On what date did the Battles of Lexington and Concord begin?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord began on April 19, 1775.

British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize colonial military supplies. Patriot riders, including Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, had warned local militias of the expedition. At sunrise, British regulars encountered militia on Lexington Common.

The fighting continued through Concord and along the road back toward Boston. The colonial victory became the opening major military action of the American Revolutionary War. It transformed the political dispute between Britain and the colonies into an armed conflict.

A common mix-up is treating the battles as a single engagement at one location. Lexington and Concord are separate communities, and the day’s fighting included clashes at several points along the route. The phrase “shot heard round the world” later became associated with the opening exchange at Lexington, although the first shot’s origin remains disputed.