What battle marked the start of the American Revolutionary War in April 1775?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord marked the start of the American Revolutionary War in April 1775.

British soldiers marched from Boston toward Concord to seize colonial military supplies. Colonial militia members confronted them at Lexington, where the first shots were fired. The British continued to Concord, destroyed some supplies, and then began their return march.

Militia from surrounding Massachusetts towns attacked the British along the road back to Boston. The fighting forced the British army to retreat into Boston, where colonial forces soon began the Siege of Boston.

The event is often remembered through the phrase “the shot heard ’round the world,” although that wording came later from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1837 poem “Concord Hymn.” Lexington and Concord were not a single battle but two connected engagements and numerous clashes during the British retreat. The conflict followed years of political tension over taxation, representation, and imperial authority. The Second Continental Congress later organized the Continental Army, with George Washington as its commander.