Battle+of+Lexington+and+Conchord

The Battles of Lexington and Concord was the starting battle of the American Revolution. The first shots fired for these battles was on April. 19, 1775 at the time of sunrise in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The Battles were fought between the Americans, and the British or better know as the "Redcoats" due to the unfair actions the King was expressing against the British colonies of North America. The Colonial militia members were know as "Minutemen," because the minute the colonies needed to fight a battle, they'd be there right away. The colonists already expected to some day fight the British, that's where the minutemen came in. They were ready for the battle as soon as the British arrived. The battle was started because British General Thomas Gage recieved orders to send approximately 700 soldiers to destroy the American supply of guns and ammunition so they cannot be prepared for war. The Americans wanted to be prepared for war there for they tried to collect as much supplies as possible stationed in Concord. Another goal the British set out for, was to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, because they were the leaders of the patriotic revolt. The British decided to travel to Lexington on foot, because they were able to carry heavier amounts of weapons and ammunition than if they were to travel by boat. When the British arrived, militia Captain Jonas Parker and 75 armed minutemen were there to meet them. Although they were greatly outnumbered, the Militia still faught, and 8 were killed, and 10 injured. The night before the battle started, on April,18. 1775 to warn Adams and Hancock, Paul Revere and William Daws rode their horse's throughout Lexington and Concord to warn the militia, and shouting, "The British Are Coming!". Paul Revere was actually arrested after stopping in Lexington to warn Samuel Adams, but William Daws made it through Lexington, and kept spreading the word throughout all of the other colonies. After the news spread, other townspeople noticed the smoke coming from the supply building, a large amount of Patriots fought back and the British started to retreat. The British tried going to Boston after knowing they were losing the battle. The British were attacked once again by the colonists on their way back to Boston. By the time British actually reached Boston, there were approximately 73 Dead British Soldiers, and 174 wounded British soldiers. By the end of the first battle, the British troupes had lost 273 Soldiers, while the colonials lost only 94. During the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the weapons used by the colonists were Mussel loading rifles that needed to be reloaded after every shot. It takes a while to reload, therefore the colonists would wait until the British soldiers were in close range for better accuracy, most soldiers also had bayonets on the ends of their rifles. Unlike the colonist, the British had a very large variety of weapons to choose from in the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The British used Muskets and Smooth Barreled Rifles with Bayonets, other weapons used by the British were Pistols, Swords, and Cannons drawn by horses. This battle was a very important Battle to the United States of America, because it was the first battle of the American Revolution, and Americans finally realized they had a good chance to break away and gain independence from Britain.  media type="youtube" key="EN4G4_0QOPQ?fs=1" height="385" width="480" This Video Clip from the Discovery Channel shows in good detail how the Battle of Lexington and Concord took place, and what the causes and effects of this battle were.  This Picture shows the route that the British took in order to reach the Lexington and Concord by foot. media type="youtube" key="xMcp-AAf54o?fs=1" height="385" width="480" This video is a very good description of the Midnight Run of Paul Revere during the night of April. 18, 1775.
 * __THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD __**



This picture shows another advantage that the British had, which was the ability to fight on horseback, while the Militia fought on foot.

media type="youtube" key="SERn6ADLPTE?fs=1" height="385" width="480" This is a very accurate reenactment of what the battle of Lexington and Concord would look like if you were actually there.

In this picture you can see the organized British troops firing at the Militia.

Discussion Questions:


 * 1) 1.) Who in your mind benefited the most from this Battle? Why?


 * 1) 2.) Why do you think that this Battle made a major impact of The American Revolution?


 * 1) 3.) Do you feel that the Battle's aftermath would've turned out a lot different, if Paul Revere never spread the word of the British attacking?


 * 1) 4.) What advantages did the British have over the Militia?