April 19, 1775

The Battles of Lexington and Concord

Gage orders a detachment of nearly 800 British infantry to destroy arms and ammunition stored in Concord. Alerted by Paul Revere and other express riders, militia assemble and hide most of military stores. After a brief exchange of fire between regulars and Lexington militia, Gage's troops move to Concord, where they engage a larger militia force and then choose to return to Boston. Their march back to the city turned into a nightmare as militiamen battered the regulars for 15 miles. By the end of the trek, 273 regular soldiers and 95 militiamen were killed or wounded, and thousands of New Englanders surrounded Boston, cutting Gage off from the mainland.