaceful plains of America are either to be drenched in blood or inhabited by slaves. The Battles of Lexington and Concord, were some of the leading military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The peak strength of militias that massed around the British column on April 19 is uncertain. They passed through the now mostly-deserted battlefield and saw dead and wounded comrades lying on the bridge. A film version was produced for television in 1987, starring Chad Lowe and Tommy Lee Jones. [114] Aged Menotomy resident Samuel Whittemore killed three regulars before he was attacked by a British contingent and left for dead. Some of them had been without sleep for two days and had marched 40 miles (64km) in 21 hours, eight hours of which had been spent under fire. Many of the militiamen who joined the battle at various locations during the day continued to follow the British column all the way to Charlestown, but some also dropped out and returned home. [1] The battles were between British soldiers, who wanted to take away the colonists ' weapons and to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams on the way to Concord, and American colonists on April 19, 1775. Politically disastrous for the British, it persuaded many Americans to take up arms and support the cause of independence. [68], Using detailed information provided by Loyalist spies, the grenadier companies searched the small town for military supplies. He also knew the British had gone on such expeditions before in Massachusetts, found nothing, and marched back to Boston.[48]. While overlooking North Bridge from the top of the hill, Barrett, Lt. Col. John Robinson of Westford[74] and the other captains discussed a possible advance on the bridge. For the American Civil War battles, see, Newspaper articles published near the time of the battles. The exact number of militia on the Lexington common when the clash occurred is a matter of debate. Lord Percy to General Harvey, April 20, 1775, in Charles Knowles Bolton, editor, There are several versions of this story. When they disembarked near Phipps Farm in Cambridge, it was into waist-deep water at midnight. Lexington and Concord Massachusetts | Apr 19, 1775 In this first battle of the American Revolution, Massachusetts colonists defied British authority, outnumbered and outfought the Redcoats, and embarked on a lengthy war to earn their independence. [37], The British began to awaken their troops at 9pm on the night of April 18 and assembled them on the water's edge on the western end of Boston Common by 10pm. The major events of the battle are very well known. In honor of the 245th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington & Concord, we are releasing a new American Battlefield Trust branded version of our Lexington & . Sworn by 34 minutemen on April 25 before three Justices of the Peace. Davis responded, "I'm not afraid to go, and I haven't a man that's afraid to go. On April 19, 1875, President Ulysses S. Grant and members of his cabinet joined 50,000 people to mark the 100th anniversary of the battles. A remark in Lt. Col. Smith's report to General Gage, dated April 22, 1775, is typical: "Notwithstanding the enemy's numbers, they did not make one gallant attempt during so long an action, though our men were so very fatigued, but [instead] kept under cover." This group was charged with disseminating information and warnings across the colonies. [41], The British force was organized into:[40], Although often styled a battle, in reality, the engagement at Lexington was a minor brush or skirmish. These turned out to be three massive pieces, firing 24-pound shot, that were much too heavy to use defensively, but very effective against fortifications, with sufficient range to bombard the city of Boston from other parts of nearby mainland. Battles of Lexington and Concord | United States history Lexington and Concord Battlefields - American Battlefield Trust Account of the Battles of Lexington and Concord The colonial assembly responded by forming a Patriot provisional government known as the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and calling for local militias to train for possible hostilities. George Germain, no friend of the colonists, wrote, "the Bostonians are in the right to make the King's troops the aggressors and claim a victory". [30] Revere first gave instructions to send a signal to Charlestown using lanterns hung in the steeple of Boston's Old North Church. Maj. Gen. Thomas Gage, commander in chief and governor of Massachusetts, dispatched some 800 soldiers to confiscate provincial military supplies stockpiled at Concord, about twenty miles inland. After a lengthy halt to unload their gear, the regulars began their 17 miles (27km) march to Concord at about 2am. When Percy questioned one man further, the man replied, "Well, the regulars will miss their aim. The first battles of the American Revolution were fought at Lexington and Concord because Massachusetts had become a hotbed for rebellion. When word leaked out a week after the battle that Gage was sending his official description of events to London, the Provincial Congress sent a packet of these detailed depositions, signed by over 100 participants in the events, on a faster ship. Smith's men collapsed with exhaustion once they reached the safety of Percy's lines. Battles of Lexington and Concord - History - History on the Net Lexington, April 25, 1775. The colonists built an alarm system to warn them if the British were coming. [65] The militia retreated to a ridge overlooking the town, and their officers discussed what to do next. There are walking trails with interpretive displays along routes that the colonists might have used that skirted the road, and the Park Service often has personnel (usually dressed in period dress) offering descriptions of the area and explanations of the events of the day.