Battle of Concord

Battle of Concord, first serious engagement of the American Revolution, which followed the American patriot Paul Revere's famous ride warning of British attack. The battle was fought at Concord, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775. Large quantities of ammunition and military stores had been gathered by the colonists at Concord. The British general Thomas Gage sent about 700 British soldiers, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith, to Concord; their orders were to capture or destroy the supplies. The colonial militia, or minutemen, had been warned of the British advance by the American patriots Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott. A skirmish had occurred at Lexington, Massachusetts, that morning, arousing excitement throughout the countryside but causing no serious block to the advancing force, which reached Concord at 7:30 am.

The minutemen, numbering between 300 and 400, took position on the farther side of the North Bridge over the Concord River and stubbornly resisted the British advance. Several men on both sides were killed or wounded. The British troops fell back and began a retreat toward Boston. They were constantly harassed on the way by irregular colonial militia, steadily increasing in number, who fired from every vantage point and prevented any concerted attack. The British troops, exhausted and demoralized, finally reached Lexington, where they were reinforced by troops commanded by Brigadier General Hugh Percy. The colonists pursued the British all the way to Charlestown, Massachusetts, until the retreat became little better than a rout. The battle was significant, not in terms of casualties—more than 270 British and fewer than 100 Americans—but in demonstrating the resolution and fighting power of the Americans. In 1837 a stone replica of North Bridge was dedicated on the battle site.