The Battle Of Lexington And Concord

Most people did not expect the colonists with their under trained militia to last long against the British superpower. The colonists did just that. In the night of June 16, 1775, a detail of 1200 troops under orders from Artemas Ward, and led by William Prescott was supposed to entrench themselves on the rise on Bunker Hill, but instead misunderstood the instructions and went to Breed’s Hill by mistake. The next morning, the British were shocked to see Americans threatening them. In the 18th century, British military custom urged that the British soldiers attack the American soldiers, even though the Americans were in a superior position. Major General William Howe, leader of the British forces could easily have surrounded the Americans with his ships, but chose to march his troops up the hill; to the Americans. Howe might have believed that the Americans would retreat in the face of a smashing, head-on attack. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how a person looks at it, William Howe was wrong. The Americans stood their ground, dug in their heels, and stood firm. In the first wave, the Americans waited until they were within forty meters, then opened fire. The British force retreated with their wounded for a second wave. The British rushed up yet again. Again they retreated, suffering a great number of casualties. By the time the

The American Revolution, when 13 American colonies waged war against the most powerful country in the world, Great Britain, for their independence. Soldiers who fought in the war and risked their lives to gain the freedom we have today, is just one of the many prime examples of prevailing hardships in battle. George Washington proved to be exemplary just like many others heroic patriots, like Henry Knox and Nathaniel Greene, when triumphing over the British soldiers with what little strength they had and defeating them. Their victory was more than enough proof on why they deserved independence. David McCullough’s 1776, describes and educates us about events which happened before the war and foreshadows up to the revolution. We learn about the hardships thrown at George Washington and the Continental army whose intentions switched from equal rights to complete emancipation. Battles throughout the Revolutionary War, like the Battle of Bunker Hill, are well known, but McCullough shows the reader how the Continental army continues to strive on even when victory is not in their favor.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord are the initial battles of the revolutionary war. In the Revolutionary war Britain descovers that the terrnosity of the Americans will not so easily be silenced. Hundreds of British troops, exstimated to be around 700, marched from Boston to Lexington on the evening of April 18, 1775, with secret orders to capture any weapons availble to the American militia. Thanks to the efforts of Paul Revere and William Dawes, who rode from Boston to Lexington in the middle of the night. Colonial leaders John Handcock and Samuel Adams were warned of the intentions of the oncoming redcoats. The British red coats clashed witlh American militia at Lexington on April 19, 1775.

“Throw down your arms! Ye villains, ye rebels” (1775, 04/19: Battles of Lexington and Concord. (2007, June 26). The militiamen, who were greatly outnumbered, were ordered to leave when a shot rang out. No one really knows who fired first, but the British, hearing the shot, fired upon the small group of militia, killing eight and wounding 10 (1775, 04/19: Battles of Lexington and Concord. (2007, June 26).

When the first thirteen colonies were formed in America, the inhabitants did not live an easy life. They were pushed around by Britain and it’s troops, because they had less power. After being ruled by Great Britain for too long, most of the colonists decided that it was time to fight back. They would soon start a war with Britain that some thought was impossible for the colonists. This series of battles would be known as the Revolutionary war.

The British were informed that the colonists had weapons near Concord and went to find them, but the colonists were also informed that the British were going Concord. On the way to Concord, the British encountered a group of Minutemen in Lexington who were ready to battle, but the British easily won and many Minutemen were dead or wounded. Despite the loss, the colonists were willing to fight for freedom. Even though they knew they did not have a chance, they were willing to risk their lives. When the British reached Concord, they did not find guns, but they found Minutemen and soon the British were fleeing. The Minutemen would hide and every time they found a fleeing redcoat they would should at them and this was tactic that the British had not seen and it caused them to lose many men. America had a major debt problem after the Revolutionary War, but they were willing to deal with that because getting their freedom was so important to them. The mentality that the colonists had during the war allowed them to succeed and create their

“By the rude bridge that arched the flood, their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, here once the embattled farmers stood, and fired the shot heard round the world…” primary source Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “Concord Hymn” was written about the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Although this poem is not a good answer on who shot first during this battle, it does open the idea about the battle itself and makes you think who shot first. I believe that the Americans shot first at this Battle.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were neccessary to the American Revolutionary War because they put in motion the events that made our nation free. Numerous individuals have thought about how the American Revolutionary War began. Without a doubt, they have heard the stories of Paul Revere and the Midnight Ride: there was even a ballad expounded on his ride, however Paul Revere didn't begin the war.

During the years previous to the American Revolution, Great Britain increasingly asserted its dominance over the colonies. This assertive behavior caused tension between the colonies and Great Britain. Therefore, colonies debated the pros and cons of going to war with Great Britain in order to declare their independence. Increased British control led to revolution by the acts Great Britain forced upon colonists, colonists lack of representation, and Great Britain’s reaction to protests held by the colonists. Great Britain’s increased control led to the Revolution by the acts they forced upon colonists.

“Look at the poster showing all of those British soldiers firing into a helpless crowd. Did you hear that the Sons of Liberty dumped tons and tons of tea into the Boston harbor? Did you see that warship in Boston harbor? I heard that tax men are being feathered and tarred.” These are a smattering of what you might have heard if you lived in the colonies during the 1760’s and 70’s.

One main difference between the colonial minutemen and British military is the training and the organizational structure. The British military was more organized and well trained professional soldiers and were well equipped. The minutemen on the other hand was a bunch of rage tag men that were farmers and other backgrounds called upon arms, had limited military training, and were ill equipped. Despite the facts that the British Empire was the most powerful military during that time, Colonial America still defeated the British Military. The American minute men also introduced guerrilla warfare to the military tactics which was not practiced during that particular time period. There is one question. How did the minutemen of the American Colonies gain the victory over the British Military and how did the tactics affect military history. The Colonial Minutemen gained the victory over the British Military during the Revolutionary war due to their resources, tactics, and familiarity of the land while their tactics introduce guerilla warfare to military

Hence the word citizen, these military forces were composed of people living throughout the colonies. In 1774, as war became closer and closer, some militias even began forming companies known as minutemen, which were groups who boasted they would be ready to fight on a minutes notice. If it weren’t for these minutemen, then the British would have never of learned at Bunker Hill that “defeating the Americans on the battlefield would not be so quick or easy”, or they would have never been able to have killed 1,000 redcoat soldiers. Also, if it weren’t for the colonists actions in these Patriot forces, then they would never have been able to win the Battles of Saratoga, Kings Mountain, Yorktown, and many others that they took part of, as the win was a group effort of the entire army. People like George Washington could not win these battles by himself, he had to have the help of others, and they happened to be ordinary colonists. If the colonists really were passive and did not participate in the physical fighting for independence, then the Revolution would not of happened simply due to the fact that these colonists formed the American armies. If they didn’t exist, then America would not have anyone to fight for them. Therefore, Britain would not have any trouble taking control

Before the battles, the American colonies were already upset and angry by the number of acts that the British government created to raise revenue from taxes. The Sugar Act, the Tea Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Stamp Act were all examples of the taxes that the British enforced on the colonies. The Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party were major rebellions. There was a growing tension between the American colonies and the British government. The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles where the American Colonists fought back against the British.

I believe that the Battle of Lexington and Concord was the most important event during the American Revolution. The Battle of Lexington and Concord happened on April 19, 1775 which happened to be the start of the Revolutionary War. The events that lead up to the battle were the French and Indian War, Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, and the First Continental Congress. It happened because the British commander in Boston had heard of supplies of powder and weapons being kept by patriots in the towns of Lexington and Concord. They actually said said, “The regulars are coming.” Out of all the other battle that took place during the Revolutionary War, The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the greatest because

The conflict that eventually grew into King William’s War would provide one of the first opportunities for fighters from different colonies to cooperate in a larger military conflict on behalf of the English Empire, and also to develop a sense of resentment toward the Crown for its perceived failure to defend the colonies adequately (Williams, pp. 23-24). The colonists had inherited their ancestors’ distrust of a standing army, primarily since they saw such an army as a tool for the repression of liberty (Flashnick, Week 1). After the failure of the English army to assist the colonial fighters to any meaningful degree during King William’s War, this distrust was confirmed and amplified. Two long-term effects of the conflict were that it reinforced the American preference for the citizen soldier and, by virtue of forcing cooperation between the colonies, it paved the way for what would eventually become a united continental army.