Plate I. The Battle of Lexington, April 19th, 1775

Engraving on copper; colored. First advertised for sale in New Haven, Connecticut, on 13 December 1775. New York Public Library, New York, NY.

The four famous engravings executed by Amos Doolittle are the best documentary evidence we have of the Battle of Lexington / Concord. Doolittle, a Connecticut militia man, was not present during the battle, but he went there two weeks later and interviewed people who were present at the successive skirmishes.

Ralph Earl, a painter just starting his career and interested in landscape views, also visited Lexington and Concord. He probably created the preparatory drawings and may have colored some of the prints. Where Earl leaves off and Doolittle takes over can only be surmised — but Doolittle certainly created the engravings himself since that was his expertise.

The failure of the Loyalists to flock to the royal standard cannot be understood without appreciating how effectively they had been locked down and neutralized by the patriots. Loyalists could not buy, sell, or bequeath property or other assets. They were barred from all legal recourse to recover debts or redress any other injury. They could not practice law or teach unless they had taken an oath of allegiance to the cause. They could not be executors of estates or be a guardian to a child. Any person who wrote, or spoke, or by any act libeled or defamed Congress ... should be brought to trial.

— Michael Stephenson

Patriot Battles: How the War of Independence Was Fought (2007)