Lexington saw the first shots in the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. British troops encountered colonial militia on Lexington Common at sunrise during their march toward Concord.
The British expedition intended to find and destroy military supplies stored at Concord. Colonial riders had warned local communities, allowing militia members to assemble before the British reached their objective. The brief clash at Lexington was followed by fighting at Concord and along the British retreat to Boston.
The exact identity of the person who fired the first shot remains disputed. Accounts from both sides conflict, and historians do not treat the popular phrase “the shot heard round the world” as proof of a settled answer.
The battles are widely regarded as the first major military actions of the American Revolutionary War. Their date, April 19, 1775, places them more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was adopted.