Lexington was the Massachusetts town where the first clashes of the Battles of Lexington and Concord occurred.
On April 19, 1775, British regulars marched from Boston toward Concord to seize colonial military supplies. At dawn in Lexington, they encountered local militiamen on Lexington Common, where the first exchange of gunfire took place.
The fighting then continued toward Concord, including a major confrontation at the North Bridge. Colonial militia units pursued the British troops during their retreat to Boston, turning the expedition into the opening battle of the American Revolutionary War.
The event is often shortened to “Lexington and Concord,” which can make the sequence easy to miss. Lexington refers to the first clash, while Concord was the next major location in the same day’s fighting.