Lexington saw the opening clash of the American Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775.
British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize colonial military supplies. At dawn, they encountered local militia on Lexington Common. A brief exchange of gunfire followed, killing eight Lexington militiamen and wounding others before the British continued toward Concord.
The larger Battles of Lexington and Concord unfolded over the same day. At Concord's North Bridge, colonial militia engaged British troops, then harried the column during its retreat to Boston. These actions helped trigger the Siege of Boston and the wider Revolutionary War.
Lexington is often associated with the phrase “the shot heard round the world,” although Ralph Waldo Emerson used that phrase specifically for the fighting at Concord's North Bridge. The identity of the person who fired the first shot at Lexington remains uncertain.