to capture Paul Revere
The objective of the British task force was a double one: capture the Patriot leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams and destroy the military depot established by the Continental Congress at Concord.
There were two skirmishes between American colonial militia and regular British troops, who were on an expedition into the Massachussets countryside to confiscate weapons. It was the first armed battles between British forces and colonial patriots in the American revolution.
In April of 1775, British troops marched on the town of Concord (Massachusetts) in order to capture arms which they believed were hidden there. Nonverbal orders to the British commander seem also to have included the capture of rebel leaders who might be residing in or around the same town. In their search of the town, the British did find a small cache of arms, but they were soon forced to fall back towards Boston after facing superior numbers (and fire) from colonial militia troops.
The famous battles that began the American Revolutionary War, at Lexington and at Concord, began early in the morning of April 19, 1775. In Lexington at first light, colonial militia troops assembled and faced off with the advancing British soldiers. Dispersed quickly by British shots, the Americans met the British again at Concord later in the day, where the reinforced colonials drove back their enemy then harassed them during their long march back to Boston.
British General Gage learned that the colonists had stored supplies and ammunition at Concord, MA, some 20 miles from Boston. On 19 April 1775, he sent 700 of his troops to seize the munitions and, if possible, capture and arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Gage had received information that those two “rebels” were hiding out in Concord. Warning the Americans that the British were marching to Concord were the trio Revere, Dawes, and Prescott, of the famous “Midnight Ride.” When British Major John Pitcairn arrived at Lexington, which was on the way to Concord, he found 70 American minutemen (actually, they were almost all farmers) in battle formation at the town square. Pitcairn ordered the Americans to disperse but when they didn’t move after the second order to do so, someone fired a shot. It is not known if the shot was fired by Americans or British. The British easily cleared Lexington and marched on to Concord. He found more Americans arming the bridge into the town so Pitcairn order the British to return to Boston. All the way back to Boston, the Americans sniped at the British from behind trees and rocks, inflicting serious injury to the British troops. When the Redcoats reached Boston, 250 had been killed or wounded.
In April of 1775, the British military governor of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, issued non-written orders to British troops stationed in Boston to march in force to the town of Concord and arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, among others. These men were known to be leaders of the growing rebellion movement in the Colonies and were rumored to be hiding out in the area of Concord. Written orders specified uncovering and destroying arms also rumored to be hidden in Concord.
On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was summoned by Dr. Joseph Warren of Boston and given the task of riding to Lexington, Massachusetts, with the news that regular troops were about to march into the countryside northwest of Boston.
to capture Paul Revere The objective of the British task force was a double one: capture the Patriot leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams and destroy the military depot established by the Continental Congress at Concord.
to capture Paul Revere The objective of the British task force was a double one: capture the Patriot leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams and destroy the military depot established by the Continental Congress at Concord.
In April 1775, the British sent troops into the New England countryside primarily to confiscate colonial military supplies stored by the Patriots in Concord, Massachusetts. They aimed to arrest key revolutionary leaders, such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock, and suppress the growing insurrection against British authority. This action ultimately sparked the Battles of Lexington and Concord, marking the beginning of armed conflict in the American Revolution.
In April 1775, British troops arrived in Boston as part of their efforts to suppress colonial resistance. This deployment was a response to rising tensions between the colonies and British authorities, particularly following events like the Boston Tea Party. The arrival of these troops ultimately led to significant confrontations, including the battles of Lexington and Concord, which marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.
In the American Revolutionary War, Lexington and Concord were the sites of the first two military engagements of the war. Indeed, these two towns, both located northeast of Boston (Massachusetts), witnessed what is considered to be the start of the war in April of 1775, as British troops marched through the countryside and into these towns in a poorly calculated show of force that was courageously opposed by American militia troops.
The "midnight rides" by Paul Revere and William Dawes (April 18-19, 1775) came first, alerting the colonial militias of the movement of British troops from Boston into the countryside. Later on April 19 came the Battle of Lexington (a skirmish the British won) and the Battle of Lexington (which compelled the British to retreat to Boston). The Battle of Bunker Hill (fought mainly on Breed's Hill) was fought 2 months later, on June 17, 1775.
In reference to the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the British commanders were Major General Francis Smith, British Marine officer, John Pitcairn, and Lieutenant-General Hugh Percy. The battles took place on April 19, 1775.
William Dawes, Jr. (April 1745 to February 1799) was a tanner and active in Boston's militia. He was one of several men and a woman who alerted of the approach of the British troops.
There were two skirmishes between American colonial militia and regular British troops, who were on an expedition into the Massachussets countryside to confiscate weapons. It was the first armed battles between British forces and colonial patriots in the American revolution.
At dawn on April 19.
At dawn on April 19.