19 avr. 1775 - The Battle of Lexington

Description:

The Battle of Lexington was the first battle to happen during the American Revolution and it started the American Revolutionary War. Tensions had been building for many years between the colonists and the British, particularly in Massachusetts. On the night of April 18, 1775, hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord in order to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen began mobilizing to intercept the Redcoat column. A confrontation on the Lexington town green started off the fighting, and soon the British were hastily retreating under intense fire. At dawn on April 19, about 700 British troops arrived in Lexington and came upon 77 militiamen gathered on the town green. The heavily outnumbered militiamen had just been ordered by their commander to disperse when a shot rang out. The person who shot the first shot is still unknown today. The British quickly defeated the militiamen and continued into Concord to search for arms. But when the British were preparing to leave, about 2000 militiamen overwhelmed them. With about 3500 militiamen firing for 18 mile, they only managed to kill or wound about 250 redcoats.