Which 1775 battles are widely regarded as the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first major military engagements of the American Revolutionary War.

They took place in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize colonial military supplies, but Patriot riders warned local militia forces of the expedition.

The first fighting occurred at Lexington, where British regulars encountered colonial militiamen. The British continued to Concord, then faced increasingly strong resistance during their retreat to Boston. Colonial forces from surrounding communities joined the action throughout the day.

These battles transformed political tensions into open warfare. The phrase “shot heard round the world,” later associated with the fighting at Concord’s North Bridge, came from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1837 poem “Concord Hymn.” Paul Revere participated in the warning network, but he was captured before reaching Concord.