American Revolution in Massachusetts

Lexington
After being warned by the midnight riders that a contingent of 700 British Army regulars were marching towards Concord to seize colonial weapons, 77 Lexington militiamen gathered on Lexington Green early in the morning in an effort to halt their advance.

It is not known who fired the first shot of the battle, or what side they were on. The outnumbered militiamen were soon forced to retreat while the British continued towards Concord. Several militiamen died, while the British had only one soldier injured.

Concord
After arriving at Concord a contingent of 100 British troops were sent to guard North Bridge while other companies searched the town for weapons. The militiamen, now 400 strong, advanced towards North Bridge where the British fired on them to start the second round of fighting.

After returning fire the militiamen were able to force the now outnumbered British soldiers to retreat and re-join the rest of their cohort in Concord. More and more militiamen poured into the area as the British began marching back to Boston.

Casualties
American: 49 killed, 39 injured, 5 missing
British: 73 killed, 174 injured, 26 missing

Result
American strategic victory

Aftermath
The British expedition was largely a failure, as they had not managed to seize a significant amount of the colonists’ weapons. News of the battles spread quickly and the action on that day was portrayed by leading Patriots as a violent attack by the British upon the colonists. The war had begun, and the colonists had proved that they were capable of taking on the military forces of the British.