Battles of Lexington and Concord facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battles of Lexington and Concord
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Depiction of the Battle of Lexington by William Barnes Wollen, 1910
Date April 19, 1775; 249 years ago (1775-04-19) Location Middlesex County, Massachusetts Result Strategic American victory British forces succeed in destroying cannon and supplies in Concord Militia successfully drive British back to Boston Start of the American Revolutionary War
Belligerents
Massachusetts Bay	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
John Parker James Barrett John Buttrick John Robinson William Heath Joseph Warren Isaac Davis  †	Francis Smith John Pitcairn (WIA) Hugh Percy
Strength
Lexington: 77 Concord: 400 End of Battle: 3,960	Departing Boston: 700 Lexington: 400 Concord: 100 End of Battle: 1,500
Casualties and losses
49 killed 39 wounded 5 missing	73 killed 174 wounded 53 missing

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were between British soldiers, who wanted to take away the colonists' weapons and arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams on the way to Concord, and American colonists on April 19, 1775. They were fought in towns outside Boston, Massachusetts. These towns are Lexington, Massachusetts and Concord, Massachusetts. The Patriots found out long before it happened and safely evacuated the place.

The first battle was fought on Lexington Green in Lexington. General Gage, along with 700 British soldiers, marched there to find and destroy hidden weapons. However, they were met by 70 minutemen. The battle lasted only a few minutes, but 8 minutemen died and 9 were hurt. Only 1 British soldier had been injured, then the soldiers went to Concord to seize supplies such as food, guns, and ammunition stored by the militia. On the way back to Boston, they were ambushed by 400 minutemen. This time, Britain lost 250 soldiers, while only 90 Americans died.

The battles marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Patriot militias from America's thirteen colonies. Ralph Waldo Emerson describes the first shot fired by the Patriots at the North Bridge in his "Concord Hymn" as the "shot heard round the world".

Interesting facts about the Battles of Lexington and Concord

Depiction of Revere's ride

• The Midnight Ride by Paul Revere was to alert the American colonial militia in April 1775 of the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord. He didn't shout out “The British are coming!” as some history books say, as he was on a secret mission.
• Paul Revere wasn't the only one trying to warn the Americans. William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott also road to Concord. Both Revere and Dawes were captured. Only Samuel Prescott made it to Concord with the warning.
• The "shot heard round the world" is a famous phrase that refers to the opening shot of the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, which began the American Revolutionary War.

Images for kids

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  Thomas Gage

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  A March 24, 1775 resolution of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, signed by John Hancock, calls for the colony to be put into "a complete state of defense".

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  Margaret Kemble Gage may have given military intelligence to the rebels.

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  Silversmith Paul Revere and several other messengers on horseback sounded the alarm that the regulars were leaving Boston.

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  1775 map of the battles and of the siege of Boston

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  $20 National Bank Note]]

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  Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775, New York Public Library

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  The first of four engravings by Amos Doolittle from 1775. Doolittle visited the battle sites and interviewed soldiers and witnesses. Contains controversial elements, possibly inaccuracies. Fire from the militia may have occurred but is not depicted.

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  The second of four engravings by Amos Doolittle from 1775, depicting the British entering Concord

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  The reconstructed North Bridge in Minute Man National Historical Park, Concord

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  The third of four engravings by Amos Doolittle from 1775, depicting the engagement at the North Bridge

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  "The Minute Man" by Daniel Chester French at the North Bridge was meant to represent the typical provincial but was also inspired in large part by the story of Capt. Isaac Davis of Acton who died where the statue now stands. It is inscribed with verse from Emerson's "Concord Hymn".

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  A National Park Service map showing the retreat from Concord and Percy's rescue

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  This statue is known as The Lexington Minuteman is commonly believed to depict Captain John Parker. It is by Henry Hudson Kitson and stands at the town green of Lexington, Massachusetts.

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  The fourth of four engravings by Amos Doolittle from 1775, showing Percy's rescue in Lexington

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  Percy's return to Charlestown (detail from 1775 map of the battle)

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  The Jason Russell House in Arlington

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  The siege of Boston 1775–1776

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  Gravemarkers along Battle Road in Lexington are maintained with Britain's 1775 version of the Union Flag.

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  Daniel Chester French's The Minute Man, 1874

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  1970 Franklin Mint medallion commemorating Lexington and Concord 1775

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  A citizen of Acton and Members of the Acton Fife and Drum Corps march to Concord on the Isaac Davis Trail during the 2016 annual Patriots' Day celebration.

See also

In Spanish: Batallas de Lexington y Concord para niños