What battles marked the opening of the American Revolutionary War in 1775?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord marked the opening of the American Revolutionary War 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, helped spread warnings about the expedition. Colonial militia assembled at Lexington, where a brief clash occurred at sunrise, before the British continued toward Concord.

At Concord’s North Bridge, colonial militiamen confronted British soldiers and forced them to withdraw. Fighting continued along the road back to Boston, with local militia gathering in increasing numbers. The day’s events transformed political resistance into open warfare between the colonies and Great Britain.

The identity of the person who fired the first shot at Lexington remains uncertain, despite the event’s famous description as “the shot heard round the world.” Bunker Hill followed in June 1775, while Saratoga occurred in 1777.