The Battles of Lexington and Concord occurred on April 19, 1775.
British troops marched from Boston to seize colonial military supplies reportedly stored in Concord, Massachusetts. Patriot riders, including Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott, warned local militia that the expedition was approaching.
At sunrise, British regulars confronted Massachusetts militiamen at Lexington. The troops then continued to Concord, where colonial forces engaged them at the North Bridge. The British retreat to Boston became a running battle, with militia joining from surrounding communities.
The fighting is widely regarded as the opening military engagement of the American Revolutionary War. It is sometimes confused with the Battle of Bunker Hill, which occurred later, on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston.