The first shots of the American Revolutionary War occurred at Lexington and Concord 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, warned local militia that the expedition was approaching. At sunrise, British regulars encountered militiamen on Lexington Common.
The fighting continued through Concord and along the road back to Boston. Although the Lexington engagement was a brief skirmish, the day's running battles became the opening major military action of the war. The Patriot victory encouraged resistance throughout the colonies.
The exact identity of the person who fired the first shot at Lexington remains disputed. That uncertainty does not change the established date of the battles. The events led to the Siege of Boston and helped prompt the creation of the Continental Army.