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Battle of Lexington
and Concord
On April 18, 1775 British General Thomas Gage
in Boston was ordered to seize a cache of arms in Concord, a small town
15 miles away, and if possible, to capture John Hancock and
Samuel Adams, two of the more outspoken rebel leaders. To accomplish
this, Gage assembled approximately 700 troops commanded by Lieutenant
Colonel Francis Smith.
Maintaining strict secrecy, the troops departed
Boston at Midnight on the 19th. However, the garrison was watched
closely by the residents of Boston and the Massachusetts Committee of
Safety had learned of Gages plans. By the time the troops had
begun their march, Paul Revere and William Dawes were on the way to warn
Hancock and Adams who were at Lexington and to alert the countryside to
the coming of the British troops.
Revere reached Lexington near midnight and
Dawes shortly after. Here they were joined by Dr. Samuel Prescott
and all three left for Concord. Revere and Dawes were captured,
but Dr. Prescott escaped by leaving the road and making his way to
Concord cross-country.
The British continued marching toward Concord,
but the entire countryside was on the alert by this time and the militia
was waiting to meet them. The advance British troops, commanded by
Marine Major John Pitcairn, arrived at Lexington at Dawn.
Lexington Militia Captain John Park, knowing of Gages unsuccessful
attempt to seize arms and ammunition at Salem several months earlier,
had gathered about seventy of his men at the town common to face the
British troops.
Pitcairn ordered his troops to surround and
disarm the militiamen. Parker responded by ordering his men to
disperse. Then, a shot rang out. Its unclear who fired
first, but the British answered with a volley of shots. With eight
killed and as many as ten wounded, the militia scattered into the woods.
After the engagement, the British discovered
that Hancock and Adams had escaped, so they pushed on toward Concord.
But Dr. Prescotts warning preceded their arrival and while attempting
to locate some cannons thought to be at a nearby farm, the British ran
into a group of militiamen at Concords North Bridge.
The Americans had had more time to prepare for
this encounter and when shots rang out this time, the resulting conflict
was a rout. The British evacuated the bridge and moved to Concord
center.
Realizing the precarious nature of his
position, Smith retreated towards Boston and the real battle began.
Militiamen from the neighboring area had moved toward Concord and when
the British encountered the Americans they were outflanked.
The Americans fought differently from the
British. Flanking the retreating column, the Americans hid behind
trees and stone walls, firing on the passing troops. The British
flanking maneuvers couldnt prevent ambushes and since the Americans
didnt oblige and form a firing line, the British had next to nothing
to shoot at. The British morale was destroyed and the troops broke
rank on the way to Lexington.
The retreat would likely have become a
catastrophe for the British but for the relief column, under Brigadier
General Hugh Percy, waiting in Lexington. The Americans were
dispersed by the fire from Percys two cannons and the British troops
were collected back into ranks. Percy then led the retreat back to
Boston.
As the British resumed their retreat to Boston,
the Americans renewed their attacks. But with Percy commanding,
the retreating troops managed to maintain their ranks and the retreat
was successful.
While the Americans lost about 90 men, the
British endured casualties approaching 20 percent, paying dearly for the
march to Concord. But the real cost of the engagement was the
resulting siege of Boston, the propaganda that the rebels obtained
prior to the conflict, only a third of the people wanted a break from
Britain - and the beginning of the Revolutionary
War.

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